Brityn Hinsche has been attending UNBC Timberwolves camps since she was in the ninth grade, but now, the green and gold means a little more now that Williams Lake goalkeeper has committed to the women’s soccer team for the 2021-22 Canada West season.
“I am very excited. I am also nervous, because I am going to be playing with some fourth and fifth years, so I am going to be the newbie on the team,” said Hinsche. “But it is going to be a good experience for me, and I am going to get to make a whole bunch of new friends that way.”
The 18-year-old said the chance to play close to home was a factor in her decision to commit to the Timberwolves. She sees her decision as a nod to the support of her family, who have been cheering her on since she started playing the game at age seven.
“That is one of the reasons I chose UNBC. It is close to home,” she said. “I want them to be able to come and see how much I have grown in the sport. They have been watching me since I was young. For them to see me grow as a player will mean a lot to me and a lot to them.”
Hinsche first took up the goalkeeping position when she was 10 and fell in love with the high-stakes nature of the role. She began attending UNBC camps three years ago, where she met Brooke Molby and Madison Doyle, who had just begun their Timberwolves careers. To come full circle and throw on the same kit as the two veteran netminders is the culmination of years of hard work.
“Brooke and Madi have helped me a lot,” said Hinsche. “I have been coming since Grade 9, and I have known them both since then. They have watched me grow, and I have watched them grow. They’re the same as Neil (UNBC head coach Sedgwick); they’re very understanding. If you don’t know something, you go ask and they’ll explain it to you. They are very patient, and they’re great goalkeepers, so you have something to look up to.”
As Molby and Doyle head into their senior seasons at UNBC, Sedgwick knew he needed to add depth to the ‘keeper position. He has witnessed Hinsche’s growth as a player and a person, and is thrilled to add an athlete of her calibre to the program. Hinsche honed her athletic versatility by competing in school sports, along with karate, swimming, archery, and track and field.
“She has a true thirst for learning and improving,” said Sedgwick. “ She has placed herself in a good position athletically, and it will be that high level of focus that guides her growth within the program. She really is an amazing student and person. Beyond the pitch, she will contribute positively to the supportive culture that the student-athletes have nurtured.”
Set to graduate from Williams Lake Secondary/Lake City Secondary in June, the five-foot-10 Hinsche plans to enroll in UNBC’s biomedical program. With her long-term goal focused on physiotherapy, her first step will be joining her new teammates for training camp in Prince George In August.
“I like being that last line of defense,” she said. “I like being the last one to touch the ball before anything happens. I like to be the starting platform where plays happen, too. I am a pretty decent leader, so it gives me a chance to express myself that way. Overall, I am expecting good, strong plays from both teams. I am excited to see where it goes.”
