Sports

Hope on the Horizon

November 8, 2007

By Jessica Bledsoe

On Nov. 1, fans gathered at CBC in 60 degree weather to cheer on the MBU men’s soccer team in the American Midwest Conference Region Play-in Tournament against University of Illinois – Springfield (UIS). MBU played hard, but in the end, they suffered a 0-2 defeat. Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach, David Beck said: “We had good moments, especially in the first half where we had four or five chances to score, but UIS could finish their chances while we couldn’t.”

This game signals the end of the season for men’s soccer with a 10-10 overall record. Beck said, “It was a tough season, but the team was resilient.” Although the final record may not be as high as years past, MBU defeated Columbia College in the first round of the American Midwest Conference, which only allows the top five teams to play.

But more than that, Beck said: “The game against Columbia was probably the highlight of our season because we were losing 3-1, but came back to tie the game and then went on to win in penalty kicks.” This was a huge win and morale booster for MBU men’s soccer, who had not beaten Columbia in over five years.

The season may be over, but head coach, Denos Merrick, and David Beck, assistant coach, are already putting the final touches on next year’s schedule. The students on the soccer team will have a two-month hiatus to relax and catch up on homework. However, rest is not in the coaches’ future as Merrick and Beck will be actively recruiting new players by scouting various high school and club soccer games.

Beck is excited to see what next season brings: “Two of our top scorers are returning, and two freshmen, who have trained with us all season and are hungry for action, will be next year starters. We have a great nucleus of kids and a core group of guys.”

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