Men’s Soccer Culture
December 6, 2019
As the Le Moyne Men’s Soccer team comes to an end, the men are just getting started. The team finished their season overall with a 11-6-1 record. After ranking 4th in the conference, playoffs ended in a devastating loss against Assumption, who was ranked 5th. This was the first round of play-offs, and now the men are hungrier than ever.
Joe Falcone, a Junior midfielder, believes that, “We did not play up to our potential, we definitely could have won, we were definitely the better team.” The team had previously beat Assumption 3-1 in conference, but had trouble finishing their chances during the tournament. Assumption went on to win the NE10 championship, and after playing 83 minutes against Assumption, Falcone expresses how close they could’ve been to winning the whole thing if they had played their best against Assumption.
In the off season, the men are expected to lift 3 times a week in sessions held by Coach Bonus. Due to NCAA regulations, this is all their coach is allowed to require. Many teams settle for this workload, and don’t exercise outside of the essential amount. However, the men have exceeded their expectations, and held many team events outside of their required amount. Their strength and skills improve immensely throughout the year because they are always at the Athletic Center. Their skills will be broadcasted this spring, and even more during next fall.
The men are accustomed to playing soccer 6 days a week, and after the season, they aren’t taking a break. If you don’t see the men’s team outside on the turf, they are most likely playing indoor soccer, known as futsol. Futsol is held a confined and competitive space in the Athletic Center gym. The point of futsol is to improve touches because it’s on a hardwood floor, and increase the pace of the game. The men are pretty open to people joining in, that is if you leave your dignity at the door.
Although their foot skills can always be improved, Falcone believes their greatest weaknesses were off the field. “At some points we didn’t work together very well, we didn’t gel the greatest, and that is something to work on next year,” Falcone states. Team chemistry can be detrimental to a team, especially once the season is coming to an end. If the men can recover their strong bonds, they will be unstoppable next year.
Falcone reminisces the best memories with the team were held in the locker room after winning a game. The ecstatic men would blast “Sweet Escape” by Gwen Stephani, and a song called “Freed From Desire.” With perseverance through their fitness and team chemistry, they will be listening to those songs soon enough.