Sarah Hern is accustomed to running and running and running — as a forward.
The New Hope High School senior also has seen playing time in the midfield. Either way, most of her time as a Lady Trojan has been spent in an attacking position.
That all changed midway through this season when New Hope coach Mary Nagy opted to move Hern from the front to the back. Instead of questioning the move and complaining about how it was going to affect her final season at the school, Hern listened and said, “Yes, ma’am”, and set out to be the best defender she could be.
“Not once has she even said why or even complained,” Nagy said. “It was not something she trained for, but it is something she learned by watching and by doing because Sarah is a team player and she does whatever is asked to do for the betterment of the team.”
Hern’s leadership is a key reason why the New Hope girls have advanced to the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State playoffs for a second consecutive season. At 7 tonight, New Hope will play host to Ridgeland. The winner will advance to take on the winner of the Starkville-Oxford match on Tuesday.
“When they told me I was moving back I thought, ‘What did I do wrong?'” Hern said. “But it ended up being a positive thing.”
Hern’s versatility is one reason why earlier this week she was selected to participate in the Mississippi Association of Coaches Senior All-Star game, which will feature some of the top seniors from the North and South half of the state. Hern will play as a defender in the game, but she said she feels comfortable playing in the back, middle, or up top. To her, it’s as simple as whatever her team needs her to do to be successful.
That mind-set came through Tuesday in New Hope’s 5-4 overtime victory against Hernando. Hern had three assists in the match, including one in which she made a run from defender.
“(When I first moved to defender), I was impatient and running all of the time,” Hern said. “I have learned not to run at everybody all of the time and to stay back and to protect the goal a little bit.”
Hern, who plays defense next to her sister, Reagan, a junior, said the move also has helped her when she has switched positions in a match. She said she has learned how to better protect the ball from defenders whose primary goal is to win the ball from her and how to play defense as a forward and as a midfielder when a team counterattacks.
Hern, who has four goals and seven assists and 26 saves as a back, hopes to continue to apply the lessons she has learned in college. She said she has been offered scholarships to play soccer at Itawamba Community College, Hinds C.C., East Central C.C., and Meridian C.C. She said she will wait until after the high school season to pick a school.
Hern hopes the same mentality that has helped her switch positions in high school will benefit her in at the next level. She said it doesn’t matter where she plays because as long as it helps the team she will do her best.
“I feel putting me back on defense has helped me to be more patient,” Hern said. “I have always wanted to run and run and run. But this year I learned to stop and to be patient. The game is not necessarily slower, but it is slower in my head. I have learned to break down the player in front of me and get the ball from the other player and not just bowl her over.”
Nagy feels Hern’s size, strength, and willingness to mix it up will serve her well in college, and that Hern will be an asset to the coach who signs her.
“Sarah’s drive and determination to play soccer stems from a young age and when she started playing in eighth and ninth grade,” Nagy said. “We knew she had the ability to play and that she wouldn’t back down. She set challenges for herself and put extra time in and worked on things to improve her game. She is going to be a good player and a strong player for someone who will be dependable not only on the field but off the field. There won’t be any drama. She will show leadership and character. The coach who gets her will be doubly blessed when she makes her decision about where she is going.”
Hern knows her sister will carry on the tradition the past few classes at New Hope have built. Last year, the school won its first playoff game before losing at home to Ridgeland. This season, the Lady Trojans have overcome personnel changes and position changes to get another chance at Ridgeland, one of the state’s top soccer programs. Hern feels the team has matured and improved in several ways and that her passion for the game has played a small role in setting the tone. Most importantly, she said it has learned how to come together and play for one goal: What is best for the team.
“We could have the best talent in the state of Mississippi and the players with the hardest shots, but if we don’t love each other as much as we do we wouldn’t have won games,” Hern said. “We had enough heart to push through and beat Hernando. Hernando is a tough and aggressive team. We wanted to more than they did and it showed. I was proud of them.
“The program would not have developed like it did if we didn’t come together like we have.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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