’Sader Stories: Reunited

The transition to college life is usually not an easy one for most students. They are living away from home for the first time and are surrounded by a large group of people who they have just met. For freshmen Ryan Donovan and Ethan Gill, they each had at least one familiar face to see when they stepped foot on Mount St. James.

Donovan and Gill first met when they were kids growing up in Chester, N.J. They attended Little Lambs Nursery School together and then were teammates playing youth soccer.

“We were about seven years old, and I think we were playing on a U8 team,” said Donovan. “It was a small club called FCNJ and our coach was Joe Quigley. Ethan was a center back and I was a midfielder, and we were good friends.”

Two years later, it appeared that their friendship would come to an end when Gill’s family moved to Georgia. They would not see each other again for years, but were able to stay in touch through social media. Both continued to progress in their soccer careers, and were eventually recruited by Division I schools once they reached high school. And it just so happened that Holy Cross was one of the schools on both of their lists.

“In the recruiting process, we had initially had no idea that Ethan and Ryan knew each other,” said head coach Marco Koolman. “It was not until later on that their parents told us they had played together at younger ages.”

Donovan would commit to the Crusaders in April of 2021. When Gill learned that news, he was eager to learn more.

“Once I heard that Ryan had committed to Holy Cross, we started talking more often,” said Gill. “I wanted to find out more about why he committed and get his perspective on everything to help me make a good decision.”

After Gill committed to Holy Cross in November of 2021, the duo had their official visits to Holy Cross scheduled on the same weekend in the spring of 2022.

“It was great for us to reconnect in person during our official visit,” said Donovan. “We even went to the Worcester airport together to catch our flights home at the end of the trip.”

They have now been reunited on campus for over two months, since reporting to Worcester on August 8. Both student-athletes have shown flashes of what they can provide for the Crusaders over the next four years, with Gill playing in nine games so far and Donovan appearing in three. Gill even scored his first career goal during the 4-2 win over Hartford on Sept. 14. And their friendship off the field has helped make the experience even better.

“We’ve had a lot of fun so far this year,” said Gill. “We hang out off the field, and that obviously helps translate back onto the field when we are out there at the same time. It’s exciting for us.”

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