Hopkinton senior Fin Murphy has never shied away from a challenge. He’s organized multiple fundraisers for the General-Hawks hockey team, balanced playing club and high school soccer. Next up is international soccer.
Murphy is flying to Spain this week to compete with some of the top youth academies after being selected for the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program National Team.
“It’s a really great opportunity, I think, to show that U.S. Soccer is really competitive with the best teams in the world,” Murphy said.
It all started with a post on Instagram, which prompted him to reach out to the team’s representatives in New Hampshire. Led here by director Ed Royer, the program is designed to supplement youth players’ current training and to identify and develop state talent.
There’s a presence in every state, but if players want to represent the national team, they have to climb the ladder over time.
Royer, a coach at New England College and the New England Revolution Academy, said New Hampshire’s team has reached historic numbers. Over the last two years, the state has sent multiple players to regional teams and identification pools, and Murphy represents a continued run of consecutive years of local players selected for the national team.
It’s sometimes difficult to stand out and be noticed coming from a smaller state like New Hampshire. Yet, the coaches and players have started to put the Granite State on the soccer map.
“Nobody’s working harder on the field than he is,” Royer said about Murphy. “And just his willingness and ability to absorb everything that both read the game and kind of play instinctively, but to listen to the coaches.”
After being selected for the East regional team, Murphy shone against the Midwest alongside Coe-Brown’s Brady Colgan to win 5-0.
It was a long process of playing through the youth ranks against other states. Earning an invite to regional tryouts, making the regional team and then playing to earn recognition. All while juggling playing for Seacoast United’s Bedford MLS Next team.
His prowess in NHIAA soccer was evident the past two years for the Hopkinton Hawks. Murphy led strong playoff runs, including an undefeated state championship-winning season in 2024. The two-time Concord Monitor Boys’ Soccer Player of the Season’s composure, skillset, dribbling and ability to go box-to-box were hard to ignore.
He’ll be gone for 10 days in Spain playing in Barcelona, Valencia and a few other places. He’ll join Damoira Smith from Hampstead, who plays on the Girls U17 side, to combine for the first time that the state has sent two players to the national squad simultaneously.
He said he felt lucky to have the opportunity and was excited to be part of a select group of high-caliber players from across the country. This was always a dream of his.
“If you set your mind on something and you really want that, and you focus, and you put all your attention on that. I think really anything that you want to attain is possible,” Murphy said.
His diverse range of playing experiences helped him become the player he is today, so he thanked his coaches, ODP Regional Coach Pat McLaughlin, ODP New Hampshire Coach Aaron Miller and Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke.
In the fall, he’s headed to Columbia University, but hasn’t made a final decision on playing soccer at the Division 1 level yet. For now, he’s enjoying the ride of playing soccer all over the place while trying to juggle his high academic performance.
“I really just want to make the most of it when I’m there. I want to be playing at my highest level,” said Murphy.