‘That’s just Sachem’
Junior forward Sachem Wilson is playing in his best season with the Flames
Heart— Sachem Wilson has scored a team-leading 14 goals over the course of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
When the Liberty Flames men’s soccer team matched up against the Howard Bison in September, the Flames were maintaining a 1-0 lead. Then, midfielder Bay Kurtz sent the ball to junior forward Sachem Wilson. Wilson maneuvered past a defender and struck the ball just beyond the outstretched arm of the Howard goaltender.
His teammates began to celebrate and embrace him as he bolted toward the bleachers. He then raised his right arm and placed his other arm across it, forming, as he says, “the cross of Christ.” He went on to score one more goal and repeated his celebration ritual.
“Ever since I can remember, that’s been my celebration,” Wilson said. “People see that and they wonder. But if they know, then they know that I’m giving the credit to (God). And if they don’t know, well, that’s a chance to share the gospel.”
As Head Coach Jeff Alder put it, “That’s just Sachem.”
Wilson began playing soccer when he was 4 years old. His father was the chaplain and bench coach at Brown University, exposing him to the sport at an early age. His father let him experience a variety of sports so Wilson could have a choice, but there was something special about soccer.
“He just wanted me to choose something so that I would have something to do,” Wilson said. “Obviously I liked soccer the most, because they let me walk on the field after the games. While they were playing, they let me use the practice fields. Apparently I always thought when the crowd was cheering, they were cheering for me.”
While this crowd was not cheering for Wilson, one eventually would be.
Eight years after his time running around on the practice field at Brown, he eventually made his way to something bigger. Professional soccer player and former U.S. Men’s National Team goaltender Brad Friedel started a boarding school-style soccer academy in Friedel’s hometown in Ohio — an academy for which the
12-year-old-Wilson applied.
“(Friedel) went all around the world searching for players and brought them in for free,” Wilson said. “Everything was paid for. Basically, what (Friedel) was trying to do was funnel players into the (professional leagues).”
Wilson’s application was one of 24 to be accepted into the Premier Soccer Academy (PSA). However, his time there did not last long. According to Wilson, PSA was shut down due to the economic crash in 2008. Friedel simply could not pay for it any longer, which meant Wilson had to attend school elsewhere.
Fortunately for Wilson, his father had taken an assistant coaching job with the soccer team at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA), the school that Wilson’s mother had been praying he would attend.
According to liberty.edu/flames, Wilson set a school record with 64 goals and led the CVCA Royals to the Ohio state championship game in 2009. But what made Wilson more appealing to schools such as Liberty were his contributions off the soccer field. He was involved in a variety of outreach programs, such as Golden Acres Nursing Home and Urban Vision Ministry, according to liberty.edu/flames.
However, the program he enjoyed the most was the Boy Scouts, in which he eventually earned the Eagle Scout rank. Wilson said engaging in these extracurricular activities provided him with a much-needed balance between soccer and his personal life. His involvement in the community along with his on-field success earned him the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Senior Excellence Award in 2011.
Toward the end of his junior year, the recruiting process began. Ever since he was young, he wanted to go to the University of Notre Dame. But once again, his mother continued to pray that he attend a school focused on God — Liberty University.
“I went (to College for a Weekend), and at first, I didn’t know what to expect,” Wilson said. “But when I got here, I (thought), ‘Man, this is exactly like my high school.’ You could just feel the spirit of the Lord (at Liberty). … Then I was sold.”
After three days on Liberty’s campus, he had chosen his college during his junior year of high school, and Alder could not have been happier.
“You can see he’s a generous guy,” Alder said. “He refreshes others. He brings life and adds value to others. We were very impressed with his character.”
He continued to praise Wilson for his unmatched work ethic and “outstanding leadership qualities.”
Wilson is now the leading goal scorer for the Flames this season and has the second most shots in the Big South Conference. Wilson, along with the rest of the Flames, gives his all each day on the field. Now, when Wilson hears fans cheering, he knows that they are, in fact, cheering for him.
HAYWOOD is the asst. sports editor.