The transition from high school to college is challenging for any student, but student-athletes need to adjust to two new forms of life at once.

A rigorous soccer schedule and challenging college courses have forced freshman goalkeeper Joanna Haig to mature faster than the average student.

Haig started her soccer career like most girls — at an early age. She did not, however, start out in the net. Even in high school, her coaches loved her speed and felt that she was more of a threat on offense.

“My coach always wanted me to play up the field,” Haig said. “I didn’t really start playing goalie until I was about 15 or 16.”

With only a few years of goaltending under her belt before coming to Iowa State, Hig said she expected to sit out her freshman year and watch her more experienced teammates play between the posts.

“I just wanted to come in and learn some new things, to get a lot better,” Haig said. “But I’m playing and still learning.”

Assistant coach Ileana Moschos helps Haig mature in the net.

“[Ileana] helps me a lot, with everything,” Haig said. “She’s really supportive of everything that we do.”

The adjustments that the true freshman has been forced to make have not been easy, but they’ve gotten easier as time has gone by this season.

Haig said that the first couple of weeks were the most difficult. But she found a mindset that allowed her to get through the hardest of times.

“You have to try to be confident in yourself and your teammates,” Haig said. “You need to calm your nerves down and just step up and play.”

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Laura Boyer offers the kinship and assistance that every keeper desires from her counterpart in the net. Haig and Boyer get extremely riled up in practice, constantly competing against one another and seeing who can outplay the other throughout training.

“Me and Boyer always compete against each other in practice,” Haig said. “We have so much fun.”

Their competitiveness allows them to help each other grow, both on and off the field.

“When one of us has an off day, the other one steps up and pushes the other one to their potential,” Boyer said. “We may be really competitive on the field, but off the field, we’re really good friends.”

In the eyes of her teammates, Haig has made the transition from high school to college student-athlete look much easier than it really is.

“She stepped into the role a lot quicker then I did,” Boyer said. “She is really able to communicate with the team well.”

The progress made by Haig is not only noticed by her teammates, but by the coaching staff.

“Jo has handled [the adjustment] with a lot of poise and really stepped up,” head coach Rebecca Hornbacher said. “We have asked a lot of her.”

The goalie plays a quarterback-type role in soccer, and to step up as a freshman has not been an easy route for Haig.

Hornbacher said that Haig has a lot of pressure associated with her position and that she has shown a lot of confidence in her team and herself.

“I think she deserves to have even more confidence in herself,” Hornbacher said. “I think sometimes she’s really hard on herself.”

In 936 minutes played this season, Haig has allowed 12 goals and made 43 saves, good for a save percentage of .782. In total, 100 shots have been kicked her way.

The numbers that Haig has posted are impressive for a true freshman and a reason why her team shows so much confidence defensively.

“Jo is doing a great job in stepping up in the role that we ask her to do,” Hornbacher said. “She provides a lot of leadership.”