Hayward Wants To Keep Growing
August 20, 2025 | Soccer, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Juliauna Hayward didn't go into the transfer portal after her junior year at Colorado looking for more playing time or because she was unhappy in Boulder. She entered the portal in search of "personal development."
The midfielder had started every game for the Buffaloes in 2024, including against Georgia in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and was named second-team All-Big 12. She also liked where she was going to school, having grown up not far away. Hayward's high school, Legacy, in Broomfield, Colo., is about 20 miles from the Boulder campus.
Things were comfortable, but maybe a little too comfortable, Hayward said.
"It was super easy to go back and forth, from home to school, but at the same time, being born and raised in Colorado, and then going to school 20 minutes from home, I felt like, yeah, I'm spreading my wings a little bit, but not to my fullest potential," she said. "Entering the portal, I knew I wasn't staying in Colorado, and, honestly, I didn't want to be anywhere close."
Hayward wanted to grow, wanted to be challenged, and wanted to go somewhere that brought out the best in her on and off the field. That place was Georgia.
"I think coming here was a good move for me," she said, citing the job head coach Keidane McAlpine and his staff do in developing players. "For my personal development, I want to be challenged more. The players here are amazing; I'm not saying that the ones at Colorado aren't, they're also all amazing players, but I just felt like I needed something different.
"I felt like I needed to be on the ball more, and I wanted to be part of a team that possessed (the ball) a lot and use my abilities to their best advantage. ... In the spring, I felt like I had learned more than I ever learned in all my years of college."
"She's a great person and a great player," McAlpine said. "We knew about her long before she entered the portal, and we're excited to have her here. She brings a lot to the team in terms of experience, leadership, and with her abilities as a player."
In her three seasons at Colorado, Hayward started 52 of 55 games, scored four goals and had seven assists. She made the 2022 Pac-12 All-Freshman team, and then was All-Big 12 two years later. It is a sign of the times in collegiate sports that Hayward is on her second school and in her third conference, joining the SEC after starting her time at Colorado in the Pac-12 before the school moved back to the Big 12.
Hayward may be at a new school in a new conference, far from home, but not all of the opponents are new, including Thursday's game at the Turner Soccer Complex, against No. 12 North Carolina, the defending national champions. Hayward had an assist in the Buffaloes' 3-2 loss to the Tar Heels a year ago, and she scored in Colorado's 2-0 win over Michigan, whom the Bulldogs host Sunday.
"All of that experience is incredibly valuable, especially when you have a young team like we do," McAlpine said. "She's been in pressure situations before, numerous times, and we need that."
Hayward has started the first two games of the season for Georgia and scored in the Bulldogs' 6-0 win over Albany last Sunday.
"I think there's something special about scoring that first goal, for sure," she said. "I play a little bit deeper, I'm more of a defensive player, so when you score as a defensive player, it's cool."
One adjustment Hayward said she's still making is dealing with the humidity in Athens. That's a new one for her.
"That's one thing I'm still working on. Against UCLA (in the season opener last Thursday), I was cramping pretty bad, because I wasn't used to sweating that much," she said. "Now, I'm trying to figure out and navigate ways around that — but it's hot, that's for sure."
It's all part of Hayward's learning experience this season. Just wait until winter, when she's able to wear shorts and a t-shirt to class sometimes. That will be a new one.
"Thank goodness," she said. "I needed to get away from the snow for a little while."
Staff Writer
Juliauna Hayward didn't go into the transfer portal after her junior year at Colorado looking for more playing time or because she was unhappy in Boulder. She entered the portal in search of "personal development."
The midfielder had started every game for the Buffaloes in 2024, including against Georgia in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and was named second-team All-Big 12. She also liked where she was going to school, having grown up not far away. Hayward's high school, Legacy, in Broomfield, Colo., is about 20 miles from the Boulder campus.
Things were comfortable, but maybe a little too comfortable, Hayward said.
"It was super easy to go back and forth, from home to school, but at the same time, being born and raised in Colorado, and then going to school 20 minutes from home, I felt like, yeah, I'm spreading my wings a little bit, but not to my fullest potential," she said. "Entering the portal, I knew I wasn't staying in Colorado, and, honestly, I didn't want to be anywhere close."
Hayward wanted to grow, wanted to be challenged, and wanted to go somewhere that brought out the best in her on and off the field. That place was Georgia.
"I think coming here was a good move for me," she said, citing the job head coach Keidane McAlpine and his staff do in developing players. "For my personal development, I want to be challenged more. The players here are amazing; I'm not saying that the ones at Colorado aren't, they're also all amazing players, but I just felt like I needed something different.
"I felt like I needed to be on the ball more, and I wanted to be part of a team that possessed (the ball) a lot and use my abilities to their best advantage. ... In the spring, I felt like I had learned more than I ever learned in all my years of college."
"She's a great person and a great player," McAlpine said. "We knew about her long before she entered the portal, and we're excited to have her here. She brings a lot to the team in terms of experience, leadership, and with her abilities as a player."
In her three seasons at Colorado, Hayward started 52 of 55 games, scored four goals and had seven assists. She made the 2022 Pac-12 All-Freshman team, and then was All-Big 12 two years later. It is a sign of the times in collegiate sports that Hayward is on her second school and in her third conference, joining the SEC after starting her time at Colorado in the Pac-12 before the school moved back to the Big 12.
Hayward may be at a new school in a new conference, far from home, but not all of the opponents are new, including Thursday's game at the Turner Soccer Complex, against No. 12 North Carolina, the defending national champions. Hayward had an assist in the Buffaloes' 3-2 loss to the Tar Heels a year ago, and she scored in Colorado's 2-0 win over Michigan, whom the Bulldogs host Sunday.
"All of that experience is incredibly valuable, especially when you have a young team like we do," McAlpine said. "She's been in pressure situations before, numerous times, and we need that."
Hayward has started the first two games of the season for Georgia and scored in the Bulldogs' 6-0 win over Albany last Sunday.
"I think there's something special about scoring that first goal, for sure," she said. "I play a little bit deeper, I'm more of a defensive player, so when you score as a defensive player, it's cool."
One adjustment Hayward said she's still making is dealing with the humidity in Athens. That's a new one for her.
"That's one thing I'm still working on. Against UCLA (in the season opener last Thursday), I was cramping pretty bad, because I wasn't used to sweating that much," she said. "Now, I'm trying to figure out and navigate ways around that — but it's hot, that's for sure."
It's all part of Hayward's learning experience this season. Just wait until winter, when she's able to wear shorts and a t-shirt to class sometimes. That will be a new one.
"Thank goodness," she said. "I needed to get away from the snow for a little while."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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