An early offer sent the economics major to a United Soccer League Championship team.

“What’s next for the Class of 2025” is a series that features Lafayette grads—where they’re headed, and the mentors, resources, and experiences that inspired their future path. Stay tuned for more stories throughout May.

(Photo Courtesy Lexington Sporting Club)

By: Kelly Huth

Major/minor: Economics

Destination/future plans: Offered opportunity to play soccer for Lexington Sporting Club in the United Soccer League Championship.

Three days before winter break 2024, Griffin Huff ’25 got a call from Lexington Sporting Club offering the goalkeeper the chance to train with the team. Huff packed up his room, talked to his professors about finishing his remaining classes online, and headed to Kentucky. 

Since then he’s been getting plugged into the environment and is learning so much.

He’ll be back on campus in May to join his classmates as they walk across the stage at Commencement.

Involvement on campus: In addition to his role on the men’s soccer team, Huff was a member of Pard PAC (Presidential Advisory Committee) in fall 2024, where he and other students met with President Nicole Hurd and her staff.

He joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and was asked to be a leader his sophomore year. His senior year he started a weekly men’s Bible study group with fellow soccer players.

He also enjoyed volunteering alongside teammates in the Earn Your Spots Book Club and reading to elementary students at Cheston and Paxinosa Elementary Schools.

The experiences and mentors that mattered most: In the soccer realm, Huff says the game where he and his teammates beat American University at home in the 2023 semifinals is one of his top memories. 

But at Lafayette it’s the people he’s most thankful for.

He’s grateful to the coaches, and especially the athletic trainers in Kirby Sports Center—Dawn Comp, Alex Sobelman, Hiram Bonilla, and Celie Quintero Casanova. 

In the classroom it was David Stifel, Charles A. Dana Professor of Economics, who offered immense support during Huff’s time at Lafayette. 

Hongxing Liu, associate professor of economics, also had a large role in his success, and Huff took four of Liu’s classes. “She was fantastic—she has such a unique way of teaching and breaking down complex concepts.”

Huff says he valued being on campus, talking with people, and finding great friends at Lafayette.

On day one he was paired to room with James Macchia ’25, who became one of his closest friends and roommate all four years. “That guy’s my brother,” Huff says. 

FCA introduced him to fellow student-athletes Halee Smith ’25 and Chris Yoler ’24 who were “genuine and real and helped me get through tough times.”

“Don’t be afraid to talk to people—everyone wants someone to talk to,” he adds. “Everyone can get so inside their head. But you could help make someone’s day just by saying something.”

Huff says he’s also thankful for his family and his girlfriend, Irelynd Lorenzen, for their support and the time and effort they sacrificed to help him get through that phase of life.

Advice for fellow and future students: 

“College goes too fast—a cliche, I know,” Huff says. “Enjoy every moment. The good is great, but the bad … well, that makes the good even better.

Don’t dwell on the negative. Look at those moments and know more positive things are coming.”

PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College Athletics celebrated its 2024-25 academic year accomplishments by handing out athletic awards to outstanding student-athletes Wednesday afternoon in the Pirate Union Building.

Albin Rosenlund, Isaiah Lopez, Carliese O’Brien, Ciera Agasiva, Gemma Rowland, Evee Stoddard, Sid Gunton-Day and Konrad Mueller all won awards.

The Art Feiro Award (basketball) and Wally Sigmar Award (soccer) go to student-athletes who exemplify leadership, athleticism, academics and citizenship.

Those awards went to Rosenlund of Norrkoping, Sweden, for men’s basketball and to first-team all-region Agasiva of Kalihi, Hawaii, for women’s basketball.

The soccer awards went to Northwest Athletic Conference first-team all-star and defensive player of the year Stoddard of Pocatello, Idaho, for women’s soccer and to first-team all-star Mueller of Trier, Germany, for men’s soccer.

The Pirate Gold Award is given to student-athletes who share inspiration, dedication, accomplishment and ambassadorship.

