Joe Morse’s high school soccer career has not been an easy one. However, Joe has overcome the obstacles to become a key player for the Morgan boys’ soccer team.

Joe, a junior, grew up as a three-sport athlete playing soccer, basketball, and baseball, but faced several injuries that kept him out of competition in his freshman year. The growth plates in his heels were aggravated from overuse and participating in several sports. Joe also injured his hip during a game with his Premier soccer team just before his freshman campaign with the Huskies.

“I was out about three-quarters of my freshman season. I was pretty down about that since I was injured for so long, but I never stopped loving the sport,” says Joe. “Remembering the atmosphere of the games and how fun it is to be out there playing and producing on the field made me want to keep playing.”

The upside to Joe’s injury was that seeing how physical therapy helped him improve sparked his interest in that subject. Joe is now considering studying physical therapy when he goes to college, although he is also thinking about engineering, because he enjoys the design work in those classes.

Coming into Joe’s sophomore year in 2020, the Morgan boys’ soccer team was split between varsity and JV in order to remain in cohorts. Joe made the varsity team and played as a central defensive midfielder for the Huskies throughout the season.

This season, Joe moved to center back to anchor the Huskies’ defense. Morgan won its first four games before taking a loss to Valley Regional, but Huskies haven’t lost a game since and are currently sporting an overall record of 9-1-1.

“We were looking to try to beat Valley the second time, but things happen, and we got a little unlucky,” Joe says. “We might play them again in the Shoreline Tournament, and we’re hoping to get a win from them there. Our goal is to win Shorelines and, for states, we are looking to get at least to the semifinals.”

Joe suited up as an outside winger for his CT Rush team from 2017 to 2019. Joe now feels happy to patrolling the defensive end of the pitch with the Huskies as a junior this year.

“There’s something about defending I really love. I like the responsibility of being the one to stop goals and stop chances,” says Joe. “My main goal is to try to have as many clean sheets as possible—as many games as possible where no goals are scored—and that’s going pretty well. I also want to create chances for our team to score.”

Morgan Head Coach Ross Demay has seen Joe persevere through his injuries to progress into a “solid center back” for a Huskies’ club that features a stingy defense. In addition to the technical aspects, Coach Demay has also seen Joe grow as a leader.

“He has become a big part of our success this year. Joe has a great positive attitude and is getting better and more confident each game. He is talking more and more becoming the leader in the back running the defense well,” says Demay. “Joe is the type of player who is positive and directive, pushing himself harder, all the while being more constructive to his teammates, bettering them both with adapting a similar attitude and how he conducts himself on and off the field.”

Having played soccer in Clinton since he was a youngster, Joe shares a strong bond with his Morgan teammates. Joe likes picking them up if they’re down and helping them shake off any mistakes. He tries to lead by example in both practices and in games by “always giving it my all.”

“I like to try to make my teammates feel better, because we perform at a much higher level when we are supporting one another,” says Joe, an honors student who enjoys fishing, hiking, and tubing. “When we are supporting one each other, there is more communication on the field.”

Joe stopped playing baseball in 5th grade and stopped with basketball after his freshman season at Morgan. However, Joe went on to pick up a new sport by joining the Morgan boys’ tennis team, for which he served as a captain last spring.

Growing up, Joe often played tennis for fun with his father Jeff, who is “extremely into tennis.” Joe took some lessons at Lyme Shores Tennis & Conditioning Center, where he gained experience playing with his dad and his dad’s friends. Joe credits his father and his mother Laura for their support in all of his athletic endeavors.

Joe joined the Morgan boys’ tennis squad last spring and played No. 1 singles for the Huskies. Joe is looking forward to playing tennis again next spring and plans to prepare himself by hitting the courts at Lyme Shores.

At this time, though, soccer is on Joe’s mind. As the postseason draws closer, Joe is excited about helping the Huskies continue their quest to claim the Shoreline Conference crown.

“Right now, I’m absolutely loving soccer,” Joe says. “If we have a game, I’m always thinking about it from when I wake up to in the hallways at school, and I can’t wait to get on the field.”