Author: Soo Jin Kim
With an overall record of two wins out of five games and a conference record of 1-1, the men’s soccer team is off to an optimistic start this semester.
According to the team, their morale is high, teamwork is strong, and the training is tough. “We have been working hard in practice and things seem to be coming together,” said Max Murtaugh (junior). “The whole team is very excited about the upcoming season.”
To prepare for this season, the team has been practicing hard. The team practices five days a week, for two hours on the upper and lower soccer fields, focusing on conditioning, set plays and small-sided games.
Training began during the summer for the returning players, who were given a fitness packet for individual summer training. Players also attended post-season workouts during last spring semester to keep themselves in shape for the fall season.
Players said that they are pleased with the training they receive from their head coach DJ Waddington and assistant coach John Reynolds, even though training is challenging and very demanding.
“[They] push us to our limits only because they know that we have a lot of potential to be very successful this season,” said CJ Grigoriadis (junior). “Although, we do have a lot of fun and share a lot of laughs.”
A large focus of the practice has been on possession and control – the players practice on moving the ball from each side of the field in two to three passes or touches maximum. This precise possession and control helps the players move the ball around with speed and force.
At the end of last year, ten seniors graduated and left the soccer team, which led to an increase of new players this semester.
The team has also put in work to build an identity and strengthen its teamwork. “Team chemistry is at its highest and our style of play and identity are starting to form,” said Gilberto Ortega (junior). “Our style of play is developing more and more as games go by.”
In a spirit of solidarity that is often seen in strong teams, the players have also taken to spending time together off the field – they eat together and hang out together. The occasional barbecue cookout at one of the player’s house off-campus also helps to build team solidarity.
“I believe that we truly are a ‘team’ this year, and that’s not easy to accomplish with large numbers,” said Ortega.
Being optimistic, however, does not mean that the players are blissfully ignorant of the team’s weaknesses. The team’s challenges includes the graduation of ten of its senior players (a large number when considering that soccer is a game played by eleven people including the goalie), and mentally relaxing too soon during games.
According to Grigoriadis, “Usually, we will be [the] first to score, however, we become too relaxed, and the opponent ends up scoring fairly quickly. This is something that I hope we can get rid of and stay mentally strong until the end of the game.”With their new training and practices, the Tigers are eager to work harder on their weaknesses. “There’s no backing up, only moving forward,” said Girgoriadis.
Men’s soccer games are scheduled for every Wednesday at 4pm and Saturday at 11am.
The next game is scheduled for Wednesday Sept 23, at Cal Lutheran University. Fans wanting to see the Oxy Tigers in action on home ground will have to wait till Saturday, Oct 3.
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