TAMPA, SEPT. 25, 2014 – Soccer was Kennedy Selorm Adablah’s ticket to the United States and the forward from Dansoman-Accra, Ghana has been making the most of the opportunity of a lifetime this season.

The senior and second-year Bull ranks second on the team with four points and two goals heading into USF’s American Athletic Conference opener at UConn on Saturday night. Selorm Adablah’s most recent goal was produced the last time out when his header put the Bulls ahead of No. 8 Washington in the seventh minute of action on Sunday night.

“I think he’s doing a really good job,” head coach George Kiefer said. “The first year sometimes can be tough, where now tactically he understands completely what we’re doing. You’re seeing him play with a free mind and not be thinking so much about what we want. I’m really happy it’s working out for him.”

Selorm Adablah arrived in the United States last year and he had a lot of adjustments to make on and off the field after making a name for himself back home with the University of Ghana. He led the program in scoring from 2010-12 and gained a lot of exposure while playing for Ghana at the 2011 World University Games in Shenzen, China.

“I got to meet people from different backgrounds and we all had to come together and form one team,” Selorm Adablah said. “Ghana is a very diverse country. Even though we are Ghanaians we come from different tribes and ethnicities.”

Back home Selorm Adablah actually speaks three different languages, including the dialect of his Ewe tribe that’s based out of the Volta Region. Selorm Adablah is very proud of his origin and his family is proud of what he’s become. He grew up as the only boy in a household that consisted of four sisters and his parents.

“Being the only guy, your sisters, your mom, your dad, they all look up to you, especially since you’re the first one to make it to a university,” he said. “They are my source of motivation.”

Selorm Adablah, a geography major, left his loved ones back home to pursue a soccer career that’s involved adapting to a completely different way of life in the U.S.

“My first year I was still getting adjusted. I was still getting used to the environment. I wasn’t used to the food, the culture, the way things are done here, the American style of soccer,” he said. “But I got better as time went on because I got myself back into the game.”

Selorm Adablah still did well during his transition period last season that involved getting used to a more aggressive approach on the pitch. He finished fourth on the team with three goals and two assists while playing in 18 games and he was named to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.

Last year was a step in the right direction and this year has served as a giant leap for Selorm Adablah, who is determined to succeed for a team that has welcomed him with open arms.

“I’ve been here close to two years and I haven’t missed home that much because of the support and the care I get here from all the guys,” he said.

USF’s roster consists of players from 14 different countries and the Bulls have gotten a kick out of Selorm Adablah’s style off the field as well.

“He gets to dancing to his tribal music and there is laughing, kind of with him and at him. We love it,” said senior Wesley Charpie, who is from Tarpon Spring, Fla. “He can play his music from his own culture and we all have a good time.”

Kiefer describes Selorm Adablah as an “unbelievable dancer” that could be on the show “So You Think You Can Dance” and said the fun-loving approach is welcomed on a very diverse team.

“The beauty of it is you’ve got a team that understands when it needs to be business, but at the same time it’s a group of guys where we should be able to cut up on each other and laugh at each other and have a good time with one another,” he said. “I think this team is starting to understand when to do both and that can be fun. A fall season, if you get caught up in the games you can become stressed out. We do want them to let loose and have fun with each other. Who wants to be around a group that’s all stiff?”

Selorm Adablah has gotten to show off his rhythm after scoring goals against Portland and Washington and he’s determined to celebrate with his teammates more while giving it all he’s got for the rest of his final season as a Bull.

“I came back this season for my senior year and I knew I had to do something for the team,” he said. “I have to really show up and appreciate what they’re doing for me. I’m on scholarship and I have to do something for the school. I’m hoping to do more.”

Catch Selorm Adablah and the Bulls in action when they return to Corbett Stadium to take on Georgia Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.