Erin Hench: Soaring Falcon

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Messiah has been drawing in many talented soccer players in their program over the years. Both their Men’s and Women’s program won the DIII NCAA Championship Game, going on to being #1. Their Women’s team was #2 this year but stuck it out and took that final step up to the #1 spot. We all know about Amanda Naeher from the last interview….but there is another player who stands out on her own because of her work ethic, MANY goals she has made (literally), and her unselfish playing style… this player’s name is Erin Hench. Hench and Naeher are Messiah’s threatening double tag-team. Erin Hench along with her teammates closed the season out with an undefeated record of 20-0-2.Erin, a sophomore/soon to be junior, had an amazing performance last season with 22 goals and 16 assists making her one of the top producers on the Messiah Women’s Soccer Team alongside her teammate/interviwee Amanda Naeher. Hench appeared in all 24 games her freshman year and earned First Team All-Commonwealth Conference honors as well as Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year. For the 2008 DIII NCAA Tournament, Erin Hench received the honor of being the Most Outstanding Player. In the 2008 NCAA Championship game against two-time winner, Wheaton, Hench, unassisted, scored the match’s opening goal on a rebound shot at 27:44 holding Messiah at advantage for shots on goal: 10-4 and being the only goal of the first half. She scored again at the 64:14 mark from an assist by teammate, Rachel Horning, putting Messiah ahead of Wheaton in goals- 3:0. The Falcons’ went on to defeating their rival, Wheaton, and captured the Falcons? second national title in four years. In almost every single game, Erin Hench was able to put in atleast one goal…. and even more.
I got in contact with Erin and was able to do an interview with her, check it out below =)

MessGirl-How do you feel about being one of the top producers on your team with 22 goals and 16 assists?
Erin Hench-Don’t get me wrong, I love scoring goals, but when you have such a good team behind you, it makes it so much easier. One of the most frustrating things for a forward is feeling like you’re the only person on attack at any particular moment. That’s not the case with my team. The other forwards and midfield are all around me all the time. And our defense does an amazing job in the back. They keep the ball up on our attacking half of the field so we don?t have to do as much work.

MessGirl-How did it feel winning the championship game against Wheaton in the 2008 NCAA DIII Women’s Soccer Tournament?
Erin Hench-It was incredible. I wanted to experience it since I was little, and I knew it was a reasonable goal. After losing to Wheaton last year in the finals, it was nice to get a little revenge. Wheaton is a very respectable team so it felt good to win against them. The memories of the road that lead there will always be with me.

MessGirl-As a high school Senior, why did you choose to play soccer at Messiah?
Erin Hench-I’ve wanted to go to Messiah since 6th grade. That was the first of 7 straight years (6th through 12th grade) that I went to soccer camp there. At first I just wanted to go because my parents went there and because I really looked up to the players that I met at camp. I live only 25 minutes away so I would go and watch them frequently with my family. I thought they were so cool. Later I wanted to go because I knew their soccer program was excellent, and I wanted a chance at a national championship because very few people can say they?ve been a part of that. Within the last few years of high school, though, it became really important to me to go to a Christian school where I could grow as a person.

MessGirl-What are your views on Division III, and do you think people are quick to judge when comparing it to Division I?
Erin Hench-This is an issue that I get very passionate about. I think people are way too quick to make assumptions about different divisions. Now, let me just make it clear that, no, I don’t think Messiah, despite winning 2 national championships so far, would ever stand a chance against top DI schools. We played Penn State this spring and I will admit that, on average, they were much faster than we were. However, we held our own pretty well. By definition, though, what division a school is classified as solely means they have X amount of money to give in scholarships to their players. It has nothing to do with the ability of the team. So, do better players normally gravitate to DI and DII schools, Absolutely. But not everyone does. So you can have excellent players playing DIII sports because they have other agendas, whether it be their major, their lack of desire to spend so much time on their sport, their preference of the campus, etc. So yes, I would agree with everyone else that DI is the best followed by DII and DIII, but there are excellent and terrible teams in all divisions. I?m not impressed by people going to really bad DI schools that nobody’s heard of just because they are DI.

MessGirl- What are some of your future goals?
Erin Hench-As far as college soccer is concerned, I would love to finish my career with two more national championships and hopefully the best career winning record in school history. My class has only lost 1 game so far in two seasons, and seeing the people who will be sticking around the next two years and the freshman coming in, it makes it a very realistic goal.
After college I have no idea what type of job I want to get. I do, however, know that I would like to coach. I?ve been doing some one-on-one training and a little bit of team training, and I like being able to have an impact on little girls. I remember looking up to the Messiah players when I was younger, and I want to be that same role model to the girls that come to games and camp.

