Croix Bethune, a young phenom in the National Women’s Soccer League, recently opened up about her faith.
Bethune described leaning on the Lord while recovering from injury during her appearance on Monday’s episode of her Washington Spirit teammate Ashley Hatch‘s podcast.
“With each injury I’ve learned something different or just kind of like reiterated what I learned in the past injury,” she said.
Bethune quickly made her mark on the NWSL during her rookie season last year, leading her class of rookies with five goals and 10 assists in just 17 games to win Rookie of the Year and the inaugural Midfielder of the Year award.
That performance was enough to earn her a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics, where she appeared in one game.
In the podcast episode, Bethune, Hatch and Hatch’s co-host, Dr. Matt Moore, talked about relying on faith as a professional athlete.
Croix Bethune’s reliance on faith
Bethune is no stranger to injury.
Three major injuries affected her college career, including one that occurred in her senior year of high school but carried into her freshman year of college. All three were tears of her left ACL.
Her rookie NWSL season was also cut short in September when she tore her meniscus while throwing out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game, according to ESPN. Bethune was there to be recognized for being an Olympian.
On April 26, she made her return to the field.
Bethune said that her self-confidence, determination and faith have helped her overcome injury struggles.
“Just trusting in the Lord and understanding that this is a journey. It’s a process. Other people’s could be very smooth, but mine has ups and downs, and it’s clearly trying to teach me things and show me things,” she said.
Bethune brought up her faith again when Hatch asked her what lessons soccer has taught her that have translated to her life off the pitch.
Last year’s No. 3 overall pick said lessons include not taking anything for granted and learning to take a break and “trust in the process because everything happens for a reason.”
She also said she learned a lesson related to faith.
“I grew up going to church and reading the Bible and like scriptures, but that one just kind of connected me even closer because I was just questioning and wondering like, ‘Why does it keep happening?’ So that one just kind of like made me turn to the Lord and just really trust and believe in his process — understand that it’s God’s timing and not my timing and that I shouldn’t — I don’t really understand," she said.
Hatch, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also shared how faith has been beneficial in her life.
“I also 100% agree with you on connecting to someone that’s higher, has a higher purpose than just yourself, and I think connecting to God in that way is also really, really powerful,” she said.
What Bethune and Hatch said about prayer
Bethune later said that her faith “has the biggest role in my life just because of all the hardships that I’ve been through.”
“Just day by day, I know the Lord is someone that I can turn to. I try to do my scriptures in the morning, so that give me guidance throughout the day. So if there’s an example, I can think back to that scripture and kind of like, again, flip my mental to think positively or like, ‘Oh, this is an example that the Lord is testing me,’ so I’d say it’s the biggest role for me,” she said.
She added that she prays before games.
“I don’t know if people notice this, but before I step on the field, I, after our huddle, I stop and say a prayer that my mom gave me in college,” she said.
Hatch then shared how she incorporates prayer before games. While Bethune prefers the field, Hatch prefers a more secluded place: the bathroom.
“Actually, this is kind of funny. I’ve never told anyone this, but I actually pray in the bathroom stall before we go out just because I feel like there’s no other place to get a little bit of like privacy,” she said.
Hatch said that she’ll pray with some of her teammates or see the team’s chaplain, who will pray for them, but she said she also likes to say a personal prayer.
“I still feel like it’s really important for me to connect personally with God,” she said.
Both players said their pre-game prayer stays relatively the same each game.
“After I say that prayer, it just gives me a sense of peace, and I also am able just to be super grateful for the opportunity because I know that this won’t last forever. Soccer won’t last forever,” Hatch said.
Hatch uses prayer to express her gratitude to God for the ability to play professional soccer.
“I want to make sure that I express that gratitude and that I kind of like recenter myself because like when you’re preparing for a game, emotions are just like all over the place. And so, for me, prayer is also really powerful, and I don’t know what I would do without it, to be honest,” she said.
Up next for Bethune, Hatch and the Spirit is a match against the Chicago Stars on Saturday.