It may not have ended quite the way they expected, but overall, the men’s soccer team left the field Saturday after an overtime loss to Adrian proud of the way that they performed throughout the season.
With the team returning a majority of their line-up from the previous season, head coach Jerry Block felt that his team would have a good chance at making a run at the top spot in the MIAA.
“We only lost two seniors from last year’s roster so we had high hopes for this season,” Block said. “We had the confidence and work ethic we needed, unfortunately things didn’t turn out as well as we thought they would.”
Providing offense was a struggle for the team throughout the duration of the season. Though they stuck to their roots by playing aggressive defense, Block felt that they had trouble attacking the goal at times and making the best of scoring opportunities.
“(Our players) had a tenancy of relying too much on our defense,” Block said.
Midway through the season the Britons decided to transition to a different offensive formation, giving them the leverage they needed to pull out a victory against a Calvin College team that was ranked 20th in the nation.
“We had played them earlier in the season at home on homecoming and lost 5-0, so it was an amazing feeling to come back and beat them on their own field in front of their fans,” said Kyle Wulf, Naperville, Ill. senior.
The final record for the Brits’ season was 8-11-1. Though they may not have pulled out as many wins as they anticipated, the team chemistry made this season one of the most enjoyable for all of the seniors of the squad.
“I thoroughly enjoyed stepping on the field with every single one of my teammates, and that is a rare thing to be able to say about a group of 25 or so guys,” said Garrett Kuhlman, Clinton senior. “We had great team chemistry and this was probably one the most fun and memorable seasons I have ever had.”
Leadership as well was credited by the underclassmen to the overall gratification of the season, but they are confident that the examples left behind by the seniors will set a precedent for years to come.
“They each leave big shoes to fill, but I’m 100 percent sure that any of the people on the team next year have the potential to fill them,” said Andy Bieber, Macomb first-year. “All it takes is hard work and character, and not one person in the program lacks either of those.”
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