Becher pg 9 2-22-18
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Becher signs NLI
to Holy Cross
WOODSTOCK — The Woodstock Academy senior Simon Becher had long ago verbally committed to the College of Holy Cross in Worcester.
Last week, he made it official.
Becher, from Brooklyn, signed his National Letter of Intent for a full four-year scholarship to play soccer for the Crusaders in the Library at Woodstock Academy.
“I’m extremely happy. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve waited about a year and a half to make it official,” Simon Becher said.
Becher never played soccer for the Centaurs.
He played for Oakwood Soccer Academy in Glastonbury since he was in eighth grade.
“It’s been an unbelievable experience. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, a lot of car trips, a lot of practices, a lot of driving around for my wife and I, but at the end of the day, it all paid off,” said his father, Mike.
According to his Dad, what set Simon apart was his personal drive.
When there was no practice in Glastonbury, Simon would work out in his yard or in the basement or at Woodstock Academy.
“I always felt like he did more than the average person to get where he is at,” his father said.
It’s been a pretty incredible ride lately for Simon.
Shortly after the calendar flipped to 2018, Becher was on his way to Florida to participate in a tryout camp for the U(nder)-20 U.S. National team that will play in the World Cup in 2019. Becher is in a pool of just over 30 players in consideration for that honor.
Next week, Simon and his younger brother, Nathan, head to Holland for a week as part of an Oakwood Academy experience.
But playing for Oakwood meant he had to sacrifice the experience of playing with his friends at The Woodstock Academy, many of whom were looking on when Simon signed his NLI.
“My friends have been nothing but supportive of me throughout this whole thing. They’re always there for me, always pushing me, and helping me to strive to be my very best. To have them here, my family, my teachers, it’s something really special,” Simon said. “Not playing at the high school was a big decision. It makes you feel like you are letting your friends down, but they never made me feel guilty about it.”
The Crusaders finished 7-9-4 this past season, but Simon feels the program is on an upswing under the guidance of Marco Koolman who will be entering his seventh season as men’s soccer head coach next season.
“I think I fit into his style very well. I couldn’t be more excited to come in and try to make an impact as a freshman,” Simon said.
Simon said the school as a whole was a winner in his book with great academics, a good soccer program and nice facilities.
It didn’t hurt that the school is also not far from his Brooklyn home.
“I wanted to stay close for my parents,” Simon said. “I wanted to stay on the East Coast and 40 minutes away in Worcester is like in my backyard. My family and parents are such a big part of getting me to this place, I wanted them to be able to come up and see me play.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director