Those awards went to Lopez of Okinawa, Japan, for men’s basketball and to all-defensive team selection O’Brien of Bethel, Alaska, for women’s basketball.

For women’s soccer, it was first-team all-star and student body president Rowland of Shedd, Ore., and the men’s winner was second-team all-star Gunton-Day of Bristol, United Kingdom.

“These eight student-athletes represent a truly remarkable Class of ’25,” said Rick Ross, associate dean. “The coaches had so many options for these awards. It was a year of high-achieving, high-energy and high-quality young women and men. We are blessed to get to do what we do, coaching and working with athletes from all over the world and helping them advance through their higher education journey.”

As a program, Pirate Athletics won Northwest Athletic Conference championships in women’s and men’s soccer, their 15th NWAC titles since 2010, and claimed three more North Region titles in women’s and men’s soccer and women’s basketball.

The 80 student-athletes combined for an average grade point of 3.2 with about 40 students on the honor roll and president’s list each quarter.

More than 25 sophomores will go on to play at the next level.

Of the emerging young players in the National Women’s Soccer League this season, Sam Meza has had one of the more unusual journeys to start her professional career.

Meza was drafted by the Seattle Regin in 2024 out of North Carolina. She made one appearance with the team before she was loaned to the Dallas Trinity for the first season of the women’s pro USL Super League.

Meza, who earned Super League player of the month honors for November, was brought back to Seattle this season.

She’s one of several young NWSL players who have launched their careers in an ever-growing women’s soccer ecosystem that offers a variety of professional pathways. Other players have skipped college soccer, or have navigated the job hunt without the benefit of a college draft.

While Meza considered the loan a blow at the time, now she sees the value in it.

“Ultimately, it was an opportunity for me to learn prove to myself, which is the most important, and to prove to everybody else that I was a player that I’ve always been. It just took me a little bit more time to get to where I wanted to be,” Meza said.

As veteran midfielder Jess Fishlock nurses a knee injury, Meza has started six games for the Reign. She assisted on Jordyn Huitema’s game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw with Bay FC last month, and she is tied for second in the league for tackles with 32.

“She’s a great example of how loans can be really good, and sticking with it, sticking to the journey, because last year was really challenging for her going on loan,” Reign coach Laura Harvey said. “She wanted to do it in the end, but I’m sure she would have preferred to be with us the whole time.”

Meza, a Dallas native, is a member of the final draft class in the NWSL. The league eliminated the college draft in the latest collective bargaining agreement and 2025 was the first year without a draft.

She’s also one of a handful of players who have been loaned to the Super League, which is on the top tier of women’s soccer in the United States alongside the NWSL but is only in its first season. Those deals are expected to grow.

North Carolina Courage defender Natalia Staude followed a similar path. She started her pro career on loan to the Super League’s Tampa Bay Sun before joining the Courage this season.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said one of the strengths of the league on the international stage is its depth — and part of that is due to its emerging young stars. The loan process helps develop young players who in the past may have left soccer altogether.

“There have been examples where our teams have loaned players to those other leagues when they anticipate that a particular player isn’t going to get playing minutes, or that it’s not the right fit from a technical environment perspective, but they want to give the player an opportunity to continue to develop and play,” Berman said. “So I think optionality for players is good, and I think a robust ecosystem that allows for players at all levels to be able to continue to play is a good thing for the sport.”

Some of the other emerging young players who haven’t taken traditional paths to launch their pro careers:

Riley Tiernan, Angel City

In the absence of a draft, Tiernan was a non-roster invitee to Angel City’s preseason training camp this year. She did so well she earned herself a spot on the team and signed a two-year contract. She’s scored five goals, tied for second in the league.

Claire Hutton, Kansas City Current

Hutton initially committed to North Carolina but then decided to go pro instead. She was signed by the Current ahead of the 2024 season via the NWSL’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism and was a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year. Hutton followed in the footsteps of other talented NWSL players who skipped college, including Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman.

