Soccer star verbally committed to Westmont College in 2020

*Updated version from “Roots: A Redwood Magazine Vol.2 Issue.1” pages 50-51 released on December 11, 2020.

By Sydney Brammer

Four-time varsity soccer player, Elise Hyde, ’22 is an outside defender for the Redwood High School girls soccer team. She has been playing soccer since she was four years old and has always been a stand-out player.

Hyde first peaked interest in Westmont College after attending their ID camp in February right before COVID-19 took place. After the camp, her and the Westmont head coach Jenny Jaggard emailed each other frequently about what kind of player Hyde is and her reasons of interest in potentially playing soccer for them.

Eventually, Jaggard invited Hyde back to Westmont for a campus tour and Hyde got the chance to meet some of the soccer players and play with them. After kicking around with the team, Jaggard saw potential in Hyde’s ability to play outside defender and offered her a scholarship where Hyde verbally committed on November 13, 2020.

In favor of the reason why Hyde is a very skilled player is the fact that she has been a part of the competitive club team South Valley United since the age of 10. Throughout her years playing for them, she was a utility player- she played everywhere and anywhere. It was her freshman year making Redwood’s varsity team where she settled as a defender.

For her last season on the club team this year, she is one of the captains, as well as a captain for the Redwood High School varsity team. Her club team is a part of the National Premier League which allows the team the opportunity to compete in a national platform to elevate and change the competition of youth soccer.

Being a part of a highly competitive team such as South Valley United (SVU), Hyde has developed impressive skills and an excellent work ethic. She says, “SVU has helped me to become a more versatile player- learning how to play different positions, so… now I know each position to be able to make better decisions… when I have the ball.”

Hyde’s freshman and junior year, she was selected for second team for West Yosemite League (WYL) which is a recognition by all coaches deciding collectively on stand-out players from the season.

Her junior year, she was selected by her coach, Vieira for an All-Star team where two players were chosen from each WYL team to play together to take on the East Yosemite League. Hyde won.

Her freshman and sophomore year, Hyde helped the Redwood team win WYL.

Hyde knew Westmont was the school for her because of the location, the campus, the soccer team, the liberal studies education, the close-knitted community, and the Christian aspect of it all.

Hyde says, “I am a Christian and I love how Christianity is incorporated into their education.”

According to Hyde, Westmont has worship and Bible studies throughout the week, and the soccer team also have their own personal Bible studies. Hyde appreciates the close relationships between the professors and students, and how religion plays a huge role in every aspect.

While waiting to get to Westmont, Hyde is most excited to start playing soccer. She says, “I can’t wait to develop special relationships with my new soccer teammates and share our passion and love for soccer.”

Hyde is also thrilled to have a normal college experience awaiting her and is ready to be independent and pursue a career path in Kinesiology.

The moment Hyde stepped onto the Westmont field, she knew this was going to be her home. She says, “The girls are very supportive of another and it is their philosophy to work hard and support one another.”

Hyde immediately noticed the close relationships between the players and the coaching staff. She says, “They are like a family who love, support, push, and celebrate each other.”

During the recruitment process, Hyde says her Redwood soccer coach Jason Vieira helped her significantly. According to Hyde, Vieira emailed a letter of recommendation to Westmont’s head coach Jaggard expressing the kind of player, teammate, and person Hyde is.

Vieira says, “Elise is such a caring and compassionate person. You can tell she genuinely cares about her teammates and wants what’s best for them. On the field, she is a fierce competitor. She works very hard in training and is always looking for ways to improve her play.”

Vieira was also the man who first put Hyde in the outside defender position which turned out to be the spot that got her a college soccer scholarship.

According to Vieira, Hyde had originally tried out for central midfield, but he saw potential in her skills as a defender. He says, “She is great at running up and down the touch-line with speed and is one of the better crossers of the ball I’ve seen.”

Another significant person who really has had an influence on Hyde is her former Redwood teammate and current Division 1 soccer player at San Jose State University, Evan House, ’20.

During Hyde’s first year on varsity her freshman year, the three freshmen on the team were paired with an upperclassman. Hyde was paired with House. Hyde says, “She [House] is an extremely hard worker, kind, generous, athletic, humble, and an amazing team player. We were both each other’s number one fan.”

Talking about Hyde, House says, “She’s positive, diligent, and coachable… she’s always growing and becoming better.”

House explains how having the right mindset and attitude is more significant than skill when it comes to sports. She says, “that’s Elise’s biggest strong suit, so I know she has big things ahead of her.”

According to Hyde, House also wrote Jaggard a recommendation letter for her. Jaggard was very impressed by it because she mentioned how she has never received a letter of recommendation from a current college soccer player, let alone Division 1, Hyde explains.

House expresses her utmost pride in Hyde for her commitment to play college soccer. She says, “I’m so glad that she’ll get to experience what it’s like playing for a college team with girls who share the same vision, interests, and values as her.”

Hyde says, “I am truly blessed that I have had Evan House as my soccer teammate and Jason Vieira as my soccer coach.”

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