For Evan Rabush, there has always been a way to get it done.

It might not always be the easiest way. It might require an early morning, extra work or a change of plans. But whether on the soccer field, in the classroom or preparing for his future, the William & Mary senior has developed a mindset that has carried him through each challenge.

"I'm not the most athletic person, but I'll figure out a way to get it done," Rabush said. "That's how I approach everything in life."

That approach has taken Rabush from a prolific high school goal scorer to a veteran on the Tribe back line. It has helped him navigate the academic demands of William & Mary, earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and turn a summer accounting internship into a return offer.

Now in his senior season, Rabush hopes that same mentality can help William & Mary take another step forward.

For a player who has experienced his share of change and adversity, the destination has rarely mattered as much as the work required to get there.

From Scorer to Defender

Rabush arrived in Williamsburg with a résumé more befitting a forward than a defender.

At Leonardtown High School in Maryland, he finished his career with 155 points on 55 goals and 45 assists. He was the top scorer in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference during his junior and senior seasons and earned all-state honorable mention recognition twice.

He played striker then.

Things have changed.

"In high school, I definitely played a different position than I have here," Rabush said. "I played striker. Funnily enough, I've played every single position but goalie here."

Over the past two seasons, Rabush has settled into a defensive role at outside back and center back. He started all 16 matches as a junior in 2025, recording two assists, after tying for the team lead with five assists during his sophomore campaign.

But when Rabush considers how much he has developed since arriving at William & Mary, his answer has little to do with changing positions.

It is about controlling his emotions.

"I used to be the biggest hothead ever," Rabush said. "Now, I still have passion and everything; I just show it in different ways."

Rabush points to his ability to remain composed in intense situations as one of the areas in which he has grown the most.

"I think development in that area has not only helped me on the field, but being able to keep my cool in nerve-wracking or intense situations is probably what I'm most proud of," he said.

Working His Way Back

Rabush's willingness to work through difficult moments was tested before he ever arrived in Williamsburg.

A hamstring injury cut short his senior season at Leonardtown. Already committed to William & Mary, Rabush found himself balancing a desire to return for his high school teammates with the need to protect his future college career.

His days began with rehabilitation at 7 a.m., five days a week.

Sometimes, no amount of work can speed up the process.

"Sometimes it just doesn't work out," Rabush said. "But they were amazing about it. They didn't try and force me to come back early, and obviously Coach Norris didn't want me to rush back for anything."

The experience taught him how to keep working when the rewards weren't immediate.

That lesson became useful again at William & Mary.

Rabush made 11 starts as a freshman before seeing his playing time decrease during his sophomore season. Even while tying for the team lead with five assists, he wasn't playing as much as he wanted.

He responded by working his way back into a larger role and started every match as a junior.

"I pride myself on my ability to come back and get back to where I wanted to be, playing-time-wise and soccer-wise," Rabush said.
Through those moments, one of his biggest supporters was his father, Mark.

An All-American track athlete at Auburn who Rabush said also competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800 meters, Mark passed along a lesson his son still carries.
Once you make a commitment, you fulfill it.

"I feel like I've made a commitment and obligation to this program, and I want to see it succeed," Rabush said. "I want to be a big part of that."

Preparing for What's Next

That commitment extends well beyond soccer.

Rabush is studying accounting at William & Mary and has earned CSC Academic All-District recognition along with multiple selections to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.
He didn't arrive on campus knowing accounting would be his path.

"Absolutely not," Rabush said when asked if he knew he wanted to become an accountant.

Introductory courses in the business school changed that.

"For some people, what accountants say just clicks the first time you learn something," Rabush said. "The credits and debits evening out gives me such a nice feeling."

His studies have since moved beyond the classroom.

Rabush spent this summer interning with Withum, an accounting firm, in Tysons, Virginia. Working in not-for-profit and multiemployer benefit plan auditing, Rabush's assignments included work with the National Association of Letter Carriers and pension tables to ensure employees were receiving the proper benefits.

The internship ended with a return offer.

Rabush believes his experience as a Division I student-athlete helped prepare him for the professional environment.

During spring training, his days can begin with a 5:30 or 6 a.m. wake-up for lifting before practice, classes and studying fill the rest of the schedule.

"I feel like I have an enormous leg up," Rabush said. "We're up from 6 a.m. until probably 9 p.m. if you count studying, and then we do it again the next day."

