Education
Ulrich attended Arlington High School. After graduating from high school, Ulrich played soccer at Ulster County Community College in New York for two years. In December 1980, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the first round of the North American Soccer League draft.
Instead of signing with the Rowdies he continued his education and transferred to Duke University in 1981.
While at Duke University, he played on the school’s men"s soccer team in 1981 and 1982. In 1981, he was named the Administrative Committee on Company-ordination Player of the Year.
In 1982, the Blue Devils went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship game where it lost to Indiana in eight overtimes. That year, Ulrich won the Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate player of the year.
In his two years at Duke, he scored 13 goals, despite playing as a defender.
In 1999, Duke inducted Ulrich into its Athletic Hall of Fame.