UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.--- Being a walk-on for a Division I soccer program is typically the road less traveled, but for Dax Hoffman and Adam Laundree it has led to the opportunity of a lifetime.
"Every day you can almost see it on Dax and Adam's face like 'I can't believe this, this is great,'" head coach Jeff Cook said. "I think it is really important that we are always thankful for what we have and what we get to do every day."
Coming to fill some holes on defense, Laundree and Hoffman joined Penn State men's soccer during the spring season and eventually were added to the official roster in the fall. The timing of their arrival couldn't have been any better.
Heading into the postseason Penn State is nationally ranked, sporting 11 wins and going undefeated on the road in the regular season. On Sunday, the Nittany Lions take on Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Hoffman and Laundree have been a part of this amazing season, but to understand their impact is to know how they got here.
DAX
Dax Hoffman knew he wasn't done playing soccer when he heard the last whistle blow on his high school career.
Hoffman's soccer career before Penn State included seven seasons with LDC United Italia 98-99, and in 2015-2016 was part of their first-ranked team. At Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he helped lead the Rams to win back-to-back Mid-Penn Commonwealth Championships in 2015 and 2016 and a Mid-Penn Tournament title in 2015.
In the Fall of 2018, as a sophomore, Hoffman tried out for a spot on Cook's roster. He didn't make it. Instead of giving up on soccer or waiting for the next tryout, Hoffman decided to join the Penn State Club Soccer team.
"The club experience was a great experience for me," Hoffman said. "We trained about four days a week depending on the week and if we had games."
It seemed like Hoffman's dream of wearing the Penn State jersey had changed, but little did he know that his second chance was on its way.
ADAM
Prior to putting on the Blue and White, training on campus for Adam Laundree had a different meaning. It would mean waking up at 5:30 a.m. for Army ROTC conditioning.
The path Laundree chose is challenging for any young college student. ROTC demands time and dedication from 18 to 22 year olds, on top of the responsibilities they maintain as a college student.
So, it isn't often that you find an ROTC student seeking extra responsibilities but, then again, not every person is Adam Laundree. Even with the ability to juggle all the responsibilities, Laundree recognizes that there are many people who are making all of his goals possible, including the support of his ROTC community.
"They are very helpful with it," he said. "Obviously there are conflicts with soccer and ROTC and things I have to make work but they've been very helpful and lenient with getting everything done."
Laundree is used to demanding responsibilities and time commitments, however. Before he was a college student pursuing a life of military ambition, Laundree was a high school student and, yes you guessed it, a soccer player.
In 2017, Laundree helped lead the BRYC Elite in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) system to state and national championships. For Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia, he was a two-time letter winner and set a new state scoring record in 2018.
SPRING 2019
The journey for both student-athletes merged last spring. Cook and his program needed bodies, and the two current teammates were there at the right time. Hoffman had tried out for the team last season and Laundree was recommended by his club coach, and both somehow found their way onto the spring roster.
They knew that, while an amazing opportunity, a spot on the spring roster did not guarantee anything by the time fall rolled around. To earn another spot on the team during the regular season, Hoffman and Laundree had to rededicate their lives to playing soccer.
"I asked for the fitness cards that the guys do over the break and really focused on that to try and raise my fitness level," Hoffman said.
A summer of training meant a summer of waiting. Both guys knew that the answer they wanted to hear wouldn't be received until the end of the summer.
So, while anticipating their fate on the team, they both kept their ambitions quiet from those around them.
"I held off telling anybody until this season," Laundree said.
"I did the same thing as Adam, I didn't really tell anybody except for close friends and family, Hoffman said.
MAKING THE TEAM
Just like Hoffman and Laundree, their family and friends did not know what to expect.
"When I finally found out, everyone was kind of surprised that it actually happened, even my family," Hoffman said. "It's been a lot of support and love from everybody, family and friends, top to bottom."
"My family was super supportive and were like 'Hey, if you make it that's cool and if you don't that's fine. You're going to have a blast anyway,'" Laundree said. "Friends-wise, they were all pretty surprised when I ended up telling them."
While the shock spread through their inner circles, the choice to add Hoffman and Laundree was easy for Cook.
The team had lost a substantial number of players in the offseason and there were needs Cook had to fill in spring but also heading into the regular season. Helping fill the spring roster, in turn, became an opportunity for Hoffman and Laundree to begin readying their case for a full-time spot.
"Being under-recruited and coming to Penn State with a maybe, we weren't even sure if we were going to make it," Hoffman said. "Our work ethic showed and our persistence showed and we got to where we wanted to be."
Once they made the team, however, their work ethic and passion that pushed them through the tryout process never left them. Both Hoffman and Laundree continue to go out and prove that they still deserve to be there.
"Dax is very organized and communicates very well with us," Cook said. "He's sometimes late for our pregame meal because his class runs 15 or 20 minutes after the meal starts and he can't miss class so he communicates and gets there as soon as he can get there."
"Adam is up at 5:30 in the morning doing his ROTC obligations, so for him he is just incredibly disciplined and focused."
ON THE FIELD
While there is communication and effort off the field making meetings and team meals, there is both and more with their on the field effort and passion. All those factors lead to impact for the Nittany Lions.
"We put in maximum effort, the hardest work that we can in every practice and every game," Laundree said. "Even at the start of the season, the both of us weren't playing as much but the more the games went on the more we pushed and worked hard in practice and we got to play a lot more."
In the second game of the season, Penn State was on the road against Stony Brook. Both Hoffman and Laundree started on the bench, but they didn't stay there too long. They each recorded their first collegiate appearance and contributed to the 4-1 road win.
The action didn't stop there. As the season progressed, Hoffman and Laundree found themselves playing more and more.
Against Pittsburgh, Laundree recorded his first assist and just a week later Hoffman added his own in a draw with James Madison. Laundree played 110 minutes in a double-OT draw with Michigan, while Hoffman saw 62 minutes against Michigan State.
As the season progressed, both Laundree and Hoffman saw their time and opportunities grow. Showing reliability and consistency has been their game and what could easily give them the nod on Sunday.
"It is a really refreshing reminder of being grateful for the opportunity that we all have here," Cook said on his duo. "They both are so appreciative of the opportunity because they came to Penn State not really expecting that."
Heading into Big Ten Tournament play, the walk-ons have yet again another opportunity to defy the odds stacked against them. Looking at how the last year has gone, there is no doubt they can make their mark felt once again.
