Kaempfer Harjes isn’t exactly sure why he became a soccer goalie, but he knows exactly why he remained one.
Harjes was a field player while starting out in Hopewell’s rec program. When he switched teams, a coach said anyone interested in playing goalie should raise their hand and Kaempfer’s arm shot up.
Why?
“I don’t really know why,” he said. “When I first went into goal I didn’t know what to expect, I guess I was ready for anything. I just know it’s a choice I don’t regret, and I guess it changed my life by accepting that.”
It sure has.
And Harjes vividly recalls when he found his home on the pitch.
“We were in the playoffs during rec season, and I was called in to play goalie,” he said. “I made a big-time save, and the energy and the atmosphere was crazy. I loved it when I first was exposed to it. I yearned for those moments. That’s why I love it.”
He has been there ever since, much to the satisfaction of Hopewell Valley Central High coach “Uncle” Ed Gola. After playing at the freshman, JV and varsity level in 9th grade, Harjes earned the starting job this year.
His first varsity start produced 14 saves in a 3-0 shutout against Hun. Through Hopewell’s 7-8 start Harjes had averaged nearly eight saves per game. He had five shutouts, including three straight at one point, and recorded multi-figure saves three times.
It is amusing listening to Gola extoll the virtue of his 5-feet, 4-½-inch keeper. Just when it sounds like he’s coming up for air, he plunges back to reciting compliments.
“When opposing teams see him, they’re not necessarily intimidated by his physical presence,” Gola began. “He’s not a big guy. The thing that makes Kaempfer special is he’s very athletic. He’s almost acrobatic. You watch some of these opposing coaches and they can’t believe he makes certain saves just by his athleticism and the way he can move around the goal.”
That was just the beginning.
“On top of that, he has no fear,” Uncle Ed continued. “He has no fear of winning any ball whether it be in the air, on the ground. He plays with the utmost confidence. When you have those tools, those really offset a guy that’s maybe 6-5. He can cover side to side so well, he’s so quick.”
From there, Gola just kept piling on.
“On top of that, as a person, he is just so passionate and energetic,” he said. “He’s excited to play. He’s jumping around and that’s a very good tool he has as a person and player who is playing at the varsity level as a sophomore.”
Is that it?
“Oh, one other thing before I forget,” the coach added. “He has tremendous footwork. The defense is very confident playing the ball back. It’s almost like having a 12th guy on the field when you’re playing out of the back. He can play the ball with his feet; he can kick the ball incredibly hard. It’s impressive to watch.”
Almost as impressive as listening to that cascade of accolades.
Harjes, whose first name is a German handle that honors his great grandfather, appreciated Gola’s praise almost as much as he appreciates Hopewell’s defenders. They include Eddie Lee and Joey Troiano at left back, along with Jaxson DeRosset, Ryan Fornal and Colin McCullough.
“You have to be ready for the shot but you also have to have faith in your back line,” Harjes said. “I’m very confident with my back four. There have been many times where it might seem like a shot will be coming, but my back four is right there for me and I’m grateful to them. That has been one of our great assets for this team.”
When shots are unleashed, Harjes somehow manages to play bigger than he is. As a 10th-grader, there is a chance he will gain some inches before graduation. But for now he has the confidence of a guy who is seven feet tall.
He feels that attitude is as important as physical attributes.
“I’d say it’s just having a continued love for the game, a continued passion,” Harjes said. “There are gonna be times you’re gonna say to yourself, ‘Am I really that good enough, do I really want to still play?’ That continual passion drives you to continue to practice, to just go every day with a new mindset that you’re gonna do your best, and you’re gonna be that player, you’re gonna be that goalkeeper.”
One of a goalies’ main jobs is to control traffic in the box and make certain everyone is in their right positions. Gola feels he has handled that well despite being a sophomore directing upperclassmen.
“He’s very good at talking to his defenders and commanding his box,” the coach said. “He has no fear of going out for air balls and stepping up.”
Another attribute that every keeper must have is the ability to put a scored goal behind them and just look ahead.
“He’s very quick to rebound,” Gola said. “He’s just like ‘Let’s get the next one.’ He’s very quick to pick other guys up and say ‘OK, this is part of the game when you give up goals. Let’s see how we respond to that.’”
Harjes feels that is part of his game that has gotten better over the years. He has come to understand just how dangerous it could be to let a mistake set up shop in his mind.
“I’ve dwelled on many mistakes that I’ve made,” he said. “I’ve tried to look past them. But sometimes I can’t because it’s just too big of a mistake. I think I’ve improved on that aspect. I’ve learned many lessons. It’s just more important to push past it instead of dwelling on it because it may intervene with the game and it’s gonna snowball.”
Harjes is a student of the game and will watch YouTube videos of goalies before matches and visualize how to make certain saves. He stopped playing travel ball last spring and “have been feeling good about that choice.” To fill the void he now plays volleyball, a sport he has long enjoyed.
But he still loves soccer, and admitted a person needs to be a little different to go into the goal.
“You have to prepare for that specifically during training. You have to dial in as if you’re in a match, so you’re familiar with that mindset and the viewpoint you’re going to have during a game. Of course it’s different going from practice to matches but you want to familiarize yourself with the feeling,” he said.
It’s a feeling he loves to have, even if he doesn’t know why he made the choice to do it.
