Perspectives From the Pitch: Introducing Hensley Hancuff
The NJ/NY Gotham FC goalie is using her journey to encourage others when adversity strikes
Perspectives From the Pitch is a new section of Touchline Talk featuring pieces written by players themselves discussing what playing the sport at the highest level looks like and providing insight into who they are as people.
As a new professional athlete looking back at my student-athlete career, it is hard for me to wrap my head around how fast yet grueling this profession can be. Everyone's pathway to success is different, and being able to share my story will hopefully inspire younger athletes to overcome adversity, because you will go through trials and tribulations at some point in your athletic career.
I grew up in a small town in the middle of Oklahoma called Edmond. Before I played soccer, I participated in gymnastics. It was something my mom could drop me off at and let me burn some energy for a couple hours since I was such an “active child,” according to her. Growing up in Oklahoma does not expose you to different cultures and views, so I knew from early on that I wanted to go to college out of state.
The recruitment process started for me when I was a freshman in high school, and I eagerly verbally committed to one of the first colleges that gave me an offer: Oklahoma State. Little did I know the amount of change that I was going to go through in the next five years. As I grew older through sophomore and junior year, different colleges reached out to me and my goal as an athlete had changed. I ended up decommitting from Oklahoma State and picking up a scholarship at Villanova University near Philadelphia. However, later in my senior year of high school, I found out that I had cancer. The summer before my senior year, I had decided to do online school and move by myself to Orlando, Florida, to train with the Orlando Pride while finishing up my last semester in the fall.
During my time there, I was able to train with Ashlyn Harris — my current teammate — along with other big names in the female soccer world such as Alex Morgan and Marta. I was there for three months, then had to move back to Oklahoma to take care of the cancer before I was going to head off to my first semester of college in January 2018.
After I moved to Villanova, I started to realize that I was not taking care of myself on and off the field, and that I needed a change of environment in order to become as successful as I wanted to be on the field. While dealing with the physical changes that come along with cancer, I had to make a decision whether or not I wanted to pursue a professional career in soccer. I entered my name into the transfer portal after spending two years at Villanova and quickly turned around to be accepted into Clemson University. That was the best decision I had ever made. My time at Clemson really helped turn me into the footballer I am today with the constant support and competitive drive from all of the athletes at a school like that. Being surrounded with the best facilities and top athletes can really inspire someone to perform at their best every day, especially coming from a university that did not invest much in their Olympic sports.
When my time at Clemson started coming to an end, I knew it was my time to enter the NWSL draft. From the summer before my last fall season at Clemson, my main motivation was to perform on the field so I can get as many eyes on me as possible for the draft. That season did not go as expected with many struggles on the field because I was so worried about the outcome and not the journey.
You learn so much in college, not only academically but personally too. There are so many struggles a student-athlete will go through, but what will separate you is how you deal with those struggles and the growth you go through as a person. As a student-athlete, you will experience the highest of the highs with winning games or championships and the lowest of the lows through losses or injuries.
After my final semester at Clemson, I entered into the 2022 NWSL Draft and was drafted in the 3rd round by NY/NJ Gotham FC. My first few months of being a professional athlete have already thrown many trials my way, and I continue to have a positive attitude and growth mindset for the rest of the season. I am really looking forward to learning from the best and getting my opportunity to perform.