Minium: ODU's Michael Statham and Erin Jones Are A Soccer Love Story

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Family has always come first for Michael Statham. He’s close to his parents and five siblings and lived his entire life in Stockport, England, a suburb of Manchester, a working-class city where his family has deep roots dating back generations.  

So, when Old Dominion University offered him a soccer scholarship nearly four years ago, the 6-foot-4 goalkeeper was torn. Yes, he wanted to play college soccer and get the best coaching and training available while also obtaining a college degree.

But moving more than 3,500 miles across the pond to America was way out of his comfort zone.

“I was hesitant about moving that far away from my family,” he said. “My family is important to me.

“But then my whole family, especially my Mom, they pushed me to go. They pushed me hard. They said it would be good for me.

“And they were right. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

A four-year starter in goal for ODU, Michael plays his final home game tonight when the Monarchs host No. 18 Kentucky at 7.

A win guarantees the Monarchs a bid to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. A loss would mean they will have depend on other teams to win.

Regardless, Michael will depart from ODU with far more than Head Coach Tennant McVea promised four years ago. He will get his degree in business in May and he’s a much better player than he was.

But perhaps more importantly, he met the love of his life at ODU, women’s soccer goalkeeper Erin Jones, whom he’s been dating almost from the moment he stepped on campus.

Erin and Michael met in the lobby of the ODU Soccer Complex. Both were newcomers and given that they share facilities, the men’s and women’s soccer teams spend a lot of time together.

Both were goalkeepers and new to ODU and, well, “we just clicked,” Erin said.

“It was so instant, it was so fast, that it was a little weird. From the first moment, we felt comfortable together.”

They quickly began dating and Erin’s family, nearly three hours north of Norfolk in Caroline County, in the Northern Neck region of Virginia, adopted her boyfriend as a member of the family.

“I feel like America is my home now,” Michael said.

And in many ways, he’s become Americanized. Michael learned to fish and hunt in Caroline County with Erin and sometimes with Erin’s father, Patrick. He spends Thanksgiving with the Jones clan.

And when they’re not going to class or playing soccer in Norfolk, Michael and Erin spend nearly all of their time together.

Erin is a devout Christian – she graduated from Fredericksburg Christian School – and she and Michael now go to church together.

“I was raised more religiously than him, but he follows God now, which is very cool,” Erin said.

“In the beginning, there were some differences culturally between us. But we were both raised the same way. We both prioritize our families. We both have great families and siblings. We’ve helped each other grow.”

Michael said having Erin and her family helped him while being separated from his family.

“They’ve really embraced me,” he said. “They’re really good people and I feel like a part of their family now.”

“My parents love him a lot,” Erin added. “They saw what I saw in him right away. He’s a genuinely nice man. He was raised well, and he cares about others more than he cares about himself, and that’s something I look up to.

“He’s always striving to do better. He’s one of the most driven people I’ve ever met. When I don’t want to do something I should be doing, like go on the field and work out, he’s always the one who’s pushing me. He reminds me to be grateful for everything, even the little things."

Her voice filled with emotion as she finished her thoughts.

“He’s been my supporter here for the last three years," she said. "I don’t know where I’d be if he wasn’t here.”

ODU Men’s Soccer Head Coach Tennant McVea said Michael has been a stalwart in goal for the Monarchs. He has played 5,773 minutes in 82 games with a career goals-against average of 1.341 and a 75.2 percent save percentage.

“It didn’t take him very long to settle into American football,” McVea said. “He was from day one just a high caliber goalkeeper.

“What Michael has battled with is his self-confidence. When he’s feeling good, when he’s at the top of his game, he’s the best goaltender in the country. He saves everything. He’s big. He gets down when he has to. He has every tool.”

McVea is hopeful that a United Soccer League team will sign Michael.

When Michael came to ODU, the Monarchs were rebuilding a program that had seen better days under then coach Alan Dawson. McVea is in his second season of rebuilding the team.

“Since I came here, everything around the program has been moving up,” Michael said. “Everything has gotten better, on and off the field. We got the new locker room, new meeting room. Tennant has taken the program in a really good direction.

“Tennant is a great coach. He’s very passionate and I love that about him. He has created a culture of family here. He will do anything for you if you need help. It’s been so nice to play for a coach like Tennant.

“I’m looking forward to what the next few years could bring to ODU.”

As for his future, he says “I could get a phone call at the end of the season from a club saying they want me. And I might not get that phone call.

“So, I’m just kind of taking it day by day.”

His parents, Michael and Tracey Statham, are in town for tonight’s regular-season finale. So will be Patrick and Victoria Jones, Erin’s parents.

Erin won’t be there as the women’s team is in Foley, Alabama, where the Monarchs will play in the Sun Belt semifinals on Wednesday.

“I’ll be there in spirit,” she said.

“Michael said he wants me to push him and I do. He’s going to do everything possible he can to play professional soccer.

“And I’m going to be there with him every step of the way to push him to help fulfill his dreams, whatever his dreams are.”

Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram