Though he was a high school state champion in cross country, freshman forward Ashi Geberkidane walked on the men's soccer team and has made an immediate impact, chipping in one of the squad's two goals this season.

When freshman forward Ashi Geberkidane arrived on campus in August, he wasn’t planning on playing soccer.

As a high school senior, Geberkidane began running cross country. His prowess for the sport was immediately recognized and rewarded. He was named to the All-Colorado running team and, as the Colorado 5A state cross country champion, Geberkidane was recruited to run for Harvard.

But Geberkidane, a member of the ESPN high school boys’ soccer Colorado All-Star team as a junior, wasn’t quite ready to give up his favorite sport.

“I just had to follow my heart,” Geberkidane said. “I have a passion for the game. I spoke to both [the cross country and soccer] coaches and decided to play soccer this fall. I love the team. We’re a family and we all know it. The best part of my day is going into the locker room and hanging out with those guys.”

After Pieter Lehrer was hired as the men’s soccer coach last April, Geberkidane contacted him, hoping he could play for Harvard. He joined the Crimson and quickly learned that he could contribute on the pitch.

Lehrer said that he recognizes Geberkidane’s contributions to the team thus far and appreciates the confidence the freshman demonstrates on and off the field.

“He’s got a very strong will in his mind and he brings that to the team as a freshman,” Lehrer said. “When he plays, he demands quality out of himself and everyone around him, and you can see why he’s so successful. He’s very good at fighting and really competing down to the last moment.”

With several injured players, Geberkidane and the five other freshmen were quickly called upon this season to help lead a team that went 3-11-3 overall last year. The freshman has started in the first four games of the season, scoring one of the team’s two goals.

“We have tremendous faith in our freshmen,” sophomore midfielder Michael Klain said. “We’ve looked to help them as much as we can by giving them a clear picture of what we need them to do. We don’t feel like because someone’s a freshman or a senior, one has to contribute more than the other; it’s just who’s going to succeed in playing their role on the field, and who’s going to help us move forward as a group.”

Senior midfielder Kevin Harrington said that he also recognizes the level of competition the freshmen create on the practice and game fields, hoping to earn some playing time and pushing the team’s starters to be better in the process.

“The freshmen have really been asked to step up and get the job done with no experience,” Harrington said. “They’ve been huge. It’s pretty impressive what they’ve done, taking on the roles of guys who are sidelined with injuries. We’ve got three [freshmen] on the field at any given time, and that’s way more than most Division I teams out there. They’ve been a huge influence on our team.”

Lehrer attributes this level of success to the support of the upperclassmen on and off the field as well, helping the freshmen feel like true members of the team off the bat.

“Typically the freshmen don’t contribute that quickly, but I think it’s a testament to the upperclassmen and their commitment to making sure that the freshmen are comfortable,” Lehrer said. “They want them to have a good understanding of what’s expected as a student-athlete here at Harvard…. They welcomed them on campus, and therefore the players felt very confident in their abilities to play and were ready from the get go.”

Despite a slow start to the season with a current 0-3-1 record, the team is confident in its ability to compete in conference play, noting the Crimson’s improvement since the season’s start.