ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell men's soccer senior John Scearce has signed a professional contract with Union Omaha of the United Soccer League (USL) as announced by the team on Friday, Feb. 14. Scearce made his debut with the club on Sunday, Feb. 16, as the squad played Real Monarchs of the USL Championship league to a 0-0 draw in preseason action.
 
"With JP, we benefitted from a great piece of recruiting by [assistant coach] Drew Hutchins," said Cornell men's soccer head coach John Smith.
 
"We won 21 games in our last two seasons and it was in large part due to JP. He was a great on-field leader, dominant in the air and his 10 goals were absolutely vital for us. I am excited for him to be signing his first professional contract to play for Jay Mims and the Union Omaha Soccer Club."
 
Scearce was a stand-out midfielder for the Big Red during the 2019 season, scoring five goals and earning second-team All-Northeast Region honors from United Soccer Coaches. A two-time team captain, Scearce is coming off a season in which he led the team in goals (5) and tied for the team-high in points (11). Scearce finishes his two-year career at Cornell with 10 goals, three assists and 23 points.
 
The Nogales, Ariz. native finished his senior campaign strong, scoring four goals in the team's final five games, as the Big Red made a push for a third-place Ivy League finish. An All-Ivy League honorable mention in 2018, Scearce was recognized as one of the top players in the league with a first team selection in 2019.

In 2019, Scearce helped the Big Red to a 10-5-2 overall record and a 3-2-2 mark in the Ivy League. Cornell defeated a pair of traditional soccer powers in Michigan State and Akron and finished with a record above .500 for the second consecutive season, despite playing a schedule that featured four NCAA Tournament participants (Michigan, Syracuse, Fairleigh Dickinson, Yale).
 
Union Omaha enters its inaugural season in 2020, playing in the 12-team USL League One, the second division of professional soccer under USL and the third division of professional soccer in the country. USL promotes three divisions of professional soccer throughout the United States, with its Championship league ranking just below Major League Soccer. For more information about Union Omaha and USL League One, click here.
 
Currently in the preseason, Union Omaha opens its regular season on Friday, March 27 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. against Fort Lauderdale CF. Union Omaha will play it's first home match at Werner Park on Saturday, April 25, hosting Orlando City SC B.