LANSING - Aside from being within miles of each other, Michigan State Men’s Soccer and Lansing United have another thing in common: Their goalkeeper.

“I’ve played my whole life, I’ve played since I was 3-years-old. My dad coached me when I was a little kid so he just kind of brought me up playing soccer and I’ve just loved it ever since,” says Jimmy Hague, MSU and Lansing United goalkeeper.

Although he has grown up playing soccer, this summer he is training harder than ever in hopes of securing the starting goalkeeper spot for the Spartans this fall. “This summer is a lot of big preparation for next year, getting in games, getting in real game moments and just seeing like real speed of the game,” says Hague.

His preparation has paid off so far according to Lansing United Head Coach Nate Miller, “If you’ve watched these games he’s doing more than preparing, he’s certainly making a statement. He’s had a great season, I’d say one of our players of the season. I think he’s learning what it means to train at a higher level just because I think that he has the pressure of 'Hey you need to perform next fall.'”

Training with Lansing United during the summer provides players a chance to keep their skills sharp as they get ready to go into their season with their respective teams in the fall, giving them two to three months of good training sessions and some competitive games.

“It’s part of what we hope that all of our guys get is an opportunity here to keep their skills sharp and get better so when they do go to their colleges they are better then when they came in the spring. For Jimmy, this has been an important couple of months and I think that he’s really shown that he’s going to be a great keeper for Michigan State for the next couple of years,” says Lansing United Founder and CEO, Jeremy Sampson.

The past couple of months, Hague has played more for Lansing United than he has at Michigan State. “Honestly just being in game moments and being connected with my backline, stepping higher out of my box that way I can come up for more crosses and just seeing live shots has really helped me a lot,” says Hague.

Coach Miller says he has seen a big change in Hague’s attitude so far this season. “He’s prepared, he’s mentally prepared, he’s a tough kid. He’s made huge saves so I think the future looks bright for him and he understands that ‘Wow how I train, how I prepare that links directly to what I do in the match.’ I’ve just been impressed, I think that young guys like that can mature in short spans of time and I think he’s done that,”says Miller.

Hague has has not seen a lot of match action since the Spartans had a four-year starter in Zach Bennett but that hasn’t stopped him from learning all that he can from the sideline. “Over the past two years I’ve just been training hard and learning from ZB (Zach Bennett) and the upperclassman, just training under them really has helped me. I’m just hoping that I’ll be able to get some time in the games and just keep working hard to go forward,” says Hague.

Although the same position, Bennett and Hague brought different things to the table as goalkeeper. “You look at the two of them in between the sticks and Zach brought a little bit more maturity but what Jimmy brings is athleticism. I mean he can get from post to post if he has too, he’s made some terrific diving saves for us this year, his athleticism is just off the charts,” says Sampson.

Hague believes his 6’4 frame is beneficial because he can get from post to post easily. “I love saving shots and being the guy to keep you in the game.”

Being that guy takes a lot of hard work, something that Hague works at every day. “We just want him to keep getting better and that just doesn’t happen on game days, he’s here three or four days a week in training sessions and really that’s the work that he puts in to make himself better,” says Sampson.

Hague credits his coaches and teammates for the hard work put in during their training sessions. “Everyday it’s a new training, all of us goalies come in and we work hard and push each other so the atmosphere in training is great and we just push each other to get better,” says Hague.

Along with working hard, he has another goal for his time with Lansing United. “I want to assert myself as some sort of leader for the team and really help the all around game. I think just making big saves that I need to and not letting in any bad goals, I think it’ll be really great,” says Hague.

Right now competing for the blue and white, fans can catch him in his school colors this fall. I’m frankly looking forward to watching him play this fall for the green and white,” says Sampson.