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Hal Hershfelt’s arms may be awash in ink, but two tattoos carry outsize significance for the Washington Spirit rookie.

One, found below her right wrist amid patterns of branches and blooms, features the cherished slogan “Fight the good fight.” “My grandma and my mom say that to me,” Hershfelt explained. “Stick to your guns. Fight for what you believe in.”

The second, inked to her left forearm, depicts Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom. Hershfelt’s mother, a Greek mythology-loving teacher, gets credit for inspiring that tattoo as well. “That one is probably my favorite,” Hershfelt said. “I remember just thinking she was so bada--.”

Both tattoos befit a player who, five games into her NWSL career, is already carving out a reputation as a midfield warrior. Partnering with veteran Andi Sullivan in the middle, Hershfelt has brought tenacious tackling, crisp distribution and uncanny instincts to a Spirit squad that, at 4-1-0, sits second in the NWSL entering Friday night’s match against the Orlando Pride (2-0-3) at Audi Field.

As the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/01/12/washington-spirit-nwsl-draft/" target=_blank>No. 5 overall pick in January’s NWSL draft</a>, Hershfelt figured to make an impact sooner than later. But the Clemson product has dictated the tempo from Day 1, leading all Spirit midfielders and forwards in touches, passes completed and passing percentage while also netting two goals and logging all but eight minutes this season.

“She just is a very complete player,” Sullivan said. “She’s smart, she’s communicative, she puts in the work offensively and defensively, can get out of pressure, [is a] great passer — she just has a lot of different tools at her disposal, and is very willing to utilize all of them.”

The 22-year-old has proven adept at acclimating. Born in San Diego and raised alongside her younger brother in a military family, Hershfelt used to only know one drill: settle in at a base, quickly make new friends, pack up after her father was reassigned and do it all again. All in all, Hershfelt has lived in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and, now, Virginia again.

“I like just being thrown into new environments,” Hershfelt said. “I do wish that I was somewhere for a long time, but I think in hindsight it was a good thing for me and my brother to have to adapt wherever we went.”

Always a “rowdy” kid, Hershfelt eventually found a release on the soccer field. (“I wasn’t the greatest when I started,” she acknowledged. “My mom taught me how to make daisy chains and I would do that instead.”) But the lack of consistent coaching and limited visibility to scouts hampered her collegiate prospects.

When Hershfelt caught the attention of the elite Concorde Fire Soccer Club in Atlanta, she moved from Florida to Georgia midway through high school in hopes of impressing recruiters — only to promptly tear the ACL and meniscus in her left knee.

“I feel like my process started so late, because I was just bouncing around everywhere, which was challenging, honestly,” said Hershfelt, who overlapped with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/20/croix-bethune-washington-spirit-gotham-fc/" target=_blank>fellow Spirit rookie Croix Bethune</a> at Concorde. “I didn’t take [soccer] super seriously, and then when I did, it was taken away from me. I feel like it just made me appreciate it so much more.”

Although Hershfelt’s injury scared off some college coaches, she said Clemson’s Eddie Radwanski never wavered. Finding stability in South Carolina — easily the place she has called home the longest — Hershfelt landed on the ACC all-freshman team in 2019, the all-ACC third team in 2020, the second team in 2021 and 2022, and the first team last fall, when she led the Tigers to their first College Cup appearance.

Along the way, Hershfelt earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. When she decided to use the fifth year of eligibility granted because of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/" target="_blank" class="contextual_link">coronavirus</a> pandemic, she added a master’s degree in public administration with a specialization in emergency management and homeland security. As Hershfelt’s Spirit teammates can attest, she has a knack for going full throttle without skidding off the rails.

“She’s just a lot of energy,” Sullivan said, “but also chill at the same time.”

Forward Ashley Hatch added: “Every single day at training she is always going 100 percent. It’s kind of a joke now sometimes — like, ‘Hal, relax, calm down.’ She brings such a great light and energy to our team.”

Hershfelt played as a defensive midfielder in college, modeling her game after Sullivan well before she could imagine playing with her. Spirit interim coach Adrián González, however, has unleashed Hershfelt’s box-to-box potential in a two-way role with newfound attacking autonomy.

Her first professional goal — the equalizer in a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/03/23/washington-spirit-bay-fc-croix-bethune/" target=_blank>2-1 win over Bay FC on March 23</a> — exemplified her appeal in the position: After beating two opponents to a loose ball in midfield, Hershfelt played a one-touch pass, made a 40-yard run into the box, connected with Trinity Rodman’s slipped-in feed and whipped a no-hesitation shot into the top corner.

“I feel like my job changes depending on the game, which kind of keeps me locked in,” Hershfelt said. “I like it, just having a new challenge every game or new responsibilities. I like to run, and I feel like it gives me that green light to go on the attack more.”

It’s a fitting change for a player who, one way or another, always seems to be on the move. But by quickly finding a foothold in the Spirit midfield, Hershfelt has seemed right at home in the NWSL.

“The first game, of course, it was a realization of, ‘Oh, man, I’m at a different level now,’ ” Hershfelt said. “But at the same time, I could kind of see it and be like, ‘I can do this. I feel like I can do it.’ I’m always one of those people that’s going to be positive. Yeah, I might be uncomfortable right now — but I’m going to be okay.”

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Thomas Floyd is a reporter, critic and editor for The Washington Post. A three-time winner of the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award, he writes about theater, movies, television, books and comedy for the Weekend and Style sections, and contributes soccer coverage to Sports.

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