One of the partners Rabush worked with was a former Virginia Tech swimmer. Their conversations reinforced Rabush's belief that the habits built through college athletics can carry over long after his playing career ends.

"I feel like I'm so prepared for anything and everything accounting will throw at me compared to what I've had to do for soccer," Rabush said.

More Than Accounting

Of course, an education at William & Mary has involved more than balance sheets and financial statements.

There were dinosaurs, too.

Needing to fulfill a course requirement, Rabush found a class that caught his attention: Age of Dinosaurs.

How difficult could it be?

"I was like, 'I like dinosaurs. It can't be that hard,'" Rabush said. "Then I got probably a 55 on the first test and was like, 'Maybe I need to wake up.'"

He did.

The class ultimately became an example of something Rabush appreciates about his William & Mary education. Alongside business courses, he has been able to explore subjects he might never have encountered otherwise, including sociology and, yes, dinosaurs.

"William & Mary, being a liberal arts college, has provided me opportunities to learn about so many different areas of life," Rabush said. "I'm very grateful that I got to learn about even dinosaurs. They're interesting for sure."

Bringing People Along

As Rabush begins his senior season, his role within the Tribe has changed in another way.

He's now one of the veterans.

Leadership is familiar territory for Rabush, who has served as a captain on teams throughout his soccer career. But his definition of leadership isn't limited to what happens during 90 minutes on the field.

"I really hope my teammates remember that I wanted to win by any means necessary," Rabush said. "If I need to pick somebody up over my shoulder and drag them all the way to the finish line, I will."

Cross the touchline and Rabush admits a switch flips.

Away from it, he wants teammates to see someone they can approach about soccer or anything else.

"I think that's what real leaders can do," Rabush said. "Managing people is just as important as trying to win. If the people are happy, the winning comes easier."

That philosophy has been especially important with freshmen and transfers joining the program.

Team bonding has included cookouts, karaoke and a golf tournament. Rabush and his teammates also regularly spend time together away from organized team activities.

"Everybody knows they're always welcome," Rabush said. "It's a very close-knit culture here for sure."

Rabush believes that closeness has carried onto the field.

During the preseason, William & Mary played a highly regarded Georgetown side. What stuck with Rabush wasn't a particular goal, pass or defensive play.

It was watching teammates throw themselves in front of shots.

"I've never seen a group we've had here where, when the ball bounces out to the top of the box and the other team is ready to shoot, guys are diving headfirst at the ball," Rabush said.

For a senior who prides himself on competing that way, seeing the same mentality throughout the roster meant something.

"This is a team that I'm very proud of," Rabush said. "Now I can say I'm proud that the whole team is like that."

That mentality has carried into the opening week of the regular season.

William & Mary enters its first road trip of the year with a 1-1 record after earning a 4-1 victory over Radford on Sunday. Rabush has already made an impact on the scoresheet, finding the back of the net in the Tribe's season opener against Longwood last Thursday.

The Tribe now turns its attention to a pair of road matches, traveling to George Mason on Thursday at 7 p.m. before opening CAA play at defending conference champion Elon on Sunday at 2 p.m.

A Demigod in a World of Gods

There is one more place to look for an explanation of Rabush's mindset.

His arm.

Growing up, Rabush was an avid reader. Among his favorites were Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, which follow a young demigod discovering his abilities while navigating a world of Greek mythology.

Rabush connected with the story enough that his tattoos now include references to Icarus, Poseidon and the cover of The Lightning Thief.

But his connection to Percy Jackson goes deeper than nostalgia.

Rabush was drawn to a character who didn't initially understand what he was capable of. Difficult situations brought those abilities out of him, and the people closest to him remained by his side along the way.

"He didn't know he had the powers until he got into really hard situations where it would kind of force it out of him," Rabush said. "Once he realized he had that inside of him, it was just up from there."

Rabush sees pieces of his own journey in that story.

There have been injuries. Position changes. Playing-time frustrations. Early mornings. Difficult classes. Long days.

And plenty of people in his corner.

Now, as his senior season begins, Rabush can look back at how far all that work has taken him.

"I'm not saying I'm a demigod in a world full of gods," Rabush said, "but I feel like I've worked hard to be where I am."

Then came a sentence that could just as easily describe his entire William & Mary journey.

"I feel like I've earned it for sure."