Wearing the red and blue and playing for her hometown team was always a dream for freshman goalkeeper Hope Hisey. Being a Wildcat runs in the family, as her father, Jason Hisey, played baseball and pitched for Arizona while her mother, Faith Trippett, was on the cheerleading team during her time at the University of Arizona. 

“It’s naive to say my parents’ alumni with the university had no influence on me coming here to play,” Hisey said. “To carry on the Wildcat tradition of my family and give back to the community that raised me was one of the big factors in choosing the UA.” 

Hisey became a star within the sport, being named first-team All-Region and second-team All-State at Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson. While those accolades are highly impressive, Hisey said she believes the most important moment in her career was playing for FC Tucson. There she grew her game as a player by learning from her fellow teammate and former Arizona goalkeeper Lainey Burdett.

“It was fun to play for FC Tucson, especially in 2018,” Hisey said. “Playing behind Lainey Burdett during that year really helped my confidence and understanding as a player.”

Her full commitment to the game didn’t come as early as you would expect, as she played both soccer and basketball in high school. She later decided to quit basketball her senior year and focus on soccer. 

“It took a bit to get back into soccer after basketball season, and I couldn’t afford the delay in my progress with a big summer and fall ahead of me,” Hisey said.

The big summer and fall was certainly something that Hisey was prepared for, as she joined the Arizona team before the 2019 season and instantly transformed into one of the team’s most reliable players. Head Coach Tony Amato named Hisey the team’s full-time starter after her performance against the University of Colorado, where she logged six saves in her fifth total game as a Wildcat.

“Hope [Hisey] has been great,” Amato said. “Obviously she’s a freshman, so there’s going to be things there that aren’t perfect — with any player — but she’s responded week-in and week-out. So she’s further along from a mental toughness standpoint than maybe you would anticipate with a freshman.” 

Not only has Hisey gained the respect of her coaches, but she has also started to gain the trust of her teammates as well, despite only being with the team for less than a year. Arizona forward Jill Aguilera also played with Hisey at FC Tucson and said she’s always been a reliable teammate. 

“I definitely thought she was good then,” Aguilera said. “She’s definitely gotten a lot better since then, so I’m very excited for her next three years.”

Hisey has already been a part of some impressive games this season, such as shutting out top-15 opponent Washington State University and recording a career-high nine saves against University of Utah. Her most memorable game this season was her clean sheet against UCLA at home on Oct. 3.

“From Brooke Wilson’s SportsCenter goal to the defensive intensity of the team to the energy on the bench, I don’t believe we were ever as in sync in any other part of the season than that night,” Hisey said.

Hisey and the Wildcats are approaching the playoff season as they conclude the regular season by hosting ASU on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.

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