Only one man can come back from six yellow cards in a season. No, not a man. A cat. An absurdly large cat named Stephen. In fact, you can call him Big Cat, a nickname that stuck with him ever since going to the beach with his cousin one summer.
Stephen Hauschild, senior captain of the boys soccer team, first started playing soccer when he was in kindergarten. His father and uncles all played in college and were captains of the varsity CHS soccer program in the 1980s, and pushed him to play.
“If I did not carry on the legacy, I feel as if I would have been made fun of by my uncles and my dad,” Hauschild said.
According to coach Arnold Tarzy, Hauschild brings leadership, a determination to succeed and a great work ethic both in games and in training. He is a dynamic player who is a strong ball winner and defender.
During the soccer season Hauschild practices everyday, and in the offseason he practices every other day to help him improve his skills and stay in shape. He also lifts and runs with a trainer in the off season.
“I have definitely gotten a lot bigger and stronger since I started playing for CHS,” Hauschild said.
This season, Hauschild had the winning goals against Clarksburg along with six assists and three other goals throughout the season thus far.
According to his mother, Kathy Hauschild, Stephen has trained with elite teams, played Olympic Development Program (OPD) and traveled abroad with the Maryland State ODP team. Hauschild also plays for the Potomac Academy team, the highest level club soccer has to offer.
According to Kathy, she and her husband continue to be supportive of Stephen in whatever he does.
“We always encouraged him to try new things and to follow his dreams,” Kathy said. “We have always looked at soccer as a way to make friends that will stay with him for a lifetime, and to help get into college.
According to Kathy, the biggest challenges he has faced are when close friends leave his team to play on rival teams. Although it is painful to lose teammates like that, his great personality gives him the ability to remains friendly with them.
“Freshman year my friends went to play for Potomac Academy and it was kind of hard to maintain those friendships,” Hauschild said.
Hauschild hopes to continue playing at the Division-I collegiate level. Currently his top choices are Towson University and George Mason University.
“I want to go to Towson because I want to be a teacher and Towson has a great teaching program,” Hauschild said. “I want to be a high school gym teacher because I can play sports all day and play around with the kids.”
According to Tarzy, CHS has many talented players and is optimistic that someone will step up next year. However, replacing his leadership won’t be as easy.
“Stephen is an example that with hard work and dedication you can play at the very highest level,” Tarzy said. “Stephen put in the work and exceeded any expectations I might have ever had, and the story hasn’t yet concluded. I think that the playoffs are where the top players step up.”
