Murphy Making Huge Impact for Hawks

PALATINE, Ill. – For Harper men's soccer player Ryan Murphy (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg), soccer is his passion and everything he focuses on.  After showing up to tryouts and making the team, the freshman midfielder has made an immediate impact for the Hawks with a team-leading four goals in five games, and for this reason Murphy has been named Harper College's first Athlete of the Week for the 2013-14 school year.

Murphy has played soccer for his entire life and has a track record of playing for successful soccer programs. In his first two years of high school, he played for FC United out of Skokie as well as the Schaumburg High School soccer team.

As a junior, he was a member of a Saxons team that won the 2011 Regional and Sectional Championships as well as the MSL West Division. He also played for SCU of Schaumburg his junior and senior year.


Murphy thought Harper would be a good place to continue his soccer career after high school because of the affordability and convenience of Harper College. He also thought it'd be a good place to start and hopefully move on to a four-year university.

Murphy is off to a torrid start for the Hawks in 2013. After the Hawks were shut out in their season opener to Joliet, Murphy scored a goal in each of the team's next four games. He also leads the Hawks in other major offensive categories, including points (9), shots (18), and shots on goal (9).

"Ryan is a very talented soccer player, and his work rate is incredible," said Harper head coach Jason Diebold. "He's a workhorse that just works and works, and he's a very good teammate, too."

While the Hawks are off to a 1-4 start this season, Murphy isn't writing off his team.

"We're a good team. We just need the results to show it," he said. "It'll turn around if we just stay focused and stay positive."

According to Diebold, his team has gotten more properly organized on the field, and he's looking forward to the second part of the schedule, which features rematches with Joliet and Triton.

The team continued to show signs of improvement in their first win, a 6-1 win over Milwaukee on Sept. 11. In that contest, Murphy attempted 11 shots (3 on goal) and scored an unassisted goal.

"He leads by example and plays very hard," Diebold said.

Over the first few weeks of school, Murphy has enjoyed Harper due to its "relaxing" atmosphere and the opportunity he has to play the game he loves. While he isn't sure what his soccer future holds, he's looked into some four-year universities to continue his playing career. As a pre-veterinary major, Murphy would also consider business or structural engineering if he finds a four-year school to play that doesn't have a veterinary program.