For Graciano Brito, the trailway to Quinnipiac was both unlikely and unpredictable.
Growing up in Cape Verde, a scenic republic located off the Western Coast of Africa, Brito did not play one game of high school soccer.
“All my life I was a basketball player,” said Brito, a former combo guard who operated offense for the 17-and-under Cape Verde national team.
The kid had some vertically explosive game on the court, too. Hometown friends frequently recall Brito crushing home alley oop lobs and slithering into the paint, levitating to the rim with ease.Brito also played on the 17-and-under national team in volleyball.
“I used to play 3-on-3 pickup games of soccer (in Cape Verde), but I wasn’t into it. I wasn’t as good as my friends. Basketball was my thing.”
So what has Brito been doing on the pitch this season, scoring at will while establishing himself as the nation’s leading scorer?
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The 6-foot-2 junior was simply proving that through high-order commitment, an engine of perseverance, and a monstrous work ethic ingrained in him by head coach Eric DaCosta, the road to success will eventually turn into a one-way street.
Brito arrived in the United States at the age of 18, with little knowledge of the English language. He has minimal social or economic ties. During his high school years at Cape Verde, Brito sustained a passionate interest for the international business world.
He did his due diligence. Brito read and researched the philosophies of influential business leaders of various cultures. He discovering unique business plans from overseas. This was all to prepare himself for the business class he wanted to pursue in college.
Both the language barrier and the high cost of higher education, however, presented a challenge.
Brito moved in with an aunt in Bridgeport, Conn., during his original move to the Unites States.
He picked up a soccer ball and quickly registered his presence on the playground/open gym scene in the Bridgeport and Waterbury areas.
Before he rapidly evolved into a freakishly athletic junior midfielder/forward at Quinnipiac, Brito was breaking down defenses and showing promise in pickup and summer league games.
Many of these games featured proven, reputable Division-I players.
Eric Da Costa got word of Brito’s exploits from one of his players at Teikyo-Post, where Da Costa was coaching at the time.
Da Costa then trekked out to the parks to see this blur-quick, high-rising Cape Verdian kid with a raw skill set but natural talent and feel for the game.
Da Costa was instantly sold, penning Brito as a top-profile recruit that Post wanted to invest four years in. It was a rare case of a coach discovering an intriguing recruit solely by surprise.
Brito red-shirted his first year at Post, getting acclimated to a new environment while focusing hard on his studies.
Through arduous hours in the library, through his devotion to learning English via television, music, and his communication with teammates, Brito registered a 3.8 GPA during his second semester at Post.
He credits Da Costa for helping him master the learning curve and readying him for the rigors of Division-I soccer.
Da Costa, a former Quinnipiac player himself, was named Quinnipiac’s new head coach during the summer of 2005. With the task of filling a new roster and inheriting previous recruits in just a few months, coach said he had to take Brito along with him.
“Eric Da Costa has been like a father to me,” said Brito, harkening back to his days as one of Da Costa’s early recruits at Teikyo-Post.
“We have a father-son relationship. What I learned about soccer, all of it, is what Eric has showed me.”
With a painstaking work ethic both on the field and in the classroom, Brito has come a long way in a short period of time.
“It’s all about working hard to achieve what I want,” said Brito, an international business major.
Brito’s mother Camdida is the person he credits for shaping his life and athletic and academic career.
She’s the one who taught him that living out one’s dreams must be done the old fashion way: through gritty, hard work. And, a Camdida illustrated, the dream life entails sacrifices.
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Everyday, Brito makes a 30-minute commute back and forth from Bridgeport. After laboring through school and soccer, he reports to his night job as a store clerk.
“I never thought in my life that I would be in college,” Brito said
“I would never even think about graduating from college. I have the chance now, I have to take advantage of it. I’m just focused, and realizing that dream.”
Brito’s name has been etched in record-book lore this season.
Following a Northeast Conference Player of the Week award, Brito earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team in mid-September.
Brito’s sublime recent weekend was underscored by a hat trick and the game-winning goal in thrilling a 3-2 triumph of Army.
Brito has emerged into the focal point of Quinnipiac’s offense, netting five goals in the Boncats first four games of the season.
Quinnipiac is off to a 4-0 start for the first time in program history.
