Deacon Sports Xtra: From the Pitch to the Community, Hayes Making an Impact
2/28/2022 9:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
The Wake Forest graduate continues to be a consistent contributor for Minnesota United while also working to create opportunities with Black Players for Change.
Black History Month: Wake Forest Athletics will have many stories and content throughout Black History Month on GoDeacs.com and through all team social media accounts. Information and profiles shared are archived here.
Coming from DeMatha (Md.) High School, Jacori Hayes was confident he'd excel on the soccer pitch and in the classroom at Wake Forest.
It was boxing legend Mike Tyson who first proclaimed that everybody has a plan until they've been punched in the face. The proverbial punch in the face for Hayes was his first Physics II exam in his first semester on campus.
"Leaving high school I knew I wanted to go into engineering, and Wake Forest didn't have an engineering program at the time, but they do now," Hayes explained. "So I was going to major in physics with the plan to work in renewable energy technology. I remember my first test in Physics II, my first semester, and I got a 60 or a 61. I thought I might have to change majors.
"College is a different beast. I can't be failing in a class that is going to be in my major. I talked to people in my class, and they all had the same plight. That one shook me a little."
Ultimately he was able to finish the class with an A, but he also had to make adjustments breaking into the Wake Forest soccer rotation.
"On the field it was definitely an adjustment," Hayes said. "I wanted to walk in and be a starter from Day One. It took me a while to start and have an impact on the field. It wasn't a seamless transition. There were some bumps in the beginning. But I feel like I was prepared to handle that and achieve what I wanted at the end of the day. It was a little tough both on and off the field to begin."
Hayes played in 18 games as a freshman, starting 11, and was named to the All-ACC Freshman team.
"There was one training session where things finally clicked for me," he said. "It was eight attackers versus six defenders. I played two of three nice passes that led to goals in that drill. At that moment things started to click for me and things were starting to slow down. I felt like I had my confidence and was starting to do the same things I did in high school. The game is still the same, but you're going against older, better athletes. I realized then that I could do it at this level, too.
"Even though I'm going against older players, in the best conference in America, I can still do the same things that got me to Wake Forest. I carried that confidence from there."
Just as Hayes had to make a difficult high school decision between DeMatha and a pair of other excellent private schools, his college choice came down to Wake Forest and Penn.
"I wanted to be at a place where I could play soccer at the highest level, but also push myself in the classroom," Hayes said. "I knew by then I wanted to go pro, but your professional life only lasts so long. You still have to do something with yourself. I thought Wake Forest was the best spot for me because it was one of the best soccer programs in the country and one of the best academic institutions as well. That was the tipping point for why I chose Wake Forest."
After Hayes' sophomore fall season, Bobby Muuss became the new coach at Wake Forest.
"It was interesting," Hayes said about the transition. "It caught us off guard with the transition. I didn't know until I'd already gone home for winter break. A friend texted me, then it was crazy the next two weeks wondering who our next coach would be.
"We still had an incredible season my junior year, winning the ACC regular season and making it to the Elite Eight. Things clicked that summer. We had a nice, older group with good leaders. Of course, it didn't hurt to have Jack Harrison coming in as a freshman. It was a perfect storm in terms of the roster. We managed the transition well, but it definitely had some bumps in the beginning."
Hayes led the Demon Deacons in points and goals in 2016 as they claimed the ACC Tournament and advanced all the way to the College Cup Finals.
"It was a lot of fun," he reflects. "We were winning games. We won the ACC Tournament and carried the trophy back on the bus home from Charleston. We got back to campus and there was a little parade for us. We were taking pictures with the trophy. It was a great time with friends from school.
"You want to go back and relive all those big moments. All that work that you've done for years together, staying during the summer for training — it made all those moments worth it. The 7 a.m. runs and the early-morning lifts — all the miserable things that you really don't want to do, but you do it anyway because you want to get that lofty goal. Then we achieved it. We were just one penalty kick shootout away from a National Championship."
Being a part of the Wake Forest men's soccer program as it evolved from relevant to dominant remains special to Hayes, who is in his sixth season in the MLS.
"From the time our class got there to the time we graduated, we were part of the beginning of the change to what Wake Forest soccer should be," he said. "In the first year we were happy getting a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament. By our final season we were expecting to be a top four national seed. It was amazing what we accomplished while we were there."
Hayes is getting set for his fourth season with Minnesota United FC, and he's also on the board for Black Players for Change.
"We want to make sure Black Players and Black people are represented in this league," Hayes said. "Not only that, but we want to give back to communities around the country through the game of soccer. This little ball has helped me out so much, allowed me to travel the world and meet amazing people.
"I've lived a nice life with so many opportunities opened up because of the game of soccer. I want to help the next generation of kids who are passionate about the game."
