Hayden Oldham is a sophomore secondary education major and plays forward for the men’s soccer team at Elizabethtown College. The sophomore has been playing the game he loves for nearly his entire life. He was born with a passion for soccer and began his soccer journey at an incredibly young age. “I started playing soccer when I was four years old and I have not missed a season since then,” Oldham said.

The sophomore’s passion for soccer obviously started quite early, and it was clear from the start that he wanted to be around the game as much as possible. “My parents told me that my first word was ‘ball’ and that from an early age I would kick everything,” he said. Since then, that passion and determination for the game has not stopped growing.

Before starring as a forward for the Etown men’s soccer team, Oldham, who grew up in Waynesboro, Pa., continued his soccer journey into high school. Throughout high school, Oldham continued playing the game, but it was during his junior year when he realized that he could take his soccer career to the next level. “I knew that I could take my soccer career to the collegiate level probably sometime around my junior year,” he said. “Soon after one of my high school games, I was approached by someone and they talked to me about going to college to play soccer. That’s when I knew.”

Oldham has always made it a focus to be a team player on and off the field, so when asked about some of his favorite parts about playing the sport today, he highlighted the key relationships that he has made over the many years of his playing career. “My favorite part about playing soccer has to be about building relationships with my teammates and making so many memories with them on and off the field,” he said.

Moving forward, the sky is the limit for the sophomore forward and the Etown men’s soccer team. “I just want to be a part of the great program we have here and contribute as much as I can as a good teammate, as well as being a solid part to what Etown soccer is trying to build here,” he said. “Some expectations that we have for this soccer season are to win the Landmark Conference and make it to NCAAs [National Collegiate Athletic Association], a Division III Tournament, this season.”