Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
A Christiansburg soccer player has announced a commitment to play at Houghton University in New York.
Leyton Worley will continue his playing career at the Division III school.
“I chose Houghton University because of how connected the entire community was. Everyone was friendly and very close to each other. It was kind of like one big family,” he said this weekend.
The unique situation for Worley is the fact he was homeschooled and did not play soccer in high school.
He has played for Rush, Valley United, Virginia United and Conquerors, including going overseas to play in the Gothia Cup twice, offensive MVP his sophomore year, and having 26 goals in one season.
The Gothia Cup is the world’s largest and most international youth soccer tournament, held every July in Gothenburg, Sweden. The premier event hosts over 1,700 teams from roughly 80 nations.
Worley was also one of six Houghton students who were accepted into the Science Honors program out of over 1,000 applicants.
“The first feeling I had was shock in a way. It was around 8 p.m. at night and the last thing I expected was getting a call that I got into the program. After that the main feelings I had were excitement and curiosity. Definitely excited to take part in the program and curious of how it will affect my college years,” he said.
Houghton University is a private Christian liberal arts college in Houghton, New York with a current enrollment of 1,034 students.
The Houghton athletic teams are called the Highlanders. The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Empire 8 Athletic Conference.
Former Houghton soccer standout Scott Reitnour was named the sixth head coach of the Houghton University men’s soccer program in January 2025.
In addition to leading the men’s soccer program, Reitnour serves as assistant athletic director of sports ministry.
A native of Fillmore and a 1996 Houghton graduate, Reitnour has close to 30 years of coaching experience at the high school, club, collegiate, and professional levels. He returned to New York after leading the varsity boys’ program at Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, N.C., since 2003.
Wesleyan has traditionally been one of the top programs in North Carolina and the nation.
Reitnour guided the program to 17-straight state semifinal appearances, 12 state championship games, and eight NCISAA state titles. In addition to state success, seven of Reitnour’s teams were ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Association Top-10 National Rankings, including twice earning the No. 1 national ranking and finishing at No. 2 and No. 3 in the final polls of those seasons.
This past season, Houghton finished 4-12-1 overall.
Worley expects to play left wing back so I can contribute to offensive and defensive play and plans to double major in exercise science and economics.
