By Jinseong Kim
AFC Ann Arbor are delighted to announce the signing of Hazel Wright ahead of the 2022 USL W League season. Wright, along with Emily Eitzman, Chloe Ricketts, Bella Petrock, and Claire Cahalan, will add a sense of locality to the women's team roster.
A product of the Michigan Hawks youth club, Wright has close ties with the Southeastern Michigan region. After completing her pre-college academic career, Wright committed to Concordia University in Ann Arbor, where AFCAA called home for the 2019 men’s and women’s seasons. The defender had a promising first year in 2021, appearing in all 18 games of the team, starting 17 of them.
Wright recorded a goal and logged two assists over the season, which is a promising stat in consideration of her position. Her lone goal, coming off a free kick in the 78’ against Judon, was enough to name her as the WHAC Player of the Week for that week.
The addition of Wright means a lot both to the team and to her. As much as the club is excited to have her, Wright was as thrilled. “I'm extremely excited to be joining AFCAA. I'm excited to meet everyone and get to know them. I’m so blessed for this opportunity and being a part of this team will be a step forward in my soccer career.”
Wright being closely connected with Ann Arbor has significantly influenced her decision to take the AFCAA shirt. The professionalism in the coaching staff and the squad is another important factor that directed her attention. “I decided to be a part of AFCAA because I do go to a college in Ann Arbor. I've heard many great things about coach Boyzzz [Khumalo] and lastly every single player this season has something to bring to the table.”
Recalling her experiences back in Michigan Hawks and Concordia, Wright stated how difficult it was and what she earned through these experiences. It was a long journey for her. “It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows when it came to clubs. I’ve been to 4 different clubs and over 10 different teams to finally find my home in my last couple years of club soccer.”
“I joined Michigan Hawks my junior year [of high school]. Going from not playing much in MRL to starting in ECNL was a huge challenge physically and mentally. I would not be the same player if Gene [Pulice], Doug [Landefeld], and Michelle [Krzisnik] weren’t around to coach me. Getting to play around the country was a great opportunity for me,” Wright continued, expressing gratitude to former coaches.
On her college experience, Wright would say, “My first year at college was a great experience for me learning how to balance soccer, school, and my friends/family. I also learned how to be a supportive teammate and find my purpose and what I bring to the team at the next level.”
Wright was confident in her role at the Mighty Oak. In discussing her attributes, Wright would say, “I think I bring many things to AFCAA. I am a great 1v1 defender, I am left footed, I have a great kick, great foot skills, and other things as well. I am a very outgoing player and like to play differently every game. Sometimes I play a lot of long balls, sometimes I like to keep it short and simple when needed, or I dribble when I have the chance as an outside back.”
She would continue, “As a person, I am a hard worker, energetic, and always friendly. I love whenever during breaks in practice I would just make a bunch of jokes or be goofy around people I'm around a lot.”
Women’s Head Coach Boyzzz Khumalo explained how local connections helped connect her to the club and helped him better get knowledge on her. “Hazel [Wright] is somebody that reached out to us because she wanted to play for a local club. After she did that, I decided to connect with the head coach at Concordia [Kristin Abbott]. She spoke highly of Wright. I also remember watching her last year when I went to a game but I didn’t know her name [at that time].”
“It’s good to have players who are local and want to play for a local club. Like I keep saying, it is a people's team,” Boyzzz added a focal point, as he wrapped up his comment.
“My biggest goal for this season is to learn and gain more knowledge of the game that I love. Another goal of mine is to gain more experience because I haven't had very much semi-pro experience yet,” Wright would say, concluding her discussion with AFCAA by talking about her goals for the season.
AFCAA welcomes Hazel back home and we look forward to an eventful and exciting summer with her and the rest of both the men’s and women’s squads.
About AFC Ann Arbor
Association Football Club Ann Arbor (AFC Ann Arbor) was founded in 2014 and competes in USL2 (men’s) and USLW (women’s) national amateur leagues. We are a community-based club, focused on equity, justice, and anti-racism. We consider all of our stakeholders, including supporters, players, staff, and ownership to be part of the #AFCAAFamily. Come On You Mighty Oak!