Former Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer standout Gerardo Castillo is set to begin his professional career with Asociación Deportiva San Carlos of Costa Rica’s Primera División, the country’s top professional soccer league. 

Castillo, a native of San José, Costa Rica, and a 2024 graduate of VCU, played three seasons with the Rams.

A first team All-Atlantic 10 defender, he helped lead the team to a 2023 regular-season Atlantic 10 Championship and earned a spot on the A-10 All-Rookie team as a freshman in 2022.

As captain and a mainstay on the Rams’ back line, Castillo made 42 starts in 45 games, logging 3,600 minutes. Over his collegiate career, he recorded 13 points, including three goals and seven assists. In his final season, he played a full 90 minutes in eight matches and completed 90 minutes in 31 games across his career.

In 2024, Castillo posted a career-best two goals, one of which was a game winner in the Rams’ season-opening victory against No. 15 Wake Forest. He also scored an olimpico goal late in a draw with High Point.

Castillo will return to Costa Rica to join San Carlos for the Liga Promerica’s Clausura 2025 season. The team is set to open its campaign on Saturday, Jan. 11, against Deportivo Saprissa.