Aiden Konold ‘26
Staff Writer
The Holy Cross men’s soccer team has gotten off to a slow start, going 1-3-1 through the first five games of the regular season. But the Crusaders have exhibited full effort each time they take to the field, and the team’s schedule has been difficult – preparing them well for the physicality of Patriot League play, which begins Saturday.
The Crusaders’ first win of the season came in a 1-0 shutout victory at home over the Sacred Heart Pioneers on September 1st. Just after the clock hit the eighty-third minute mark in a 0-0 match, Crusader junior midfielder and team captain Jake Williams received an excellently placed ball from junior forward Evan Jones inside of the penalty box. Williams placed the ball past the Sacred Heart goalkeeper and into the back of the net to give Holy Cross a late 1-0 lead.
In the remaining minutes of play, the Crusader defense held strong, keeping the Pioneers from scoring. Jake Williams’ lone goal in the Holy Cross win earned him Patriot League Midfielder of the Week honors for the week of Aug. 28 – Sept. 3.
Williams began his soccer career in New Zealand, where he played at a professional academy. He had his sights set on one day signing a professional contract until he tore a ligament in his knee. It was then that Williams realized “football wasn’t the end all be all.” But because Williams still wanted to play at a high level, he put together a highlight reel and sent it out to several schools, hoping for a chance to play for their program.
Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, MA needed a center midfielder, and Williams fit their description, so Williams headed off to the United States. Upon landing at Northfield, Williams visited several colleges. However, Holy Cross showed the most interest, attending some of Williams’ Northfield games.
In the fall of 2021, Williams began his collegiate soccer career at Holy Cross. He was initially taken aback by how well mannered and nice the people here are. In the academy he was a part of in New Zealand, everyone was vying for a professional contract, leading to a very toxic environment. The culture at Holy Cross is, in contrast, so supportive and welcoming, which Williams says “goes beyond the team itself.”
Holy Cross is a very demanding school academically, and that pressure can be a lot for student-athletes to deal with. But the support here makes those challenges more manageable. As Williams states, “It is pretty challenging, but if you can just get thirty minutes here and there, it gives you a little bit of time to develop and help the team. The training schedule is full on, but at the end of the day, we want to win the Patriot League, so that’s the expectation.” Williams has learned from Matt McGonigle, a current team captain, that “it’s not just about the 90 minutes on the field. There’s so much more to how people function in their day-to-day life, what’s going on behind the scenes, [which] obviously equates to everything going on on the field.”
WIlliams, as a current team captain, is greatly appreciative of the leaders who came before him. Max Krause, a 2022 graduate and former team captain, really knew how to drive the team and set standards at a level Williams never saw before. Williams sets those same standards for the 2023 Holy Cross men’s soccer team, which consists of ten freshmen.
Among the younger players on the team, Williams sees “massive amounts of energy, which is fantastic to see. There’s a lot of positivity that comes from those boys.”
The Crusaders’ goal this season is to win the physically demanding and grueling Patriot League. To do so, each player needs to exhibit full effort every single time they step onto the field. In the words of Williams, “As soon as we step onto the field, we just want to see 100% commitment, 100% intent and effort. We are a quality side and we shouldn’t lower our levels to [the] standards of other teams.” Keeping the foot on the gas every single second of every single match should lead to a very successful 2023 season for Holy Cross.
This Saturday, Holy Cross starts Patriot League play in a home match at 1 pm against American University. Keep in mind, by time of print, Holy Cross will have played Rhode Island.
Featured image courtesy of goholycross.com
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