For NYU men’s soccer captain Petter Aasa, learning to call Greenwich Village home has been a process. Before being recruited by former head coach Joe Behan, the junior midfielder, born in Umeå, Sweden, knew next to nothing about the university in downtown Manhattan that would later become his home away from home.

“I didn’t know anything about the school,” Aasa said. “I had only been to New York City for three days with my parents.”

Aasa spent the three years prior to his freshman year at NYU at a boarding school, where he constantly travelled with his teammates to play soccer. Shattuck-St. Mary’s, in Minnesota, served as a temporary residence to Aasa, while his real home remained either on the pitch or back in Sweden.

“My boarding school was 40 minutes outside of Minneapolis,” Aasa said. “It was very strict, we had to stay in on weekends and we had a curfew, so coming to New York was absolutely a big difference.”

After touring NYU’s campus, he felt at home enough to extend his stay in the United States. But what he could never fully prepare for was life in New York, away from his friends and his family, enduring the struggles of a rigorous soccer training schedule on top of an even more rigorous Stern finance course load.

“It’s really all about time management,” Aasa said. “Obviously Stern takes up a lot of time and soccer takes up a lot of time. But if you stay on top of your work both on and off the field, athletically and academically, it’s not that tough.”

Now, over two years removed from those first days at NYU, Aasa has both a city and a locker room — filled with 25 of his closest friends — that he can call home.

Aasa has grown into his own here at NYU, not just in the community, but also on the pitch. When the whistle blows, gone is the easygoing Swede who enjoys exploring the parks New York City has to offer. Instead you will find the ultra-competitive captain who has earned his way to the 2014 UAA All-Associate Second team and 2014 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III Metro Soccer First team. Three-year teammate and NYU goalkeeper Lucas Doucette spoke to Aasa’s determination and ability.

“He’s one of the best players I have had a chance to play with, yet one of the most humble and hardworking,” Doucette said. “The two don’t usually happen together.”

Aasa left no doubt about the team’s goals this year, coming off a 2014 season in which they started strong and fizzled out by the end of the year. The squad is looking to win the UAA and make it to the NCAA tournament — and to Aasa, that’s the only the thing really matters.

“I’m just really excited for the season and to play along with the guys I’ve played with since my freshman year,” Aasa said. “All I want is for the team to win.”

A version of this article appeared in the Sept. 8 print edition. Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected].