LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While hitting the recruiting trail, Tim Chastonay was simply looking for a capable replacement for Justin Klenke post-2012. Instead he found Klenke's soccer doppelganger.

Physically strong, covered a lot of ground, fought for and won balls in the air, was willing to tackle and be tackled — Mitchell Wiseman was a player who the Bellarmine University men's soccer coach observed embracing all the unglamorous duties that can often help define success.

"I felt like Mitch played exactly like Justin, asked to do a lot of the dirty work, as opposed to the glory of scoring a lot of goals or delivering those penetrating passes," said Chastonay, whose squad hosts Georgetown College in an exhibition at 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday and Spalding at 7 p.m. Friday. "We recruited Mitch hard. He ended up committing to us late, because he could have played Division I. We felt very fortunate to get him. He's basically been a four-year starter, and he's done every bit as good a job as Justin had before him."

A versatile athlete in high school, Wiseman was both a quality soccer and quality football player. Of course, there was a drawback to excelling at both: with the fall sports being in clashing seasons, he always felt like he was scorning one team or another. Wiseman never played soccer for St. Charles (Ohio) Preparatory School, opting instead for football where he played wide receiver, safety, punter, kicker, kick returner and even quarterback when the team utilized the wildcat formation. He'd then play club soccer in the spring. However, as a senior, Wiseman devoted himself to life on the pitch after joining the Columbus Crew SC Academy, where he competed year round in the country's highest level of youth soccer, one that is supported by the U.S. National Teams.

Although Wiseman received interest from Division I programs, his dad, Tom, encouraged him to give Bellarmine a look. Wiseman enjoyed his visit, liked what the men's soccer team had to offer and the academic programs suited his needs. These days, he probably sounds more uncertain about his job status — he's been highly impressed with the freshman class — than he did when first joining the Knights.

"I had an ego," Wiseman admitted. "I played Academy soccer whereas most of the guys played club. I was told I had a good chance to start, but I came in and made sure I did my best to try to start. It worked out."

It sure did. As anticipated by Chastonay, Wiseman was physically and mentally prepared to start as a freshman, and did so in all 18 matches. As a sophomore, he dealt with some injury issues and started 10 of 13 matches before once again starting every contest last season. This year the Knights have plenty of established veterans on defense, with Wiseman being among the stalwarts.

"He's a leader on and off the field," Chastonay said. "He's a top-notch student and brings it every day at practice. He's not real talkative on the field, but he's not afraid to talk and direct guys. He's a quiet leader that guys see being successful on and off the field and, in that way, a great example for the young guys."

Wiseman plays a defensive-minded holding midfield spot. To be effective, he said he needs to assert himself physically, win the majority of 50-50 balls, maintain possession and "play simple."

"I always want to put the team first," Wiseman said. "I play a role where I'm not the flashy goal scorer. I'm like an offensive lineman in football — the guys who do the grunt work but don't get recognized as much. That's how I think of myself anyway. I just want us to win no matter what."

Wiseman is an Academic All-GLVC student majoring in exercise science and intends to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. His mom, Susan Hara, a biology major and pharmaceutical representative, urged him to consider physical therapy as a career, and Wiseman has developed a passion for it. He worked over the summer in spinal cord rehabilitation at Frazier Rehab Institute at Jewish Hospital.

"It was a great experience altogether, not just as a resume builder," Wiseman said. "It definitely reinforced that I wanted to get into physical therapy. Now I have to decide whether I want to go the sports route or the neuro route — what exactly do I want to specialize in."

Not only does Wiseman prefer a profession where he's active, he likes being on the move in his "downtime" as well. He worked in high school at a snowboarding shop and really got into it. He mountain bikes, surfs, wakeboards and even bought a kayak over the summer.

Clearly there's a restlessness to him that translates well to his performance with Knights soccer — and probably has football minds wondering what might have been.

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