Growing up, the girls who would become two of the most decorated players in MSU women’s soccer history, didn’t know what their futures held.
But coming from close-knit community of Hudsonville, Mich., Laura Heyboer and Jill Flietstra often found their paths crossing. Whether it be in the classroom, the basketball court or honing their skills on the soccer field, forward Heyboer and goalkeeper Flietstra saw a similar path for one another from an early age.
Today, they’re college roommates as well as teammates as part of the winningest class in MSU women’s soccer — 47 wins marks the most during four-year span since the early 1990s. Heyboer holds the school record in many critical categories including most career goals (57), points (137) and a tie for first in assists (23), while Flietstra holds the record for shutouts (27), is second in wins (30) and third in saves (277).
The team will eye a bid at a championship, as MSU qualified for the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday in a win against Ohio State. As they prepare to play the last games of their MSU soccer career, they are reminded that before they made their mark on the history of the program, they were friends.
“Growing up, playing high school together, playing club together, playing and just growing up playing on the playground together,” Heyboer said. “Being able to come here with one of your best friends growing up is a huge part of being able to come here, and it was exciting for us to both be here.”
Finding MSU
Head Coach Tom Saxton often has called the recruitment of Heyboer and Flietstra one of the great package deals in the history of the program.
But before they signed on at MSU, each player was heavily recruited nationally.
While playing soccer at Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, Mich., Heyboer and Flietstra turned heads and were essential on a team that went a combined 107-1-1 along with four MHSAA Division III State Championships. In addition, Heyboer set several school records by notching 167 goals and 123 assists while Flietstra accumulated 52 shutouts and a 0.46 goals against average, or GAA, in four seasons.
“They pretty much knew what they were getting from a soccer standpoint with Laura (but) I’m not sure they fully understood the quality of person she is,” said Unity Christian women’s soccer coach Randy Heethuis. “I think they were pleasantly surprised with what they got out of Jill and the two of them there. It has been a tremendous career they had in high school and they certainly carried that over to MSU.”
Saxton knew when he saw Heyboer play she was a player who could make a difference at MSU.
Although Heyboer was being pursued by several college soccer powers including Florida State, Saxton and associate head coach Tammy Farnum rolled out the red carpet to make Heyboer and Flietstra feel at home in East Lansing.
“Everybody knew about Laura,” Saxton said. “She’s a scorer, and it’s just the nature of our game — people that score the goals get the attention.
In the process, we realized that ‘Wow, she’s got one heck of a goalkeeper that’s both her high school and club teammate.’ So we made the decision right then that we had to go after Jill too.”
As recruiting season rolled along, Heyboer and Flietstra took several of their recruiting trips together in looking for a team to fit their skill set. Both players had high school and club soccer experience, which made them desirable for many college head coaches.
After Flietstra signed on with the program, it wasn’t much later that Heyboer found her way to MSU.
“The coaches saw me play in Florida at a Disney showcase tournament, which is mostly for college coaches to scout players,” Flietstra said. “One day, I was just like, ‘This is where I want to go.’ I was just excited to come here.”
Lasting legacy
Heyboer and Flietstra each want to continue their soccer careers in some capacity.
Upon graduation, Flietstra plans to volunteer with the team as an assistant coach to help goalkeepers fill the hole she will leave. Heyboer hopes to play professionally and then move on to being a head coach at a college soccer program.
The impact of what Heyboer and Flietstra have done spreads far beyond what they ever could do on the field. Not only did they make their mark in the record books, but they stood firmly as leaders of the program to the coaches and their fellow teammates.
“It’s been great to play with them all these years,” senior forward Megan Pines said. “Freshman year, they were my suitemates and I got to know them really well. They’re just great girls, and they just are excellent soccer players who have done well these past four years.”
In the future, it’s likely Heyboer and Flietstra will live further away than 10 minutes from each other. They will have completely different jobs in different states that require different schedules.
But for now, Heyboer and Flietstra remain close as record-setters, role models and most importantly, friends.
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“Jill and I will always stay in touch no matter how many years down the road it’ll be,” Heyboer said.
“We might end up in different paths, but I’m very confident Jill is going to succeed in anything she chooses to do. … I want to be a college coach, a head coach. I would love to make an impact and give back the things I’ve learned.”
