ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Milan Fatschel wanted the best of both worlds — and was willing to travel to get it.

That's why the Seneca Valley graduate decided to leave the Raiders' boys soccer program after his freshman year to play for the Cleveland International Soccer Academy.

“I wanted to play against the best competition I could get,” Fatschel said. “At the time, I felt that was best for me. I wanted to develop some academic options while finding a good college soccer program.

“The Academy has a rule that you can't play high school soccer and play for them. So I had to drop off the Seneca Valley team.”

Fatschel remained a Seneca Valley High School student and graduated from there. But instead of walking down to soccer practice with the Raiders after school for his last three years, he jumped in a car and drove two hours to Cleveland three days a week to practice with his Academy team.

The Academy played its games on weekends.

“We traveled quite a ways to play,” Fatschel said. “Chicago, Minnesota, Columbus ... some of the trips, we traveled by plane.

“But it was all worth it to me. I was playing soccer against kids who were being groomed for professional soccer opportunities. It made me a better player and it definitely helped in my college recruitment.”

Fatschel wound up going to the University of Rochester. He is majoring in engineering and just made the University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Academic team for the third straight year. That requires carrying at least a 3.30 grade point average.

And as a first-year starter as a senior defender at Rochester, Fatschel has helped the Yellowjackets reach the NCAA Division III Final Four for the first time in the program's history.

“Milan is an amazing story,” Rochester coach Chris Apple said. “He stuck with it for three years, continually working on and improving his game.

“This year was a breakthrough season for him. He played with so much confidence in himself and has been one of our top defenders all season.”

Fatschel has two assists this year, including one on the Yellowjackets' lone goal in a 1-0 playoff win over Eastern (Pa.). He lofted a 40-yard free kick into the box, where it was knocked in.

“That was a thrill, contributing to such a key goal like that,” Fatschel said.

Rochester (16-2-2) reached the Division III Final Four by knocking off defending national champion Messiah, 2-1, in their Elite Eight matchup recently.

It was Messiah that ended Rochester's season last year with a 2-0 defeat in the Elite Eight in Mechanicsburg.

“That was a cold, wet day and our players made a vow to each other right after that game,” Apple said. “They vowed they would return to that level next year and take it at least one step farther.

“For the past 12 months, these guys never lost sight of that goal. Then they made it happen. It's hard to script that.”

Rochester will play Tufts in a national semifinal at 1:45 p.m. Nov. 30 in Greensboro, N.C.

An engineering major, Fatschel is undecided whether to enter the work force or go on to graduate school once he graduates in the spring.

He's already happy with one choice he made.

“When I was looking for a college, I saw Rochester ranked among the top 30 nationally in its engineering program and soccer program,” he said. “That made me want to come here and it's been a great experience for me.”

In terms of academic success, Fatschel is not alone on the Rochester roster.

“The nature of this university attracts a lot of bright student-athletes like Milan,” Apple said. “He's a determined young man and we've got plenty of others on the team like him.

“That's one of the reasons we're still playing.”