Wooster’s Hackett will continue career at Malone

Over the past three seasons, Staci Hackett was a constant presence in goal for the Wooster girls soccer program.Hackett was a critical piece in helping win the program’s first two conference titles in three years, and she recorded eight shutouts this past season. Wooster advanced to the District title game before the Generals’ bowed out with a 2-1 loss to Regional finalist Wadsworth with a 14-3-3 record.She recently decided to continue both her education and her athletic career, as she will journey 30 miles east to Malone University in Canton. She had received some interest from other schools, including Division I Cleveland State, but the small NAIA school was a better fit for her.“I liked the campus and when I met the team they were really nice,” said Hackett. “I could see myself there. I didn’t want life to be taken over by soccer (at a bigger school).”Hackett, who allowed just over 1.5 goals a game this past season, steps into a Pioneer program that was only 3-11 last season but far more competitive than that record indicates. Malone lost six 1-0 games and two more 1-goal games, but returns its entire roster other than one senior.“With Staci… the worst thing is now they will have a lot of ties,” laughed Wooster coach Les Wudarzewski. “They are looking forward to next season,” said Hackett, who is getting nearly half her education paid for through educational and athletic scholarships. “They feel they have a better chance. They have five freshmen who have signed and everybody else coming back from last year. They believe I can step up and play with the other goalkeepers and push them to do better; I might even get playing time. “I went down to spend the night and played with them the next morning. Their coach came to two of our games, and he saw one of our tournament games and the Clear Fork game … so he’s seen me play.”Hackett is undecided on a major, “so school will help with that,” she said. “I’ve thought about education, dental hygienist or getting a physical exercise degree and going into occupational therapy.”“I think she made a great choice. She will fit right in,” said Wudarzewski. “It will help not only her sports career, but her spiritual life being at a Christian college. It’s the right fit. When she told me she was looking at Malone, I was excited. It’s a good, good way to go.”Hackett will be one of the major holes Wooster must fill next season as it looks to defend its OCC title and eyes another run into tournaments.“It was a pleasure to see Staci grow up through the years, from the quiet girl that I never thought was going to grow into a potential captain and team leader,” said Wudarzewski. “By the time you looked at her last year, there she was. She was speaking her mind and really creating challenges for defenders. As a player, she has continued to grow and she’s not going to stop there. “She changed many lives as a friend. She was one of the girls everyone liked. There was not anyone on the team who disliked her. To me, you cannot teach someone to be a leader. That has to come from within and it’s a natural process. It was there and she did it without insulting anyone. She found words for the situation and everyone listened, including me.“She always kept us in a game – she stopped what she knew she had to stop. Her goals-against (average) was irrelevant – winning was much more important. If you have a leader as a goalie and she has respect, you’ve got a great person there.”