Boys soccer: Oswego East senior MJ Hoffman is the Record Newspapers Player of the Year

MJ Hoffman’s game has certainly evolved at Oswego East.

“He’s not your prototypical forward that will blow you away,” Wolves coach Steve Szymanski said. “He’s skilled in being able to find the back of the net. He puts pressure on the goalkeeper all the time. I think he even had one goal this year where the goalie went to clear it and [Hoffman] blocked it into the net.”

Hoffman took care of business on the field this fall, wrapping up his final competitive season with the Wolves by receiving all-state honors, all-conference accolades and being recognized as the 2024 Kendall County Record Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Hoffman scored 16 goals and added 10 assists while helping the Wolves enjoy a 12-7-4 season. While they fell short of a regional title, the Wolves were able to play for one after knocking out rival Oswego in a regional semifinal after the Panthers had beaten them in the regular season.

“He’s a super quiet kid who is all business,” Szymanski said. “He doesn’t talk a lot and is not going to showboat. He’s always like ‘yes, coach,’ and ‘no, coach.’ He’s hardworking and wants to get better. I wish he wanted to play in college.”

The old saying about judging books by covers most definitely applies to Hoffman. For someone who can put a great deal of pressure on opposing defenses and goalkeepers, Hoffman often made it look easy. It’s not.

“Sometimes my dad says stop playing nonchalant and it’s just the way I look, like my facial expressions,” Hoffman said. “I can’t let people get in my head. People can go back and forth and that doesn’t get to me. I just keep playing. It’s a game. I honestly feel like I’m playing my game most of the time. I’m not too selfish. I try to get everyone in the play and I know for a fact that selfishness is needed sometimes, especially when nobody had energy or were in their heads so I would try to bring energy, but I just feel like I played my game.”

Hoffman did much on the pitch in addition to scoring goals and helping others do the same.

“What makes MJ such a good player is he always finds a way to find a ball,” senior teammate Caleb Pankiewicz said. “He always finds a way to get past a defender. He knows when to pass the ball off and when to take on a defender. He also defends as a forward. When our team lost the ball he would be one of the first ones to track back and win the back back for us. He’s always willing to go the extra mile to help the team on and off the field.”

Having known Hoffman since middle school, Pankiewicz has enjoyed having a teammate and friend with a great understanding of the game.

“What I like most about him as a teammate is he is always there to listen to your ideas about the game and he knows the game really well,” Pankiewicz said. “So it’s easy to talk to him about what we need to improve on. MJ is very honest and encouraging with how he feels which makes everyone look up to him as a role model for the younger kids on the team.”

The Wolves were going through some adversity late in September. They lost to Plainfield North, edged Waubonsie Valley in a tournament shootout and then were blanked by a five-win Joliet Central team. On Sept. 26, they beat up on Bolingbrook, 4-2, with Hoffman having his biggest offensive day of the fall.

“We were struggling at the time and he had a hat trick,’ Szymanski said. “Bolingbrook only had one loss and were doing really well and had only given up like four or six goals [6] on the season. He put relentless pressure on them. We knew we had to pressure Bolingbrook. He was the leader of that which led to a lot of goals. He didn’t score the first one but he had the next three.”

Hoffman began finding his way within the soccer program at Oswego East when he made 13 starts during his sophomore year. He scored three times and added four assists for a 9-6-4- team.

“He’s just gotten a little tougher, a little stronger every year,” Szymanski said. “I really think he’s evolved naturally each year and got a little bit better, a little bit tougher. When he was a sophomore, DuPablo [Parodis-Yu] did most of the scoring and he played more as a wing. He’s become more of a focal point since then.”

He treated every game this season as if it were his last. While some of his teammates will play at the next level, Hoffman is stepping away from the game although he’s considering giving track a try depending on where he lands.

“I don’t know where I’m going to go to college, but my dad does something with project management so I’m thinking about that or something in engineering possibly,” he said. “This has all went by really fast. It’s a good memory. All the bus drives and games and team meet-ups and just going to get some food. When I joined freshman year I honestly didn’t think I’d like it as much as I did.”