Deacon Sports Xtra: Will Hesmer Reflects on the Relationships and Growth for Wake Forest Men’s Soccer
11/7/2023 10:33:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
The 2023 Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame inductee continues to have close relationships with those he met at a soccer program now in the national spotlight.
Although William Hesmer and Sam Cronin never played soccer together at Wake Forest, with Hesmer wrapping up his historic career in 2003 and Cronin getting started as a freshman two seasons later, the two are inseparable now.
The Hesmer and Cronin families celebrated together earlier this year as both men's soccer alums were inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
"It's surreal," Hesmer said of his induction. "It's tough to put it all together. There's so many players from our soccer program who deserve this honor. I'm thrilled to be one of the few from this decade, and to go in with Sam. Sam and I are very close, our families are extremely close and our kids are friends. To be here with him and getting his team and my team back together — that's the highlight for me.
"Our boys make it interesting, that's for sure. Sam coaches our six-year-old's soccer team and does a great job. Our eight-year-olds are on the same team. Our two-year-olds fight for attention."
As a two-time Wake Forest team captain, Hesmer earned All-ACC recognition three times and as a junior in 2002 allowed just 0.65 goals per game — a mark good for fifth-best in program history.
As a senior in 2003, Hesmer was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, the top award in college soccer.
The Deacs earned an NCAA Tournament invitation in Hesmer's final three seasons, then would go on to win a national title in 2007 with a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Ohio State in the championship game in Cary, N.C.
"We'll claim that national championship trophy as much as Sam does," Hesmer said. "The program then wasn't what the program is now, and our goal was to go get a couple of trophies. We came close, but I definitely believe we set a new standard that Sam and his team carried forward."
After a successful 10-plus-year professional soccer career, Hesmer now manages funds for several athletes at Oak Harbor Wealth Partners in Raleigh.
"So I'm still in the game, in that way," he said. "Life is awesome in Raleigh — beautiful family and easy living.
"I'm very much connected to Wake Forest. ]Wake Forest men's soccer head coach] Bobby (Muuss) is like a brother. We talk all the time. I'm a huge Demon Deacon fan. It's amazing to see. — when you consider the small base we had to start from and then see the punch that we can pack. What coach [Dave] Clawson, coach [Steve] Forbes and Bobby are doing is just remarkable. You just can't help but beam with pride to watch it all."
The closeness Hesmer and Cronin enjoy is just a microcosm of the Wake Forest men's soccer community.
"This men's soccer program behind the scenes, just how close we truly are is something nobody on the outside would understand or know," Hesmer said. "The amount of respect that Wake Forest soccer now has on the national and global soccer stage is unbelievable. If a kid is an academy player but isn't quite ready for a first-team contract, a lot of times those coaches are recommending Wake Forest.
"If you're going to college, go to Wake Forest, they will advise. To think that would be possible 20 years ago says a lot about all the guys who have come through here."
The Hesmer and Cronin families celebrated together earlier this year as both men's soccer alums were inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
"It's surreal," Hesmer said of his induction. "It's tough to put it all together. There's so many players from our soccer program who deserve this honor. I'm thrilled to be one of the few from this decade, and to go in with Sam. Sam and I are very close, our families are extremely close and our kids are friends. To be here with him and getting his team and my team back together — that's the highlight for me.
"Our boys make it interesting, that's for sure. Sam coaches our six-year-old's soccer team and does a great job. Our eight-year-olds are on the same team. Our two-year-olds fight for attention."
As a two-time Wake Forest team captain, Hesmer earned All-ACC recognition three times and as a junior in 2002 allowed just 0.65 goals per game — a mark good for fifth-best in program history.
As a senior in 2003, Hesmer was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, the top award in college soccer.
The Deacs earned an NCAA Tournament invitation in Hesmer's final three seasons, then would go on to win a national title in 2007 with a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Ohio State in the championship game in Cary, N.C.
"We'll claim that national championship trophy as much as Sam does," Hesmer said. "The program then wasn't what the program is now, and our goal was to go get a couple of trophies. We came close, but I definitely believe we set a new standard that Sam and his team carried forward."
After a successful 10-plus-year professional soccer career, Hesmer now manages funds for several athletes at Oak Harbor Wealth Partners in Raleigh.
"So I'm still in the game, in that way," he said. "Life is awesome in Raleigh — beautiful family and easy living.
"I'm very much connected to Wake Forest. ]Wake Forest men's soccer head coach] Bobby (Muuss) is like a brother. We talk all the time. I'm a huge Demon Deacon fan. It's amazing to see. — when you consider the small base we had to start from and then see the punch that we can pack. What coach [Dave] Clawson, coach [Steve] Forbes and Bobby are doing is just remarkable. You just can't help but beam with pride to watch it all."
The closeness Hesmer and Cronin enjoy is just a microcosm of the Wake Forest men's soccer community.
"This men's soccer program behind the scenes, just how close we truly are is something nobody on the outside would understand or know," Hesmer said. "The amount of respect that Wake Forest soccer now has on the national and global soccer stage is unbelievable. If a kid is an academy player but isn't quite ready for a first-team contract, a lot of times those coaches are recommending Wake Forest.
"If you're going to college, go to Wake Forest, they will advise. To think that would be possible 20 years ago says a lot about all the guys who have come through here."
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