Ethan Crutchley and Kieran Humphreys are in unfamiliar roles this season but are helped by the fact they are so familiar with each other on the soccer field.
The two met in sixth grade playing travel soccer for Lawrence Hamnett and have been teammates ever since. In this, their senior year, they are the Lawrence High co-captains and “have both really stepped up and taken the lead on the team,” according to coach Keith Fithen.
They are doing so playing as forwards, which is not something either is used to. Humphreys spent his career as a center midfielder, while Crutchley has played mostly in the back.
Circumstances dictated they move up front this year. In the Cardinals’ 5-5-1 start, Humphreys led the team in scoring with five goals and two assists, while Crutchley had three goals and an assist.
It has been strange for them, to say the least. Suddenly, instead of setting up others, it’s a “me first” attitude.
“It’s weird, because my first two years on varsity I played defense and now I have to switch off my mindset and completely flip it around, which has been challenging,” Crutchley said. “But we’re producing as much as we can. It’s been really tough. You’re not going to be greedy from the back line to score goals. You have to put the ball where it needs to be in order for other people to score goals. When I’m on the receiving end, it’s completely different.”
Humphreys agreed that an attitude adjustment had to be made.
“It’s a lot about the willingness to be greedy,” he said. “Oftentimes when you’re playing a center-mid or right-mid you’re in more of a supporting role. But as a striker you’re responsible for getting goals, so you just have to be greedy and have that confidence in putting it in the back of the net.”
He added that greed has its limits.
“I like it when it benefits my team and I’m able to score,” he said. “Whenever I’m overly greedy, I need my teammates to call me out on that so I can correct it.”
Both captains have been playing soccer since kindergarten, starting in the Lawrence rec leagues before joining forces in travel. While Humphreys still plays scholastic tennis and basketball, Crutchley abandoned basketball and baseball after middle school.
“I just love soccer,” Crutchley said. “You just can’t not love it.”
Why?
“I don’t know, there’s something about it,” he said. “I’m sure if you ask other people the same questions, they’ll tell you there’s just something about. It’s so hard not to love.”
Crutchley did not start his career as a defender, and did not blame his coaches for keeping him away from the goal during his formative years.
“When I first started, coaches weren’t gonna put some inexperienced player on the back line and just hope for the best,” he said. “It’s easier to make the transition from rec to travel when you’re in the midfield or up top. You either do some magical stuff and score; or you just kind of contain people or pass the ball so you’re not doing anything special. Whereas, when you’re on the back line, if you mess up it causes a few goals to go in.”
In his early teens, Crutchley was moved to defense.
“As I started to get a little better they put me on the back line,” he said. “I could hustle a little better, I had a better touch, I could produce more things from the back. I kind of evolved as a jack of all trades. I could easily play OK at most positions, even goalie, I’ve had some goalie training. Whatever coach needs.”
Humphreys spent most of his career setting people up from the midfield. And while he had to get a hungry attitude moving to forward, he feels it is working out.
“My role has been less building up the attack and more about finishing it,” he said. “I’ve kind of stepped into that role and adjusted well. Ethan and I just kind of embraced that role pretty well. Ethan has been up top more and we’ve always played pretty well with each other and help each other out a lot.”
Both players threw long-time teammate Luke Annand into the mix as well.
“We’ve gained a lot of chemistry through the years,” Crutchley said. “It’s the same thing with Luke. Whenever me Luke and Kiran are in the vicinity it’s very easy the way we play. It’s like, natural.”
Crutchley actually praised both of them for making him a better player.
“When I first joined travel as a 12-year-old, him and Luke were already on the team,” Crutchley said. “I had to match their skill level, so for a good couple of years I had to take a little bit of a beating from them and get to their level.”
It didn’t take long for Humphreys to be impressed by Crutchley’s skills. The two used to battle each other in one-v-one drills during practice and Humphreys always knew he was in for a challenge.
“It’s funny because he’s playing striker this year, but honestly he’s one of the best defenders I’ve played with,” Humphreys said. “He’s a really good, all-around player. He’s really passionate, and that channels well into the game. He’s a good finisher, I love to play with him, and he leads well.”
Crutchley is equally impressed with his teammate, and admitted to trying to emulate him when they were younger.
“I think Kieran’s touch is fantastic,” Crutchley said. “If you give him the ball he’ll put it to wherever it needs to be. Now that he’s been more of an attacking presence, he knows how to go forward and beat the defender as well, which is fantastic. He’s always been a solidly technical player which I’ve always kind of envied.”
Crutchley is hoping to attend The College of New Jersey and major in a science. He may try and walk-on to the soccer team and definitely plans to play intramural frisbee with his brother. Humphreys is uncertain where he is headed, but hopes to play either club or varsity soccer when he gets to college.
Wherever they end up, the two will leave with a great memory of their senior year, which occurred when Lawrence defeated Notre Dame in the inaugural Mayor’s Cup game at Rider on Sept. 9.
“It was massive,” Humphreys said. “For one, we hadn’t beaten Notre Dame in seven years, so even if it wasn’t the Mayor’s Cup, just beating Notre Dame by itself was pretty big. Because it was the Mayor’s Cup, it just adds another element to that win. It was some pretty sweet revenge, if I say so myself. I haven’t liked Notre Dame since I got to Lawrence. It’s the first time we beat them, and to do it on a stage like that, it was awesome.”
Humphreys compared the experience to a derby game in the Premier League, where two rival clubs play each other, like a game between Manchester City and Manchester United.
“The atmosphere was great,” he said. “We had a bunch of Notre Dame and Lawrence supporters, they had the entire bleacher section packed. It was almost like a state tournament game, the same type of environment, even though it was regular season. There was just so many people there, and then they stormed the field after the game. All of a sudden it felt like a derby game.”
Crutchley agreed that the entire backdrop was the perfect scenario for a long-awaited win over the Irish.
“We’re all very together on this team, it’s been a really good experience for me to get to know all the younger guys and be friends with them,” he said. “So when we’re faced with the task of beating a team we’ve never beaten, it was incredible. Of course, there was the whole setting at Rider, and it even has a name now. It’s not just Lawrence-Notre Dame. It’s the Mayor’s Cup game, which is kind of crazy.”
Lawrence soccer player Luke Annand makes a pass during a 2-0 home loss to West Windsor-Plainsboro South Oct. 6, 2017. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.),
