When freshman Vraham Kadkhodaian stepped onto the practice field with the NIU men’s soccer team, he sensed something he wasn’t going to get playing for Indiana: a chance.

Redshirting last season with the Hoosiers, “Cue” felt a change of scenery was needed. He wanted to play but knew if he was going to stay at Indiana, he would not get much time. At NIU, Kadkhodaian gets the nod at starting forward.

It’s a case of fate coming late, as he could have been with the Huskies this season. NIU coach Willy Roy tried recruiting Kadkhodaian back when he was a senior at St. Viator High School, but Roy was facing top competition in Indiana, UCLA, Creighton and Virginia. Kadkhodaian didn’t think much of NIU because of the other schools recruiting him, and he gave in to Indiana’s overwhelming recruiting.

“When you have so many schools like them coming after you, you really don’t look at an NIU,” he said. “I didn’t look at NIU because it wasn’t a noticed program. But when you look into the prospective, NIU had a lot to offer to me, more than what Indiana would.”

Part of the appeal is that unlike Indiana, NIU is an up-and-coming program in which Kadkhodaian says he can play with anyone in the country.

And with NIU’s addition of two other recruits, All-State forward Doug Whitesel and All-State midfielder Brad Monk, Cue thinks his day of finally being noticed will come soon.

“Even some of the big dogs are small fish over there,” Kadkhodaian said of Indiana. “Indiana is already an established program. NIU isn’t. With the freshmen coming in and me, we can do something here.”

In three months at NIU, Kadkhodaian has adjusted to a different level of play. At Indiana, he said, players would go after balls with the intent of knocking the legs off their opponents. But in DeKalb, the attitude is laid-back because of the roster size. NIU has roughly 20 players compared to the Hoosiers’ 50.

The relaxed atmosphere has been to Kadkhodaian’s liking. The Huskies’ love of soccer has rubbed off him, and he believes he can add a lot with the experience he gained at Indiana and overseas.

The Huskies’ coaching staff agrees, having observed Kadkhodaian’s knack for leading. Assistant coach Karsten Roy said it’s hard to believe Cue is only a freshman.

“He’s a complete competitor,” Karsten Roy said. “He keeps the guys on his feet. … He exudes himself as a senior. He might tick a couple of people off because of his cockiness, but they realize what his potential can bring to this team.”