Hill School head boys’ soccer coach Chris Drowne ’89 once said of Mark Forrest ’15, “In a sport in which it is so difficult to impose one’s will on a match’s outcome, Mark is the type of player who can do just that on a daily basis.” Forrest was a major catalyst to the most successful four-year stretch in Hill boys’ soccer program history, and he continued his dominance at the collegiate level for Lehigh University.

Professional scouts took notice to Forrest’s soccer abilities. In mid-January, Forrest was chosen 77th overall in the Major League Soccer Draft by the Chicago Fire, making him the first alumnus in school history to be taken in the MLS Draft.

A native of nearby Douglassville, Forrest spent four years as a student at The Hill and amassed one of the most decorated careers in boys’ soccer program history. Forrest played in the midfield for two seasons before moving up top as a striker in his fifth form year, when he became the area’s dominant striker. Over his final two seasons, Forrest scored 38 goals and assisted on 25 tallies to lead The Hill to consecutive Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association championships. He graduated, and currently remains, third all-time in career goals (50) and career assists (29), and he is second in career points with 129. In all, Forrest was a member of three Mid-Atlantic Prep League and two PAISAA championship sides, and in 2014 he was named the Pottstown Mercury Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year. The Hill’s record from 2011 – 2014, the four seasons in which Forrest played, was 67 wins, 11 losses, and four draws. 

Forrest continued to accrue accolades at Lehigh University. His 41 career goals and 103 career points rank second in the history of both Lehigh and of the Patriot League, earning Forrest numerous off-the-field accolades. Throughout his career, Forrest was the two-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, a two-time All-Atlantic Region first-team selection, a third-team All-American, and this past fall he received the NCAA Senior CLASS Award. 

Although the MLS season begins in March, the Fire will allow Forrest to earn his degree in May before he embarks on his professional career.