NEW HOPE — The chance to play at the next level doesn’t come to many, but it seems like the pipeline between New Hope soccer and college soccer has continued to grow in recent years.
Tuesday morning saw two more Trojans sign to play at the next level: boys soccer defender Cole Crawford and girls soccer midfielder Katie Hayes.
Being lifelong friends, the choice for both to go to Meridian Community College was purely a coincidence, but starting out, the two will already have a familiar face once they get on campus the first time.
“It’s great,” Hayes said. “We have built-in friends, so it will be really fun. We’ll keep each other in line. I know our moms will be really happy about it. I’m really excited.”
New Hope has grown in stature and success in recent years as the program has seen the boys team reach the state championship game over the past few years and the girls team go on deep playoff runs in the MHSAA Class 4A state playoffs.
The Trojans have won four-straight regular season district titles in boys soccer and three-straight in girls soccer, all during Crawford and Hayes’ time on varsity as they’ve helped to usher in newfound success under head coach Andrew Olsen.
“Hard work and dedication,” Olsen said. “In practice and in games, you can always bank on them to give you 100 percent. I just think it’s them grinding and being dedicated has gotten them to this point. I know they’re going to do good things.”
Eagles soccer has struggled at MCC recently, with both teams posting below-.500 records this past season.
The men’s team didn’t find great success, going 2-11-2, while the women’s team fared slightly better with a 5-10-1 record.
Results on paper might not be showing yet, but players like Hayes and Crawford were recruited in to help elevate the status of the program, and in talking with both, it was clear that MCC wanted both to play for them.
“They reached out to me and they were always checking on me throughout the season,” Crawford said. “I liked the people down there and I liked the campus. It felt right to me…It helped out my confidence throughout the year, knowing that I have someone thinking of me that I’m good enough to play at the next level.”
The trajectory of New Hope soccer continues to be slanted upward and the Trojans show no signs of stopping.
Crawford and Hayes are two more names to add to the list to showcase the talent that the program has shown.
Moments like Tuesday are a way of motivation for the younger players, the underclassmen who are striving to reach that same pedestal down the road.
“It shows the younger guys coming up that we can be successful,” Olsen said. “If you just work and do it the right way that we will get over that hump eventually. [Crawford and Hayes] have a lot to do with where our program is at today compared to where it was four years ago…I’m so proud of both of them.”
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