Academic Honors: Graduated Magna Cum Laude…National Honor Society…Illinois State Scholar…Young Scholar Award

Club: Ranked ninth-best player in Midwest (TopDrawerSoccer)…Ranked 191st nationally…Selected to play in National Academy Championship All-Star game…Invited to USA Youth National Team Identification Center

3 Questions for Otterberg
Biggest Soccer Influence? "My biggest soccer influence has been my U13 coach, Dema Kovalenko. While he has been a significant influence on my style of play and work rate, he has also been someone that I look up to. When he was young, he immigrated to the US from Ukraine. He was extremely poor and came here without his parents. Alone in a foreign country, Dema trained hard and excelled in soccer, taking Indiana University to a championship. He left college early and was drafted into the MLS where his career continued for 12 years."
Do you have a hero or idol? "As my coach for two years, Dema shaped me in my developmental period as an athlete. He saw potential in me and pushed me until failure every single day. I feel as though I 'grew up' as a player underneath him. He demanded excellence from me: I played up a year; I did personal training with him; I did extra work at practice; His disappointment was a player who lacked effort. At the slightest sense of slowing down, he was in my face screaming. He saw my desire and innate ability, and he drew it out of me in his own, special way. It did not matter how much I ran before, or how long I was playing, if I slowed down, it was on me. I matured as a player because of him. I understood accountability and developed my internal locus of control. My actions determine every outcome, whether good or bad. That has been my mentality throughout my entire athletic career, but also throughout my life. Dema's life story is inspiring. Coming to the US alone and poor, he woke up motivated to improve, to push himself, and to win. Most importantly, he tells his story with optimism rather than victimization. He took responsibility for his own success and I idolize that mentality."
Why Yale? "Meeting the coaches, staying with the players, and visiting the school taught me what the YMS family is. A graduate of the soccer team told me that 'The Y never comes off' and I want to be a part of that culture."

Stannard on Otterberg: "Ethan is another player we really liked that was late in the 2025 cycle and he was willing to take a gap year to continue to grow and develop even further before coming to us this fall. Ethan is a player that has the attributes to plug into any team and any style in order to help the team win.  He is extremely technical and confident in tight spaces but also has a fantastic engine to cover a lot of ground and do the dirty work. He is fairly two-footed and has a knack for scoring goals from distance.  Ethan plays for one of the most competitive and historic youth clubs in the country, Sockers FC, and has also received some incredible personalized training with Kyle Knotek, a former player I coached at Northern Illinois."