MessGirl-What makes your team special & different than the other teams in Division III?
Erin Hench-Our school is a Christian school. Now, that doesn?t necessarily mean that the team would have to play as a Christian team, but that?s what our team strives to do. We are a very close-knit team with a love for each player that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. We try our best to share that love and joy with the other teams we come in contact with. When it comes down to it, soccer is just a game. We try to make it bigger than that by playing for God, and we hope other teams get a chance to see that.

MessGirl-Who is your favorite soccer player (woman or man)?
Erin Hench-When I was little, I loved Landon Donovan. If you go into my room even today (mainly because I haven?t changed my room in years) you can still see tons and tons of pictures of him covering my walls. I?m not as big of a fan of his anymore simply because my juvenile obsession has gradually faded. My team just went to Brazil together, though, and I have a new appreciation for Pele. I know he?s the best player ever so I?m kinda hopping on the bandwagon a little late. But we had the opportunity to go through the Santos F.C. museum where he played and see the trophies he earned, the field he played on, and the locker he used. It just made him so much more real to me which was really cool.

MessGirl-Besides working hard on the soccer field, what do you like to do during your free time?
Erin Hench-I don?t really have one main thing I like to do when I?m not playing. I do have some random things I enjoy, though. I like scrapbooking, although I don’t claim to be good at it. I’m still working on one of this years final fours. After that I’ll start one about our Brazil trip. In the winter the soccer girls in my class put together a rec volleyball team. None of us have ever played volleyball for real, so our friends come to watch solely for entertainment?s sake. I also like photography. My dad is a professional photographer. He likes taking mostly high school senior portraits while I like the artsy side of it. So it’s a little different, but he still got me interested.

MessGirl-Do you plan on playing soccer after college?
Erin Hench-I haven’t really decided yet. I used to think I wanted to. That?s really the only thing I know for sure I like to do. I play for a semi-pro team, the Lancaster Inferno, during the summer, so that could possibly open up some doors for further playing. I?m not sure I want to do that though. After playing for Messiah, I decided I love the girls so much that I want to end my main soccer career with them. I don’t think I’d be satisfied if I played for anyone else afterward. Even if I don?t play on an impressive team down the road, though, I will definitely play in random indoor leagues and summer leagues in the area. I could never just stop playing soccer altogether. I just love soccer and competing way too much to just quit.

MessGirl-Do you think the incoming class of ’13 will bring something good to the table for Messiah Women’s Soccer in your 2009 Fall Season?
Erin Hench-I’m psyched about the incoming freshman. They came up to chill with us for a night and watch us play the next day, and it was so much fun. They have great personalities and I’ve seen some of them play a little bit. Whether they add to the team with their abilities or with their character (or both), I know they will all contribute in some way. I could tell they’ve been in contact with each other because they seem so close to each other already. I think just having that connection before the season even starts is huge because then you don?t have to worry about introductions and team chemistry during preseason. You already have it.

MessGirl-How do you feel about being #1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region on NSCAA/Adidas rankings?
Erin Hench-It’s definitely an honor, no doubt about it. Tons of girls strive for things like that. And while I enjoy being part of the rankings, that?s not what I play for. Like I said before, though, it makes it so much easier when you have such talented girls around you. It’s easy to have assists when you have girls that can finish so well. It?s easy to look good when your teammate makes a spectacular trap on a terrible ball you give them. I appreciate the awards, but there are so many girls on the team that deserve similar titles who are simply overlooked.

MessGirl-What advice or information would you give to kids who want to play soccer in Division III?
Erin Hench-I?d say go for it. Nothing should stop you from checking out your options. When it comes to getting looked at by coaches, it’s important to get your name out there. Don?t wait for them to come to you. Contact the coaches directly, send profiles, videos, whatever you think will get their attention. But be honest and be yourself. You want the coach to see the real you so he or she will know if you?ll fit well with their program.

As you can see Erin is just a great, modest player who not only works hard but strives for the #1 stop.

I knew that I had great girls around me to get the ball at my feet, and they just made things a lot easier to play the game and do my job.

-Messiah’s Erin Hench (quote thanks to NCAA.com)

Thanks Erin for your doing the interview and ?wordy response was awesome! = )?Writers at boxofmess.com wish you good luck for your 2009 Fall Season and we will stay in touch to see how things are going!

info thanks to NCAA and NCAA news
info/photo thanks to Messiah Athletic Site

MessGirl