Pearie Crook considers herself a fast learner.
Her soccer journey began at age 10, which is considered late, but Crook has made up for lost time as one of the key components of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School’s girls soccer team.
“I started on the recreation levels and loved the game,” Crook said. “I tried out for other teams and started traveling the world.”
Crook started playing recreationally in Haddonfield and Pennsauken. She joined the NJ14 Soccer Club – which originated in Flemington and is touted as the only all-girls club in the state that is run by women – and National Center of Excellence Soccer, a highly-regarded development program. Through those avenues, she was able to experience soccer overseas.
“First was Sweden, and then I went to England,” Crook said. “Then I watched my younger sister play in Italy. It was so cool seeing the different types of soccer and the different levels. It definitely pushed me to want to play as a career.”
Before soccer, Crook took up swimming and golf. Her transition to soccer wasn’t easy, but she never used her late start as an excuse on the field.
“Time is everything. It’s God’s place where you are in life,” Crook said. “I got better at soccer through trials and errors, and just failing and getting back up.”
Those types of traits are the qualities that excited Bishop Eustace coach Madeline Polino-DiSanti. The fourth-year coach and former standout at Rosemont College was impressed with Crook the first time she walked on the field in 2023.
“She’s been on my varsity program since day one,” Polino-DiSantis said. “Toward the end of our season in her freshman year, she was already a varsity starter, so she’s been on the back line in a lot of key roles. She took over as the center back a couple of years ago, and she’s really just embraced that role. She will give you her all every single day.”
Crook has committed to play Division III soccer at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, where she hopes to pursue a pre-medical track. She wants the opportunity to save lives in an emergency room.
“I’m still thinking about it, but I might like to work in an ER,” Crook said. “I like the fast pace and the pressure situations, probably because of sports.”
Bryn Mawr was attractive to Crooks for several reasons.
“I like the coach and the program and the different study abroad programs there,” she said. “I could study and play soccer as well.”
wins have been tough to accumulate in bunches (Bishop Eustace was 5-6-3 through Oct. 19), the Crusaders play one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey. They were above .500 following a recent 3-0-1 stretch that included victories over Camden Catholic and Notre Dame. But back-to-back losses against Shawnee and Paul VI, ranked No. 1 and 2 in South Jersey, have forced the Crusaders to regroup in preparation for the upcoming Non-Public B playoffs.
“We’re just fixing things in our game,” Crook said. “I’m definitely seeing some improvements from when we started the season to where we are now. I’m excited.”
Crook quickly figured out soccer, overseas travel and quite possibly her career path. The only thing that is still a mystery is the origin of her extremely uncommon first name.
According to United States Social Security Administration records, fewer than five people per year have been born and registered with the first name Pearie in any given year since 1880.
“It’s a family tradition that the first girl in our family is named Pearie,” she said. “I’m the fourth one.”
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