Freshman soccer player Caleb Sexton has been tearing it up this season.

By Ryan Walker, Staff Writer

He is the all-time leading goal scorer in Jackson High School history, a feat accomplished in his final season for the Vikings in Jackson, Michigan. Now, freshman Caleb Sexton is scoring goals for Huntington University and having a big impact already in his first few games. In his first seven games, he made three goals and seven total points, which he leads the team in. He also is killing it with eleven shots on goal–nobody has more than five after that.

The 5-foot 6-inch freshman is adjusting well to the college life on and off the soccer field, helping him be one of the most talented players Huntington has to offer. How much different is it from high school? “[The] speed of play is 10 times faster,” Sexton said, “in college, you don’t have as much time with the ball, but in high school, I had the freedom to kind of do whatever I wanted to.”

Anything in college sports will be tougher. As he noted, whenever he is able to get a touch on the ball, someone is right on his tail defending him. But with the combination of his ability and the teammates around him, he is able to show what he’s got, and it’s a perfect fit for the Foresters.

Sexton not only is killing it on the field, but off the field as well. He walks around casually, always with other players or friends and seems to be enjoying the switch. In terms of school, he said it’s completely different, but he loves it.

“[In] high school you’d go to class for 7 hours a day and you would go to practice and games every week,” Sexton said, “but the main difference is the time management. Trying to figure out when to do my homework, when to get my treatment.”

The change is big for anyone coming into campus for the first time, as you are no longer under your parents’ watch. Your decisions are more individual, and as a freshman on an athletic team, you come in with worries about what the others think. 

Sexton said that you come in with a target on your back as a new guy on the team, but the HU team is very accepting, to say the least. Sexton also noted that they like to have a little fun with the new guys when they first step into college.

Each freshman soccer player will, for one week, have a backpack that is “girly,” with leopard print, purple fuzz, and cat fur. The seniors on the team will pick it out for the freshmen and make them wear them for one week in the semester. They carry it everywhere: to class, to restaurants, wherever they need it. The funny tradition is a true conversation-starter; Caleb even admitted he kind of liked it.

Huntington’s men’s soccer team is looking for another strong season. Last season, they ended up winners of the Crossroads League, but eventually lost to the national champion in the tournament. They are hungry for more, and are ready to make a push for a playoff run to California this season. Sexton could be the piece to get them to it.