The men’s soccer team started the semester with a few struggles in its performance. Some factors were an influx of new players and a transition from one coach to another.
However, since week five, there has been an improvement in the performance of the team, as evidenced by recent wins against Eureka College and Webster University. Some players attribute this to better teamwork and communication. Senior Richard Bonsi, a starter and striker on the team, said, “We have had a rough start and lost games we could have won. As a team, we are working to get things right, and it is all coming together. There is an opportunity for us to do some serious damage in our conference but we have to keep working.”
Sophomore David Bader, a leading scorer on the team, agrees. He said, “The team has [a lot of] potential. However, we have not fully realized our strength as a team and we are still struggling to find the right… style of play. But I am sure we can have a lot of success when we figure that out.”
Newer players are beginning to feel that they are more familiar with the system that the veteran team plays with. This has made them more confident about playing on the team. Captain Kevin Silcox, who is a midfielder on the team, said, “If we can work on our consistency throughout the game and capitalize on our chances at goal scoring, we will have a chance of winning these next games. The opportunities are there, we just need to take them… together as a unit.”
The coaches believe in the players and think that the team is capable of achieving better results if they keep working hard and stay united. Coach Jess Semnacher said, “This season has had a rough start, but we are just now starting to play together and find our rhythm offensively…”
“We have plenty of talent to be winning. Our efforts continue to focus on playing as a team without egos… I am confident that this group has what it takes to perform well in conference,” added Semnacher. This potential suggests that there is more progress and success awaiting the men’s soccer team in the future.
