It may take several years before somebody achieves their goals. But eventually their blood, sweat and tears pays off. For Aranda Hurge this realization comes in the form of the Arizona Wildcats’ soccer team.
“I knew I wanted to go someplace warm, and I wanted to go to a school that was in a Power Five conference…” Hurge said.
Her story starts at age two, when she first kicked a soccer ball. First came club teams, currently Bethesda ECNL, then came school teams. Her father instilled grit in both her and her younger brother Aaron Hurge at a young age.
“When we were younger, he was more strict about stuff… Like, if we had a bad game he would have a talk with us about it. But he also praised us when we did something good, too, so it was a good balance,” Hurge said.
Her father is a former athlete who played soccer throughout college. He played semi-professionally in Jamaica until he got injured.
Hurge has played for the Wildcats for most of high school. She opted out of playing in her junior year because she wanted to focus on her school work. Since then, she has learned how to balance academics and athletics efficiently. In her tenure as a soccer player, Hurge has played several positions. She enjoys playing as the center back. Center back is the cornerstone of the defense, they are the last line of protection before the goalkeeper.
She was in-tune with her body. Oftentimes, freshmen are at an awkward physical development stage. Hurge was one of our best athletes as a freshman and very skilled on the ball, not to mention confident—she was the trifecta.
— varsity girls’ soccer coach Joshua Kinnetz
Kinnetz has experience as a highschool and college soccer player. He also has coached at several Montgomery County schools; he led the Northwest Jaguars to their first undefeated season in 2016.
Hurge’s teammate Vivian Vendt is committed to Virginia Commonwealth University. She plans to get an abbreviated schedule next semester to focus on school and getting a job. Hurge, like other athletes, has an abbreviated schedule. She is currently using the off-season to focus on staying fit for the club season that starts in March.
“Highschool [soccer] is way more social and it’s competitive but it’s not as competitive [as club soccer],” Vendt said.
After the club season ends, her college season will begin just as fast.
“My biggest piece of advice is to prepare herself mentally and physically to play against women. In other words, she’ll be playing against experienced 21 year-olds who are big and fast. She is going to play at a high level where everyone is as good as her,” Kinnetz said.
