ALISO VIEJO, CA- Former Soka University of America's men's soccer player and SUA alum Gerardo De La Torre has signed a professional contract with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, the parent club to CF Pobla de Mafumet, as was announced on December 27, 2022. Gimnàstic de Tarragona, also known as "El Nàstic," is the oldest sports entity in Spain.

De La Torre will remain under the structure of the club Gimnàstic de Tarragona which competes in Primera RFEF. He will begin his professional career training and playing in Tercera RFEF with the club's second team CF Pobla de Mafumet under the guidance of coach Adolfo Baines.

De La Torre initially left California for Spain in early September to play with the Nàstic Soccer Academy (NSA) and to pursue his Master's in Business while continuing his playing career. The NSA is a newly founded program, in its first year, that is a part of the professional Futbol club Gimnàstic de Tarragona.

Shortly after De La Torre arrived in Spain, he began playing in friendly matches for the NSA. After generating multiple strong performances, he was invited to trial with Gimnàstic de Tarragona's "B" team- Club de Futbol Pobla de Mafumet, in mid-September. After impressing club officials during his trials, he was invited to keep training with CF Pobla de Mafumet while also playing and competing with the NSA. Under the grana methodology at the NSA, De La Torre continued to develop as a player and is now viewed as a benchmark for all the young players who defend the NSA Camp Joliu shield as he is the first from the NSA program to make the leap to the professional level.

During his time with NSA, De La Torre competed in the Catalan Football League system, where he helped lead the NSA team to joint top-of-the-league standings, with 29 points and a league record of 9-2-1. In his 12 matches with NSA, he scored 17 goals with six assists, producing a rate of 1.4 goals per game, thus further impressing Gimnàstic de Tarragona and leading to his contract offer and signing in December. Those in charge of sealing the agreement have been the members of the NSA committee, Javier Ornia and Jose Maria Andreu Solé; the coordinators of the Sports Area of ​​the NSA, Carlos Guillén and Mia Guasch; the director of the Planter Grana, Sergi Parés; and the sports director of CF Pobla de Mafumet, Albert Virgili.  
 

"I am very happy to sign my first professional contract. It has always been a dream of mine since I started playing this game, and to be able to play at the professional level, and do so in Europe, at such a high level makes it even more special," said De La Torre. "Sharing this with my alma mater, Soka University of America makes me very proud, and I am glad to represent my University. I am extremely grateful for Soka and everything it allowed me to live during my years there. It is an amazing place that gave me the tools to drive forward every single day. The people in these buildings were equally amazing, and I will always be grateful for them and will remember all the lessons I learned. I am very grateful to all my coaches at Soka, Kaveh Razaghi, Ian Eggleston, Shawn Beyer, and Bryan Ortiz for all the valuable lessons they taught me on and off the field that I still carry with me halfway across the world today, and also to Erica Baldaray, for her constant support, encouragement, and positivity to keep putting one foot in front of the other. These are just a few, as I am grateful for everyone who contributed to my experience during my years there, from Soka Athletics and the University overall. I hope to continue to represent my university in the best way possible and make everyone back home proud. Thank you, Soka University of America! " 

De La Torre was a four-year varsity letter winner for the Lions, competing in three seasons for Soka as his junior season was canceled due to Covid. During his collegiate career, De La Torre played in 49 matches and totaled 104 career points. He was a two-time Daktronics Scholar-Athlete and named California Pacific Conference First Team (2021), Second Team (2019), and Honorable Mention (2018).

In his senior season alone, De La Torre scored 14 goals, assisted in nine, and totaled 37 points, with ten of those goals and six assists occurring in Cal Pac Conference matches. He finished his final season with the Lions ranked fifth in the conference for goals, fourth in assists, third in points, and fifth in shots. He also earned Soka Men's Soccer's Most Outstanding Player (2019, 2022) and Soka Athletics' Male Athlete of the Year honors (2022).

As a team captain, an attacking force, and a leader on and off the field, the indelible mark De La Torre left on the athletics department remains, as the work ethic, discipline, integrity, and overall competitive greatness he exemplified and exuded as a student and athlete have set a standard and expectation for future generations of Soka Lions.

"The Soka soccer program is absolutely thrilled for this great achievement by Gera," said Head Men's Soccer Coach Shawn Beyer. "Those close to him know this young man's dedication, commitment, and drive to master his craft and become the best player he can be. His impact on Soka University as a whole and specifically the men's soccer program continues as he has now realized his dream of signing a professional contract. If anyone deserves this opportunity, without a doubt, it is Gera. He was always the first to practice and never took a day off his training program. His passion was evident in his professionalism. The thing with Gera is he did not wait to become a professional before living like one. I believe he was a professional well before signing this pro contract. Now, he can enjoy the special moment and continue living the dream. We are beyond proud and fortunate to call Gera De La Torre a Soka Lion."

De La Torre is the first student-athlete in Soka Athletics history to sign a professional sports contract. To learn more about Gerardo De La Torre's signing with Gimnàstic de Tarragona, please visit https://www.gimnasticdetarragona.cat/es/gerardo-de-la-torre-de-la-nsa-a-la-pobla/.