Impact of a Scholarship: Keri Sarver

Keri Sarver was a Maryland legend on the soccer pitch from 1995 to 1998, helping the Terrapins make four consecutive NCAA Tournaments and holding the school record in every major offensive category upon graduation. Fast forward nearly two and a half decades later, and Sarver is continuing to leave her mark on the game—when she showcased her talent on the biggest stage the sport has to offer, the World Cup. 

While a Terp, Sarver (B.S. '99, computer science) was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference Selection and was named an All-American in 1998. Sarver helped lead the Terrapins to four NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995-1998, including quarterfinal appearances in 1995 and 1996. She holds the Maryland career records for goals (61), assists (33), points (155) as well as the single season records assists (15, 1996) and points (49, 1998), while also being tied for the single season record in goals (21, 1998). Sarver has scored the most goals in program history in the NCAA Tournament with six in her career, and also scored the most in a single game with three against Fairfield in 1998.

Sarver believes that working hard both on the field and in the classroom prepared her for the next step in her life as she balanced being a software engineer and a professional player simultaneously. She was able to focus solely on her athletics and academic pursuits while at Maryland thanks to her scholarship.

For that, Sarver is exceptionally grateful. 

“I was blessed to have had parents who would have been able to help me through college even if I wasn’t on a scholarship. But with that being said, we were a middle-class midwest family and I had three brothers," Sarver said. "It was a great sense of pride for me that they didn’t have to worry about paying for college with me, especially as they were still putting my brothers through school at the same time. It meant a lot to me to be able to be able to give back to my family because the support they gave to me as a kid was what allowed me to play college soccer. It was a wonderful way to say thank you to my parents.”

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