Payton Blynn (New Milford, Conn.), upon enrolling at Western Connecticut State University for the Spring 2022 semester, never intended to play Division 3 soccer.
His life had gone in a different direction, his relationship with the game soured to an unrewarding point. But he remained open-minded.
"Three days after I enrolled, I get a call from one of the assistant coaches I knew very well family-wise," Blynn said. "They saw my name and asked if I wanted to play. At first I was, like, 'I appreciate it, but this stage has passed in life.' I was hesitant to get back into it.
"We talked more on the phone and they said 'let’s give it a few days, think about it,' asked if I was willing to come into the offices to talk with the coaches. As I was meeting with them, I got this rush of wanting to do it again."