Olivia Moultrie, Portland Thorns

Although Moultrie made her professional debut in 2021, she’s still just 19 years old. She turned pro at just 13 when she hired an agent and signed a deal with Nike. But she wasn’t allowed to play professionally because of an NWSL rule that required players to be 18. In 2021, she sued for the right to play and won. Moultrie’s legal fight created the pathway for the rule that Hutton and many others have used to turn pro.

The Thompson Sisters, Angel City

Alyssa was the first high school player drafted into the NWSL when she was the No. 1 pick in 2023. Gisele Thompson was just 17 when she joined Angel City ahead of the 2024 season through the under-18 rule. She scored this month against Bay FC with an assist from Alyssa for the league’s first sister-to-sister goal.

Associated Press

Of the emerging young players in the National Women’s Soccer League this season, Sam Meza has had one of the more unusual journeys to start her professional career.

Meza was drafted by the Seattle Regin in 2024 out of North Carolina. She made one appearance with the team before she was loaned to the Dallas Trinity for the first season of the women’s pro USL Super League.

Meza, who earned Super League player of the month honors for November, was brought back to Seattle this season.

She’s one of several young NWSL players who have launched their careers in an ever-growing women’s soccer ecosystem that offers a variety of professional pathways. Other players have skipped college soccer, or have navigated the job hunt without the benefit of a college draft.

While Meza considered the loan a blow at the time, now she sees the value in it.

“Ultimately, it was an opportunity for me to learn prove to myself, which is the most important, and to prove to everybody else that I was a player that I’ve always been. It just took me a little bit more time to get to where I wanted to be,” Meza said.

As veteran midfielder Jess Fishlock nurses a knee injury, Meza has started six games for the Reign. She assisted on Jordyn Huitema’s game-tying goal in a 1-1 draw with Bay FC last month, and she is tied for second in the league for tackles with 32.

“She’s a great example of how loans can be really good, and sticking with it, sticking to the journey, because last year was really challenging for her going on loan,” Reign coach Laura Harvey said. “She wanted to do it in the end, but I’m sure she would have preferred to be with us the whole time.”

Meza, a Dallas native, is a member of the final draft class in the NWSL. The league eliminated the college draft in the latest collective bargaining agreement and 2025 was the first year without a draft.

She’s also one of a handful of players who have been loaned to the Super League, which is on the top tier of women’s soccer in the United States alongside the NWSL but is only in its first season. Those deals are expected to grow.

North Carolina Courage defender Natalia Staude followed a similar path. She started her pro career on loan to the Super League’s Tampa Bay Sun before joining the Courage this season.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman has said one of the strengths of the league on the international stage is its depth — and part of that is due to its emerging young stars. The loan process helps develop young players who in the past may have left soccer altogether.

“There have been examples where our teams have loaned players to those other leagues when they anticipate that a particular player isn’t going to get playing minutes, or that it’s not the right fit from a technical environment perspective, but they want to give the player an opportunity to continue to develop and play,” Berman said. “So I think optionality for players is good, and I think a robust ecosystem that allows for players at all levels to be able to continue to play is a good thing for the sport.”

Some of the other emerging young players who haven’t taken traditional paths to launch their pro careers:

Riley Tiernan, Angel City

In the absence of a draft, Tiernan was a non-roster invitee to Angel City’s preseason training camp this year. She did so well she earned herself a spot on the team and signed a two-year contract. She’s scored five goals, tied for second in the league.

Hutton initially committed to North Carolina but then decided to go pro instead. She was signed by the Current ahead of the 2024 season via the NWSL’s Under-18 Entry Mechanism and was a finalist for NWSL Rookie of the Year. Hutton followed in the footsteps of other talented NWSL players who skipped college, including Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman.

Although Moultrie made her professional debut in 2021, she’s still just 19 years old. She turned pro at just 13 when she hired an agent and signed a deal with Nike. But she wasn’t allowed to play professionally because of an NWSL rule that required players to be 18. In 2021, she sued for the right to play and won. Moultrie’s legal fight created the pathway for the rule that Hutton and many others have used to turn pro.

