Peabody High has enjoyed a long tradition of excellence when it comes to soccer. Many players have gone on to enjoy success at the collegiate level. A handful have played professionally across the pond.
But one former Tanner standout has been there, done that and now is back in Massachusetts, setting his sights on leading the Brandeis College men’s soccer team back to prominence.
Luke Finkelstein, a 2011 Peabody graduate, played professionally from 2015 through the spring of 2019. He played for Hakoah Ramat Gan in Israel from 2015-16, the Philadelphia Fury of the American Soccer League in 2016-17 and DJK TuS Hordel in Germany from 2017-19. In 2018, he returned to the United States as an assistant coach at Wentworth Institute of Technology before returning to Germany as an assistant coach/player of the TuS Hordel U-16 team for a six-month stint.
Before leaving for Germany earlier this year, he had lunch with Brandeis head coach Gabe Margolis.
“He asked me what he had to do to get me on his staff,” Finkelstein said. “The timing was just perfect as I knew that Germany was going to most likely be me last hoorah as a player and I wanted to get into coaching and some other soccer-related things as well.”
The Judges entered the 2019 season hoping to turn things around after a losing season (7-9-2) after making six consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division 3 tournament, reaching the Final Four in 2016 and 2017 seasons. So far, so good, as the Judges are 6-2-4.
“What they have done is just incredible,” said Finkelsteing. “Last year was a down year, so this year is about getting back to form. It’s been a crazy fall for me, but it’s been great so far.”
Finkelstein was a four-year soccer standout and two-year captain at Wheaton College, graduating in 2015 with a degree in psychology.
Finkelstein burst onto the scene at Wheaton, earning New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rookie of the Year honors and NEWMAC Second Team honors as a freshman. He repeated on the second team sophomore year.
His last two years at Wheaton were special. The Lyons never lost a game when Finkelstein notched a point, posting a 16-0 combined record. He led the Lyons to a NEWMAC championship junior year and a NEWMAC regular-season championship senior year, earning NEWMAC First Team honors both years. He guided the Lyons to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division 3 tournament, where the Lyons advanced to the second round.
A three-time All-New England selection, he concluded his collegiate career with selection to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and D3Soccer.com All-America First Team as a midfielder.
At Wheaton, he ranks seventh all-time in games played (83) and fourth all-time in assists (28).
Late last month, Finkelstein was on the opposite side of the pitch on his old stomping grounds at Wheaton, which battled Brandeis to a scoreless tie.
“It was the first time I had been back in about 10 months,” said Finkelstein. “I was just flooded with memories being on the field again. I had to snap out of it and focus on the game, but it was really cool.”
Finkelstein attended the Belmont Hill School for two years before returning to Peabody High for his junior and senior years, leading the boys soccer team to two Northeastern Conference championships. An honor roll student, he was a two-time NEC All Conference All-Star, an Eastern Massachusetts All-Star and Massachusetts All-State honoree.
One of Finkelstein’s biggest fans is his former Tanner coach, Stan McKeen.
“Luke was probably the most dedicated soccer player that I ever had,” said McKeen. “Soccer is his life. He was a great leader and was very dedicated both on and off the field. Small in stature, but a giant on the soccer field. He continually worked hard to be the best that he could and it has paid off.
“He, without question, raised our program immensely.”
While soccer has taken him to many places, Finkelstein’s favorite memories begin and end in Tanner town.
“The highlight of my high school soccer career was beating Danvers my senior year — they’re our huge rivals,” he said. “That game clinched the NEC championship for us, I scored the winning goal (a 2-0 win) off a free kick. Soccer is such a big part of my life, I loved playing for Peabody in high school,” Finkelstein said.
Finkelstein is leveraging his love for the game with a new business venture called The Pro Project, a soccer service that provides high level group training as well as college mentoring to elite players.
“We’re training and advising the best players across New England to help them realize their top potential and get to the highest levels they can,” Finkelstein said. “It’s really been word of mouth so far, but we are growing and believe we offer the best training and coaches there can be to our players.”
