Taren Wente Chooses a New Path with Pitt Soccer Program

Taren Wente's upcoming weeks are jam-packed as he prepares for a significant transition in his life. With friends to see, belongings to pack, and a potential new laptop to buy, the young goalkeeper is also focused on the final matches for the New Mexico United developmental academy. This busy schedule precedes his move to the Northeast to begin summer workouts with the University of Pittsburgh's soccer team on July 2.

Having spent his entire life in Albuquerque, Wente anticipates a culture shift in Pittsburgh. “I’ve never lived anywhere separate from Albuquerque, so that’ll be new. I think Pittsburgh will be a bit of a culture shock,” he remarked during a college announcement event attended by several of his academy teammates.

While Wente is heading to Pitt, his friends are also making their own moves, with Kyle Hofmann going to Gardner-Webb, Grady Gilchrist to Creighton, Ivan Moore to Division II Biola in California, Connor Hanks to Division II Colorado Christian, and Charlie Groves attempting to walk on at UC San Diego. Despite the uncertainty, Wente is confident in his decision to join the Panthers, having previously turned down an offer from Creighton due to a mismatch in academic priorities.

Wente plans to pursue an engineering degree, following in the footsteps of his father and brother. “It was kind of looking into darkness,” he reflected on the risks he faced by not committing to a school earlier. With support from his family, particularly his mother, and a nudge from former Pitt player Valentin Noël, Wente found the right fit with the Panthers, whose strong soccer program and engineering department attracted him.

He officially committed on June 1, leaving him with limited time to prepare for his relocation. As he checks off items on his to-do list, Wente is also bracing for Pittsburgh's colder climate. “I don’t know if I will actually be ready for that,” he joked, noting the differences in weather compared to Albuquerque. “It’s really green up there, but I heard last year they went into negative (temperatures) and had a lot of snow. I’ll have to layer up.”