JACKSON TWP — Sam Patry was looking for a place to fit in — on the soccer pitch and in the classroom.

He found both at Seton Hill University.

Seneca Valley’s senior defender, captain and 2016 MVP is receiving academic and scholarship money to join the Griffins this fall.

“Sam is versatile enough to play center-midfielder or in the back,” Seton Hill coach Daniel McCarty said. “He’s left-footed and that’s an asset.

“Long term, I see him settling in as our left center-back. But we’re anticipating him stepping right in somewhere and helping us right away.”

Seton Hill was 12-8 last season, 7-4 in the PSAC, and dropped an overtime decision to Mercyhurst in the PSAC Tournament. The Griffins have become a consistent PSAC contender.

And Patry is used to winning.

He anchored the Raiders’ back line in 2015 as SV reached the state title game. He was MVP of last year’s team that finished 19-2-1, allowing only six goals all season and reaching the WPIAL championship game.

A captain of the Stars United Club team in Cranberry Township for the past five years, Patry has led that team to a state title and two runner-up finishes.

He also considered Allegheny and Robert Morris before deciding on Seton Hill. The Griffins had a 3.5 team grade point average last season.

“That really appealed to me,” Patry said of that statistic. “I want that kind of academic atmosphere because I’m looking to get into law school down the road.”

Patry is carrying a 3.9 GPA at Seneca Valley. He plans to major in political science and psychology at Seton Hill.

Graeme Eastgate has been Patry’s coach at Stars United for the past seven years.

“He probably could have gone to a Division I school. Sam has that kind of ability,” Eastgate said. “But I told him, regardless of his choice, go somewhere where you’re going to play.

“I’ll be surprised if he’s not a four-year starter at Seton Hill and that’s a pretty good program.”

Along with getting stellar competition regionally through championship runs, Patry has played several games in England and played with the Stars United Club team at the MIC tournament in Barcelona.

“He played up on his older brother’s U-19 team with us. That’s how he got to play in England when we took that team over there,” Eastgate said.

“The level of play overseas is unbelievable,” Patry said. “I played in the nationals for ODP and it’s at a higher level than that.

“Even the style of play is different. That experience definitely helped me as a player.”

McCarty pointed out that “about 75 percent of our roster is international, so Sam will benefit from his experiences over there.”

Patry comes from a soccer family. His father, Scott, played collegiate soccer at Loyola (Md.) before a shattered ankle ended his playing career. His brother Ben is a sophomore at Allegheny and had his playing career cut short by an injury.

Patry himself has suffered a concussion and dislocated hip while playing soccer.

“Injuries can happen in any sport,” he said. “You have to accept that risk. When I was young, I had bad asthma. All of the running I did in youth soccer helped me deal with that.”

Ben Patry attended Central Catholic. Sam followed him there, but transferred to Seneca Valley before his junior year, after Ben graduated.

“Central Catholic is a great school. It just wasn’t the right place for me,” Patry said. “All of my friends were at Seneca Valley along with most of my club teammates. It just made sense to go there.”

Clearly, the move worked out.

“Sam has played at a highly competitive level and he’s experienced different styles of the game,” McCarty said. “He’s a mature kid, easy to coach. He’ll definitely fit the profile of player we have at Seton Hill.”