The first steps alone on a college campus can seem intimidating for a freshman starting his or her journey to the next station in the life.

Gone are the parents by their side, the students supporting their summer classes with tours through the University, and a lack of responsibility generally allotted to a freshly graduated high school senior.

For Shane Colegrove, who graduated from Athens High School, he had to prove himself on two different levels as he started his freshman year at Lock Haven. Much like every college student on the planet, Colegrove had to prove himself to be strong in the classroom. Colegrove also had to prove himself on the pitch after signing on to play for Lock Haven’s Men’s Soccer team.

“He’s just been a pleasure to work with,” Lock Haven Coach Patrick Long said. “He does things the right way and we’re excited about what the future holds for him.”

Colegrove made his impression felt early for the Eagles. He recorded shots in each of his first three games, helping Lock Haven earn two wins and tie another game. Against the District of Columbia Colegrove tallied his first goal, scoring in a 4-0 win, Lock Haven’s second victory of the season.

“It’s a totally different world playing in college soccer,” Colegrove said. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve put work in. I’ve scored some goals, but it’s a challenge.”

Colegrove, who started to make a name for himself after his first three performances, failed to record a shot the next time out, but rebounded to record goals in consecutive games against Bloomsburg and Pitt-Johnstown.

“It was a pretty important goal,” Colegrove said of his initial tally with the team. “The first game of the year I probably should have had one on my first college touch. Finally getting that goal broke the ice and led to more goals.”

In the game against Bloomsburg, the Bald Eagles found themselves locked in a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. Colegrove proved to not only have a knack for scoring goals, but he also had a knack for the dramatic as he tapped an overtime goal in for a win. His efforts earned him Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Athlete of the Week honors.

“Shane’s brought to our team a great sense of energy,” Lock Haven Coach Patrick Long said. “He’s scored some big goals for us. It’s a great honor any time to get an accolade such as player of the week. For a freshman to get it was something special.”

Colegrove finished the season with three goals, eight shots, and 541 minutes logged for the Bald Eagles. He was a bright spot on a young team that showed a lot of promise throughout the season. The team finished 6-8-4, but the majority of goals came from the underclassmen.

“When you see an 18-year-old step up and score a game winning goal is great,” Long said. “The only thing I can think of is there are more to come. A lot of teams rely on upperclassman, but we’re fortunate to have a good group of freshmen. The expectations are high with this group moving forward.”

Goals:
9/06 vs District of Columbia, 4-0 Lock Haven win
9/13 vs Bloomsburg, 2-1 Lock Haven win
9/16 at Pitts-Johnstown, 2-1 Lock Haven win