Alex Felix was a bit nervous but mostly filled with excited anticipation as he waited to substitute into the St. Olaf (Minn.) College men’s soccer game against visiting Concordia-Moorhead on Nov. 2.

The 2021 Lebanon High graduate’s emotions were understandable, given that he hadn’t played in an official contest since leaving the Upper Valley for the Midwest. The senior economics major’s eagerness was also heightened because he had served as the Oles’ student manager since first arriving at the 3,000-student campus.

“I didn’t feel any pressure, because all the guys were so happy for me,” Felix said. “I was open to the opportunity, but we always have people fighting to get playing time, so I’m not desperate enough to want to take that away from them.”

Felix entered late in the first half with St. Olaf leading, 4-0, against a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe. It was the type of situation second-year coach Justin Oliver had been waiting for to get his manager some action.

“I thought it was a cool way to reward him,” said Oliver, who told Felix before the season that he’d submit his name for NCAA eligibility clearance in case things worked out. “He’s a huge part of our team. He takes care of so many things that I’m going to need him to make a list so that when he leaves, our program still functions.”

Felix hadn’t been in long when St. Olaf was awarded a penalty shot and Oliver immediately picked No. 31 as his shooter. The Cobbers’ goalkeeper defied the developing storyline, however, and dove to stop Felix’s attempt. Inserted into the game again in the second half, Felix drew a late yellow card (and no doubt hoots from the home bench), finishing with three shots in 41 minutes for the defending NCAA Division III national champions.

Felix said college soccer’s speed, physicality and mental intensity were all evident even in his limited appearance. The 21-year-old had hoped to play for the Oles out of high school, but hadn’t contacted the program early enough to arrange a proper tryout. Instead, he got one during the spring of his freshman year after filling the paid manager’s role the previous autumn.

Felix said he didn’t make the team but was urged by then-coach Travis Wall to continue as the manager, which allowed him to regularly jump into action when an extra practice competitor was needed. There were the usual chores such as shagging balls and doing laundry, but Felix also focused on enhancing his soccer knowledge and St. Olaf’s style, allowing him to become somewhat of a student-coach later in his career.

“It was a little difficult at first,” Felix said. “But it never really felt like a job. I was just asked to hang out with 30 guys I was close friends with even if I was a little bummed out about not getting to play.”

Rob Johnstone coached the ambipedal Felix for two varsity seasons at Lebanon and was delighted to see one of his most conscientious players maintain involvement in the sport they love. Felix was an outside fullback, a position that demands more in the Raiders style of attack than it does in most other programs.

“Alex has no ego, so when he asked a lot of questions, I knew it wasn’t to show off, but because he wanted to know how he could best serve the team,” Johnstone said. “It was always about what are we doing and how can we do it best, never why are we doing it.”

St. Olaf (15-4-4) was knocked out of this year’s national tournament in the second round on penalty kicks. Felix will graduate in the spring with the goal of eventually becoming a financial advisor. He also sees high school coaching as a future endeavor.

It’s a good guess coach Felix will have a soft spot for his student managers. He might even put them into games.

Tris Wykes can be reached at ctwykes@aol.com.