Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

College Sports

Discussion

September 4, 2010

Men’s soccer on the pitch for Mountain Lions

By TOM BONE Bluefield Daily Telegraph

ATHENS — After last season’s 6-11-1 record as a second-year program, the Concord University men’s soccer team has been looking for defensive help, maturity and leadership.

Coach Steve Barrett says they have found all three.

As many as five freshmen could see time at the back this fall, beginning with this weekend’s season openers in Athens. Two freshmen hail from Scotland – Murray Brown and left back Frazier McKinley, who will serve as one of the team’s two captains.

“We’ve got a great freshman class that has come in here,” Barrett said. “All seven we feel are going to contribute. … They’re all good players, but more importantly, they’re all good kids who are kind of buying into what we’re doing.”

Last year’s team allowed 2.78 goals per game on average and was assessed 27 yellow cards and three red cards.  

Speaking about attitude on the team, Barrett said, “Some things had to change, and they have changed, and we’re taking that forward here.” In a turnabout move, the coach had the team come up with 14 “core values” — and a plan to accomplish those.

“They’ve got ownership of the program,” Barrett said. “So far, so good. ‘You want to do this. I’m going to be the conduit to allow that to happen.’ … It was very good, very productive. I think we’re seeing the fruits of that now, with the team chemistry and what we’ve got going.”

One of those core values, he said, was, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Golden Rule. They came up for that. Respect for teammates, respect for coaches, respect for other people. … Keep the negative thoughts to yourself.”

Concord returns eight starters. Sophomore goalkeepers are Jamie Greenwood and Matt Hamilton, who is returning from surgery this summer. “We’re fortunate to have the two of them,” Barrett said. “They’ll be fine for us.”

Sophomore Ryan Bostelman has moved to central defender.  Co-captain Ivan Deyanov ranges at central midfield, accompanied by Scotty Funston and Frankie Parks. Kyle Rider “had a great spring,” Barrett said, and Huntington resident Garith Duncan returns as well. Freshman Sebastian Escobar, from Columbia, is “a welcome addition” on the edge of the pitch, the coach said.

Along the front, senior Varney Vincent is the top returning scorer (four goals and two assists in 2009), and he’s rejoined by his brother Richie, who sat out last year with a severe knee injury. “We feel that’s an upgrade up front for us,” Barrett said. “He’s fully fit, fully rarin’ to go, and is going to cause some problems for defenders.” Others ready to attack on the offensive front are Ryan Shuff and Alex Ryan.

“We’ve got good balance,” Barrett said. “We’ve got depth at every position. We go deep with the talent. We can go to the bench comfortably. … We had some good talent (last year). I think we’ve got some very good talent this year.”

The freshman class also includes three Virginia residents — Ryan Armitage, Tyler Farrar and Zach Carroll.

Concord opened its season on Friday with Holy Family, droppinga 1-0 decision.

The Mountain Lions are playing regional power East Stroudsburg on Saturday at 3 p.m., “is going to be a very difficult game,” he said.

“We’ll see what we’re made of.”

Davis & Elkins will be in Athens this weekend, playing East Stroudsburg at 3 p.m. today and Holy Family on Saturday at 1 p.m. Concord begins its conference schedule with D & E in their return to Athens on Sept. 8.

The Mountain Lions conclude the regular season with 10 of its 13 playing dates on the road.

 -- Contact Tom Bone at tbone@bdtonline.com

 

Text Only
College Sports
Local Sports

Pro Sports

Sports Videos
Heat scorch Hawks Panthers dominate Islanders Clippers crush Bobcats Magic edge Bucks Stoglin's frustrations boil over following Duke loss-2/12 Panthers put away Devils Grizzlies hold off Pacers Hawks edge Magic in OT Heat wallop Wizards Chick and Julie talk with Heat forward Chris Bosh-2/10 Panthers hold off Kings Schrager: NFL Combine Report FOX Sports Next: Round Table DW remembers Earnhardt Grizzlies topple T-wolves Ducks get past Hurricanes Hawks dominate Pacers Magic cool off Heat Morosi: NL Spring Training Headlines Tire Testing in Texas