Hall of Fame
Opting at age 16 to leave his native Colombia and all that was familiar to him Alfonso came to the United States in 1996 to play soccer and attend school.
“My plan was always to play soccer,” says Alfonso who landed in Boca Raton, Fla. “I had a vision that if I came early enough to the United States maybe I could earn a scholarship to an American University.”
Alfonso’s plan worked to perfection. He attended Olympic Heights High School. The Lions annually fielded a high-profile soccer team that grabbed a lot of attention. While considering various offers, Alfonso became interested in Towson after Tiger coach Frank Olszewski had successfully recruited one of his high school teammates, Chris Hurley.
“After Chris went up to Towson Frank continued to watch me play,” Alfonso recalls. “He was the first one to believe in me. At the end of my senior year he made an offer, I accepted and that’s how I wound up going to Towson.”
Alfonso left an indelible mark on Towson’s soccer program, becoming its all-time career leader in assists (35) and points (125 that includes 45 goals). In 1998 he was named America East Rookie of the Year and 2nd team all-conference. He was selected 1st team All-America East as a sophomore, junior and senior. The America East Player of the Year in 2000, he was named to the America East All-Tournament team twice (1998 and 2001). He earned All-South Atlantic Region recognition three times (1st team, 2nd team, honorable mention). He was selected honorable mention All-America by College Soccer News in 2001. He was Towson’s MVP three straight years and the program’s Rookie of the Year in 1998. He was twice selected Towson’s Male Athlete of the Year.
During his four years the Tigers were 42-20-3 in conference play and 49-23-6 overall, a record that included one conference championship and Towson’s first of only two trips to the NCAA Division I tournament. He scored the only goal of the game in Towson’s 1-0 victory over Northeastern in the 2001 America East championship game to propel the Tigers into the NCAA tournament. The Tigers defeated James Madison 4-1 in the first round before falling to North Carolina. He was the top scorer for that team that finished 16-5-1 with a number 25 final national ranking.
