'Sader Stories: Julian Beban

During the 2024 season, Julian Beban was one of the top players on the Holy Cross men’s soccer team. He started all 18 games and saw a team-high 1,549 minutes of action, as the leader of a defense that allowed just 1.22 goals per game with four shutouts. Beban also tied for fourth on the squad in scoring, posting five points on one goal and three assists. At the conclusion of the year, he was honored as a third team All-Patriot League selection. Even with all that success, Beban was not content to rest on his laurels heading into the 2025 campaign.

“Going into the spring and the summer, I was motivated not just to meet that mark again, but ideally improve upon it,” Beban said. “A lot of it is predicated on the team's success. If we are playing well and winning the games we need to win, the awards will come – not just for me, but for other members of our team as well. So my biggest focus is on improving my performance to help the team succeed.”

Beban has added more responsibilities to his plate this season, as he is serving as one of Holy Cross’ team captains. He was selected to be one of the squad’s tri-captains in the spring, alongside Kevin Cull and Wade Johnson.

“It has definitely been a big transition to serve as a captain, especially with the number of new players who we have on the team,” Beban said. “We had 11 seniors on last year’s team, and their departure obviously left a big void. So Kevin, Wade and I have done a lot of work to bridge the gaps and get all the new guys up to speed. It's definitely been a process, but I've really enjoyed the responsibility and I like having the opportunity to lead this team.”

In addition to everything he does within the program, Beban makes sure to find time to stay active in the community. In January, he attended the Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference in Philadelphia, alongside teammate Jed Snead and Holy Cross football players Cam Jones and Will Robinson. 

“The Leadership Development Conference was a great experience,” Beban said. “We learned a lot about the mission of Uplifting Athletes and how to help improve awareness, research and funding for rare diseases. It really opened our eyes to how prevalent and prominent the issue of rare diseases is, and how many people in the community are affected by them.”

After returning from the conference, Beban and Snead helped launch a new Uplifting Athletes chapter, in addition to organizing a Lifting for Life event in April. At the Lift for Life, the Crusaders raised money to support those impacted by rare diseases.

“What we learned at the conference really struck home, which is why we chose to hold the Live for Life fundraiser here on campus,” Beban said. “Hopefully this is a tradition that we can keep going into the future, to do some good work and use our platform to help a good cause.”

Based on his work in the community, Beban was recently named a member of the Allstate NACDA Good Works Team. He has also received numerous honors for his work in the classroom, including being selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll every year, and makes sure to prioritize his academic performance.

“You have to figure out what systems work best for you and how you study best,” Beban said. “It is also important to utilize all the resources that are available on campus. It's definitely not easy, which is why I like being on the honor roll and receiving other awards. It highlights the time and effort that it takes to balance both on the field and classroom performance.”

Putting the focus back on Beban’s play on the pitch, he is preparing to lead the Crusaders into action this Saturday, when they play their first Patriot League game of the year at Navy.

“This is where the business end of the season starts, where there are actually points on the line,” Beban said. “Hopefully this is a game where we can start our Patriot League season on the right foot. It kind of goes without saying that we have been looking forward to this since the season began.”

And with the conference portion of his senior year set to begin, Beban is determined to close out his Holy Cross career on a high note.

“Obviously, our goal is to win the Patriot League, but that starts with just getting into the playoffs,” Beban said. “Last year, we had a couple of unlucky breaks and ended up missing out on the postseason on a tiebreak. So every league game will be key, and if we get one of those six spots anything can happen.”

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