If there was ever a rebuilding year, then 2013 is it for the USC
Salkehatchie men’s soccer program. That’s because fourteen players
graduated off the team in May, including nine starters. In order to
judge the quality of those Indians who will be wearing different colored
uniforms this fall, you just need to look at the Indians’ won/lost
record of 19-12-5 over the last two years. Another gauge would be to
look at where the 2013 Salk men’s team players will be plying their
trade this fall. Most received scholarships to play soccer on NCAA D-II
teams. So only two starters are returning to the program from last
year and the team will be graced with a total of only ten returners. Of
course, having said all that, the fact is that there is no such thing as
a rebuilding year. Teams always have to keep improving on previous
results, there is no going backward. As hall of fame NFL football coach
George Allen said, “The future is now.” So that just means that this
year the returning players will need to take ownership of their
sophomore season and work overtime to make 2013 a season to remember.
Most immediately the sophomores will need to help the incoming freshmen
to quickly adapt to the team’s tactics and style of play.
For their
part, the large freshman class will have to produce some high impact
players who are not only skillful but intelligent in the way they
approach the game. There will not be a lot of time for the new guys to
pick up on things because the team will play its first match just ten
days after being introduced to one another.
The Indians will be looking for leadership from returning goal keeper
Dieusel Jeannot of North Lauderdale, Florida, as well as freshman
goalkeeper Jesse Brandon Woods of Charleston who is returning to college
after serving in the military. Jordan Ward, a goalkeeper from Barnwell,
will give nearby soccer fans who have watched Ward play for many years a
reason to root for the Indians. Ward was a mainstay of the Barnwell
High School defense over the last several years.