The Thompson Sisters, Angel City

Alyssa was the first high school player drafted into the NWSL when she was the No. 1 pick in 2023. Gisele Thompson was just 17 when she joined Angel City ahead of the 2024 season through the under-18 rule. She scored this month against Bay FC with an assist from Alyssa for the league’s first sister-to-sister goal.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

WESTON, Mass. — Regis College head men’s soccer coach Renato Capobianco has announced that six student-athletes—five incoming first-years and one transfer—have committed to join the Pride beginning in the Fall 2025 semester.

Capobianco, who enters his 15th season at the helm of the Regis men’s soccer program, and his coaching staff are excited about this group and the upcoming fall season.

The Pride finished the 2024 season with a 6-9-4 overall record, highlighted by a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory on the road against Norwich in the opening round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament.

	Eric De Carvalho Revere High School
	Guillermo Infante Cypress Bay High School (Fla.)
	Jared Romero Revere High School
	Jeremy Romero Revere High School
	Michael Champagne Wellesley High School
	Wylie Gardiner Cohasset High School

Wheeling, W. Va. – As they prepare to embark on their 2025 season on Saturday, the Wheeling Highlanders will be featuring two Wheeling Men’s Soccer players on this season’s roster. The two Cardinal representatives will feel right at home, with the team playing their home games throughout the 2025 season at Bishop Schmitt Field. It will be the second season in a row that the Highlanders have called Bishop Schmitt Field their home turf as they compete in the Ohio Valley Player’s League (OVPL). 

“We are really pleased to bring top level soccer back to Wheeling for our fifth season and are delighted to have Wheeling University be our home base.” Said Highlanders Head Coach, and Head Wheeling Women’s Soccer Coach, Ryan Wall. “It is such a lovely place to play and we aim to continue last season’s unbeaten record at Bishop Schmitt Field.” 

The Wheeling Highlanders have been a member of the Ohio Valley Premier League (OVPL) since the 2021 season, becoming the seventh club to commit to the league. During the 2024 season, the team went 4-2-3 across their nine games, playing their home schedule at Bishop Schmitt Field. Since their formation in 2021, the team has had representatives from the Wheeling Men’s Soccer team, with former Cardinals Richard Afolayanka, Miguel Martin, and others having played for the club. Wall, who founded the club during their inaugural 2021 season, has been helping local high school and college players find a path to continue growing their games in the summer months right here in Wheeling. 

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Highlanders first home game of the season on Saturday, May 17th, will be played at an alternate venue. However, the team will play each of its remaining games at Bishop Schmitt Field. The 2024 season was the first year that the Highlanders played their home contests at Bishop Schmitt Field and they would go unbeaten at the venue. After playing four home games at the venue a season ago, the Highlanders will return to Bishop Schmitt Field for three contests this season. After battling Junior Croatias Saturday at a Neutral site location, the Highlanders will look to chase down an OVPL Championship in 2025. 

Cardinal fans who come out to the game will be familiar with two of the team’s players, Carlos Molina and former Cardinal Miguel Martin. Molina has played for the Wheeling Men’s Soccer team in each of the past four seasons, putting together a career-year in 2024. He appeared in nine games for the Cardinals, making seven starts, and finished with a .620 save percentage. He would go 1-5-1 in net and recorded the team’s only shutout when he made four saves against Point Park on October 20th. Miguel Martin has spent the last seven years with the Cardinal’s men’s soccer team, spending five years as a player and two as a coach. He played with the Cardinals from 2019 to 2022. He finished his career with eight goals, three assists, and 14 points, and was a part of two runs to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Tournament. He has been on the sidelines each of the last two seasons for the program, serving as a Graduate Assistant under Head Coach Brandon Regan. 

The Wheeling Athletic Department wishes the Highlanders the best of luck as they compete for an OVPL Championship in 2025.