Conrad Tobiassen received some surprising but good news while sitting in math class at Stonington High School one day late this fall.

His soccer coach, Mario Costa, informed him via text about earning All-New England honors.

“I was definitely not expecting that,” Tobiassen said.

Not only did Tobiassen earn All-New England honors, he also was a Class M all-state selection. Both awards were first time honors for the senior.

Now he can add being named The Day’s 2022 All-Area Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year to his impressive list.

“At the start of the year, I didn’t even know if I was going to get All-ECC because I didn't know if my name was out there enough,” Tobiassen said. “It was shocking every time I got an award.”

Tobiassen, a center back, anchored a stingy Stonington defense that posted 10 shutouts.

He may not be the fastest player or the most technical player but he limits his mistakes, anticipates well and has a high soccer IQ. Costa called him one of the smartest players that he’s ever coached.

Plus, a cool, calm demeanor enables Tobiassen to deftly handle pressure and blow up opposing attacks.

“He’s very composed on the ball and never gets rattled,” Costa said. “For a defender, that’s very rare. … He has a very calm personality and a calm demeanor about him. He relaxes other players, as well, on the field when he has the ball.

“And he’s someone that’s never going to back down from a challenge.”

Like most of his teammates, Tobiassen grew up playing the sport, starting on the youth level in Stonington.

He’s always been a defender.

“I feel like it can be a stressful position but it is the easiest position if you play it right,” Tobiassen said. “The problem with it is if you make one mistake, you can get scored on. I just like playing defense. If you put me up in the midfield, I always lag back on defense. I don’t know why, maybe because I have played it since I was young.”

Tobiassen became a fixture in the starting lineup as a junior but didn’t make All-ECC.

It took until his senior year for Tobiassen to gain attention for his defensive work despite being an important contributor on last year’s state championship team.

The Bears had big holes to fill after losing 11 players, including the heart of their defense.

Tobiassen stepped up his game and also led by example as a team captain.

“He kind of went under the radar last year,” Costa said. “He played every single minute of every single game at right back. He always had the ability to play in the middle of the field. With what we lost — three out of the four starters in the back line — it brought attention to him this year being the main guy on the back line.”

His teammates also took notice.

“He’s definitely well respected by his teammates,” Costa said. “This year, with how good we were in the back, every time he made a good challenge or good play in the field his teammates got behind him and were supportive of him.”

The Bears enjoyed another successful season, qualifying for the state tournament before losing to rival Bacon Academy in the Class M second round.

His highlight came during Senior Night in late October when Stonington rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Waterford in double overtime.

“I think a lot of the ECC thought we were going to drop off,” said Tobiassen, who was selected to play in the 30th annual Connecticut Senior Bowl. “But I thought we still had a strong season and could have won a couple more games. … It was probably my most fun year so far. A lot of people that I’m good friends with started to play more.”

Now that his high school soccer career is over, Tobiassen will turn to playing tennis.

“I did it for fun at first,” Tobiassen said. “But then our team actually got pretty good. And we can probably try to make a run at states this year.”

He also excels in the classroom, belonging to the National Honor Society.

As far as his future, he’s still trying to decide where he’ll attend college. He doesn’t plan on playing soccer. He’ll likely major in either finance or computer science.

g.keefe@theday.com

The Day’s 2022 All-Area Boys’ Soccer Team

Player of the Year - Conrad Tobiassen (Stonington)

Forward - Rood Apolon (NFA), Louis Hawkins (NFA), Peyton Luther (Ledyard), Jose Pacheco (St. Bernard)

Midfield - Reid Dowling (East Lyme), Ben Fieldsend (Ledyard), Josh Lord (Stonington), Nico Matteucci (Bacon Academy)

Defense - Keegan Appleby (Bacon Academy), Brendan Duhamel (Montville)

Goalie - Jonah Lathrop (Old Lyme)

Utility - Zach Lamitie (Norwich Tech), Diego Virgen (East Lyme)