By Mark Mausner -- STAFF WRITER
Storm Strongin, a freshman midfielder on the Hofstra men’s soccer team and a Hicksville, New York native, didn’t have to travel far to find the right fit for his collegiate soccer career.
A quick drive spanning the Meadowbrook and Northern State Parkways is all that separates Strongin, currently living on Hofstra’s campus, from his hometown and the place where he found immense success, Hicksville High School.
“It was a lot of fun. It was cool because your family comes and kids you go to school with come to the games,” Strongin said.
“As the years went on I think my favorite year was my junior year, that was when we won the county championship. The team was just great,” Stongin said.
In addition to the county championship, Strongin, the first Hicksville player to ever be named Class AA Player of the Year, helped his high school team win three conference championships.
Despite his high school success, Strongin has had to work hard for playing time at the Division I level.
“I’m coming in so young and we have a lot of talent this year so I’m just trying to fit in wherever I can,” Strongin said. “I’m flexible because I want to get on the field.”
The 5-foot-11-inch midfielder didn’t always love the game as much as he does now, but his perseverance allowed his passion for the sport to grow.
“I started playing pretty young, at about 5-years-old. I played intramural with Hicksville and didn’t like it at first but I stuck with it and really started to enjoy it,” Strongin said.
“Also, I’ve made some friends that I know I’ll have for my whole life that I’ve met through soccer.”
Some of those friends are now Strongin’s teammates; he recalls facing off against other local freshmen on the Hofstra men’s soccer team back in his high school years.
“My senior year of high school I played three other local freshmen,” Strongin said. “I then went on to play with them so we actually played on a team together for a year and a half. We were on a club team in Massapequa.”
Strongin’s local background also helped with his exposure to Hofstra head coach Richard Nuttall, which eventually led to Hofstra offering him a spot on the team.
“During high school I played on a club team that actually played against Coach Nuttall,” Strongin said.
“That was the first time I had contact with him. I scored two goals, one of them was a nice free kick so that was when he noticed me.”
“Literally [on] the first day coaches could call me, Coach Nuttall called me. I took a tour, loved it, Hofstra gave me an offer and that was it,” Strongin said.
Strongin, who is one of just two Pride freshmen to record a point this season, is currently dealing with an injury.
Despite this, he aims not just to rehabilitate, but to build on his game as well.
“I love having something to work towards and being able to have that drive and improving yourself every day,” Strongin said.
“I just want to make an impact ... We have a lot of young talent so I think in the next few years we’ll accomplish a lot of good things.”