From player to coach: Douglass’ first goalie returns to The Farm
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Crump returns to Douglass as goalkeeper coach after standout Asbury career.
- She holds Asbury records for single-season and career saves over 60 games.
- Crump mentors three young keepers, aiming to build on Douglass' early success.
It seems unlikely that a freshman goalkeeper whose team went 1-18-2 in her first season would go on to become a four-year starter in both high school and college, but Frederick Douglass assistant coach Maliya Crump did just that.
That’s right, it’s “assistant coach Crump,” now.
In 2017, Crump started every game in goal for the new school in town as one one of 21 freshmen on the roster for head coach Megan Adkins’ fledgling program.
Back home this summer after completing her Asbury University career with a degree in media communications, Crump attended the Broncos’ preseason alumni night and got an offer she couldn’t turn down.
“I kind of roped her in,” said Adkins, who sensed an opportunity to fill a hole on her staff. “I said ‘Hey, you want to come and be my goalkeeper coach?’ … Two days later, I saw her at (former teammate) Emily Coke’s wedding and she said ‘I think I’m going to do it.’ …
“And I said, ‘You are going to be great at this.’”
Crump quickly settled into the role.
“It was kind of a no-brainer when she asked me to come back, because she’s the reason why I was able to play,” Crump said of Adkins.
Douglass has a sophomore keeper, 5-foot-2 Hannah Piatt, and two freshmen, 5-11 Clara Dryden and 5-7 Alexis Sharff.
“It’s been fun to foster these next kids and see how they’re growing,” Crump said. “I don’t call myself an expert, but I’m just going off the knowledge I’ve had from playing and trying to prepare them. We have a lot of young talent in these goalkeepers. I think they can do really well in the future.”
Piatt likes what she’s seen from Crump so far. And it’s helped that her new coach, at 5-foot-5, has experience making herself bigger in the box.
“It’s really made me a better goalie, just her being here,” Piatt said. “She’s really kind and hard-working.”
Crump holds Asbury’s single-season (194) and career (363) records for saves over 60 games as a four-year starter. That included two National Christian College Athletic Association region championships.
“It is quite crazy to think about how it all started. When I came back to coach at Douglass, I watched some old film of myself in high school and college, just to see the difference and know what to expect from high school girls,” Crump said. “It’s amazing how you can change and grow over that time and how much you develop just with repetition and games.”
Douglass quickly turned things around during Crump’s high school playing career. The Broncos reached the region semis when she was a sophomore and a junior. Selected as both an all-city and all-region first-team player, Crump allowed just five goals her senior year for a roster loaded with future college players, including herself.
“The first year, we won one game and just got drilled every game,” Adkins said. “The next year, she kept us in games and we almost beat Dunbar in the region semis when they were ranked No. 2 in the state.”
Douglass has a pair of shutouts amid its 2-2-1 start this year. But however 2025 turns out, Adkins is thrilled to have Crump back in Broncos colors.
“She’s an awesome kid. She’s an awesome goalkeeper and she had a great college career,” Adkins said. “It’s full circle having her back. That’s the best part about it.”
