Eckerd College Athletics

The Eckerd College Men’s Soccer Team had experienced a combination of highs and lows during the 2009 season, finishing with a final record of 6-10. Although the men did not build on its record from previous seasons, they continued to put forth hard work, determination, and confidence during every game. Coach Jeremy Wisdo was very proud of his team this year, despite the injuries and other circumstances they encountered along the way.

From the beginning, Wisdo knew his team was filled with players ready to excel throughout the season. During preseason, Wisdo stated, “We looked at the team [during preseason] and with the players we had, we were pretty excited and we thought we had really good depth. We thought we had really good younger players that were going to mix well with the experienced players.”

Wisdo’s team had high expectations for the fall, which unfortunately were difficult to obtain. The Triton’s soccer team faced a lot of difficulties with injuries, sicknesses, and suspensions that took a toll on the team, which in return made it difficult to achieve some of their goals.

“It was just something that we weren’t able to cope with this year,” Wisdo stated.

With the college soccer season being as short as it is it was difficult for the Tritons to obtain the confidence they needed in order to win. With the injuries and sicknesses, the Tritons also had to strategize in order to fix one or two holes, which made it difficult to gain the momentum they needed in order to carry over wins throughout each game. This season, the Tritons were chasing time, as it was hard for them to change directions before the season was over. Wisdo was never disappointed with the way they played.

“We battled hard in every game that we played and I never once felt that we packed it in and just decided were not going to play that day. I never once got that feeling. But there comes a point to where you have to find a way to make your own luck and we just weren’t able to do that in time.”

Although the Tritons’ season was affected by such circumstances, they continued to grow and learn as a team. Many non-starters received opportunities to play where they were able to gain some experience and knowledge.

“Because we threw some people out there and said ‘Here, perform for us that day,’ that is going to give them some experience that they may have not otherwise gotten that hopefully will help us in the spring and then in the fall,“ Wisdo stated.

Just as the team acquired knowledge and skills throughout the season, Wisdo added, “I think you are always learning. I don’t think there is ever a point where you are not learning.” This season, Wisdo learned what his team had in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. By learning about his team, he will be able to build on those strengths and correct some aspects as well in the future.

Although this season might have not been as successful as previous years, the Tritons still illustrated the willpower to never give up. They displayed determination and confidence in which they did not look back on the past, but instead looked positively in the future. Although their season might be over, their ability to succeed is continuing throughout the rest of the year. Obviously their goal for next year is to win more games, but they start today by laying the ground work for the upcoming year.

“Next year doesn’t start in August. Next year starts now, so it’s just making sure we can do the work now and in the spring to make sure we are in a situation where we can go forward from where we ended this year.”