Colorado University Athletics
Hopcroft Adjusts to New Team in the Midst of Pandemic
May 18, 2020 | Soccer
The senior transferred to CU in January
Being the 'new girl' has become somewhat of a familiar role these days for Shanade Hopcroft.
The transfer from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs joins the Buffs' soccer team for her senior season, marking the third collegiate team she has played on since 2016. Hopcroft was added to the roster in January before the spring season was canceled.
"I'm just very excited to play with this team," Hopcroft exclaimed. "I became comfortable pretty quickly and didn't feel like the new girl anymore."
Hopcroft, who was the RMAC Player of the Year at UCCS last season, is looking forward to the opportunity to play Division I. She spent the last two seasons, the first as a redshirt at UCCS (DII), and played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Daytona State College in Florida.
"I've been to three teams now," Hopcroft noted. "I've bonded with them pretty easily. I think going from team-to-team helps you do that and helps you create relationships. I definitely think that's a big plus of what came out of going from different teams because you obviously need that bond to be a great team."
In her final year of eligibility with the Buffs, she is excited to make an impact, but challenges do come up when not having a spring season. The spring is usually dedicated to working on team chemistry and conditioning as a lead up to the fall season.
The Buffs were able to fit in a shortened spring before classes shifted to online learning and students returned home. Hopcroft did get the beginning of the spring to get to know her new teammates, which was an important first step in feeling comfortable in her new role.
What Colorado missed out on was its four-game schedule that would have pitted the Buffs against opponents other than themselves.
"It definitely would have been nice to play games with them [the team]," Hopcroft added.
Her interactions are now limited to team zoom calls, texts and Snapchats as she continues to develop her relationship with her teammates.
"We have a team meeting every week," she explained. "Every day we have our packets of what running we should do. We have this app called Beast Mode where you compete with each other. With Snapchat and social media, you comment on each other's stories and things like that. I'd say we are keeping in contact pretty well to be honest which I'm happy with."
Hopcroft broke records for points (38) and assists (12) in a single season for the Mountain Lions last season. She also scored the most goals by a junior, finishing the year with 13. Hopcroft hopes to add to the Colorado offense, helping fill a hole left by graduating senior Taylor Kornieck.
"I'm really looking forward to just getting better and having that challenge. I feel like it's the next step in my career. I think I can impact the team in a good way and help them score and assist because that is what I love to do."
Since CU is the third stop since her departure from her home in Aylesbury, England, she has built a certain comfort level when it comes to adjusting to new coaches and teammates. Additionally, she switched her major to ethnic studies to graduate on time in December.
Hopcroft hopes to embark on a professional soccer career in the US when she's done in Boulder but before that, she has just one goal.
"Just playing in the Pac-12, playing with the team and trying to make a good impact on the team and hopefully get further than what they did last year [in the NCAA Tournament]. I think that we can do it and I'm hoping I can help them do that. That is definitely a goal of mine."
