ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Kotaro Mitsuhashi - men's soccer

On a team heavy with upper-class leaders, few would have expected a freshman--one who has barely been a part of the Blue Jays for two months--to step up and make a big play in one of the biggest games of the season.

However, facing off against one of Hopkins mens soccer's fiercest rivals in Muhlenberg College under  the lights at Homewood Field this past Friday, that is exactly what happened.

Freshman midfielder Kotaro Mitsuhashi took a pass from fellow freshman Rob Heuler and buried it in the far post for the only goal of the game, leading the Jays to a 1-0 victory.

The win was huge for the Blue Jays. Not only did it bring Hopkins' overall record to 4-2-2 and 2-0 in the conference (they are now 4-2-3 and 2-0-1 after a scoreless draw with Gettysburg on Tuesday), but they also sunk their bitter rivals, the Mules, who were ranked 19th in the nation at the time.

The game was hotly contested with seven cautions being administered by the referee, including a red card to Muhlenberg's star forward Danny Way in the 31st minute.

However, Mitsuhashi was able to keep his composure, showing wonderful poise for a young player, and he capitalized when he was left open for the winning goal in the 44th minute. The goal was the first tally of Mitsuhashi's young and promising collegiate career.

"I knew it was one of the biggest games of the season, so for me to score my first career goal in that specific game was fantastic," he said.

Making an impact as a young player in big time games is nothing new for Mitsuhashi. As a freshman in high school, he led Detroit County Day School to a state title, a year in which he scored the game-winning goal in the district finals against a rival team.

Soccer was not the only sport Mitsuhashi excelled at in high school, as he was part of the team which holds his school record in the 4x800 meter relay in track. He also qualified for the state championship in both his junior and senior seasons.

Mitsuhashi, who plans on majoring in either Economics, International Studies or a double-major of the two, is quick to say how he and the other freshmen who are seeing significant playing time are benefitting from the upperclassmen's leadership.

"The upperclassmen have been very nice and extremely motivating to us freshmen," the Bloomfield Hills, MI native said. "We all work hard, but nobody, including the upperclassmen, complains about playing time."

The older leaders include co-captains and seniors Drew Holland and Corey Adams, two defensive stalwarts that have been integral parts of the Blue Jays' success over the last four years.

The Jays started off the season slowly, dropping two of their first four games, including two in a row during a weekend tournament at Richard Stockton in early September. But after their second 1-0 loss in New Jersey, head Coach Craig Appleby delivered a demonstrative yet motivating speech that Mitsuhashi believes has turned the season around.

"Coach Appleby's speech after the Richard Stockton game has really hit us hard," the six-foot, 150-pound midfielder said. "He told us we need to pick it up and start winning games, since we are not guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament."

Appleby, despite his disdain towards his team's slow start, is very optimistic about the contributions of both Mitsuhashi as well as other freshmen contributors such as Heuler and keeper Nick Cerrone.

Heuler was named the MVP of the Goucher Soccer Classic, while Cerrone was awarded Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors this past week.

Because of a recent injury to senior star Sean Coleman, Appleby will be relying on underclassmen such as Mitsuhashi to pick up the slack.

"Fortunately we have depth, so we have guys with talent that can step in for Sean in his absence," said Appleby who is in his fourth year at the helm of the Jays after a professional stint in Germany. "What we will miss is Sean [Coleman's] experience, but this is an opportunity for our young guys to start gaining that experience."

Mitsuhashi and the Blue Jays will attempt to continue their hot play as they take to the road for their next four contests.

Three of those match-ups come against Centennial Conference foes Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, and Ursinus, as well as one non-conference tilt with their rivals from the eastern shore, Salisbury.

Come out and support the Jays at their next home game during an action packed weekend at Homewood Field on October 15th at 4:00 PM.

Although Mitsuhashi made quite a splash with his first collegiate goal, one that may seem hard to top, it would be hard to believe that he won't have many more like it in his career in a Blue Jay uniform.