A losing season for any team in any sport is never considered a positive.
However, there is much to be learned in defeat. A team can determine that it never wants to experience a season like that again and the players can push each other to limits they have not known before. After a disappointing 2011 season that saw the men’s soccer team finish with a record of 3-10-2, the 2012 men’s team worked hard in the offseason in order to re-establish themselves as a winning program.
After enduring grueling practices and spending countless hours on the field, the 2012 Men’s team has managed to start off the 2012 season with a 4-0-1 record, while also earning a national ranking of No. 7 overall. The team only has four seniors, so it has really had to rely on its underclassmen to perform.
One of underclassmen who has really stepped up his game is sophomore Tyler Blackwood. As a freshman, Blackwood saw minimal playing time. After 5 games, Blackwood has already scored five goals, three of which came in the form of a hat trick during a game against No.18 Clayton State University.
“Scoring my first collegiate goal and first collegiate hat-trick in the same night, in front of our fans was an incredible experience,” Blackwood said. “It encourages me to keep scoring goals.”
“The season is still young but the player’s have shown a lot of maturity,” Coach Bush said. “Since we were ranked early, we have use this as a motivating piece and see how they handle pressure of being ranked.”
Last Wednesday’s tie against Florida Tech marked the first time that the team failed to win a game all season. Although the team did not lose, there were still many improvements to be made.
“We have not played a complete game yet this year,” Coach Bush said of his team. “We have to be more consistent.”
On Saturday, the team played its first SSC (Sunshine State Conference) game of the season against Eckerd University. The Spartans won the game 1-0.
“The first conference game is always a nervy one because both teams play cautiously in fear of giving up goals,” Blackwood commented after the team’s first game. “Even though the game should have finished three or four to zero, a win is a win and now we look to our next conference match.”
“Since there are 12 games this year instead of eight, and we are in the toughest conference in the country, there no room for us to get casual with anything,” Coach Bush said on his expectations for the rest of the season. “The measuring stick at UT is to win conference championships, so we need to focus on each game one at a time. They are all big.”