Being new to Saint Mary’s and learning the traditions of our department and program, I am glad to have the opportunity to address our outgoing seniors in this format. We knew coming into the season that it was one of transition, challenge and rebuilding, developing a new mentality, and establishing a different standard for which we would reach. I feel each member of this year’s senior class played a role in helping point the tip of our boat in the right direction — and while they are stepping off of it soon, I hope they recognize their contributions to where we plan to go.
I feel I must also make a point to speak to the persistence of this group. They haven’t won the amount of games they had probably planned on when they first came to campus as freshmen four or five years ago. They have had to deal with the change in coaching staff, new roles on the field, and expectations on and off the field. This task had to be accomplished while maintaining academic success at a rigorous academic institution such as Saint Mary’s, and finding new and evolving ways of coming out to training and games every day with the want to improve. Not many people are up to such a task, for one year, let alone four, and I commend them on their commitment to the program and to Saint Mary’s University.
I do believe that each of these young men will be better suited to the challenges of life having been soccer student-athletes at Saint Mary’s, and in our NCAA Division III setting, that’s the point, isn’t it? It will be a pleasure to see these young men three years, five years and decades down their path in life. When they return to campus or show up at an SMU game somewhere on the road; I would bet they will be the type of guys with strong personal relationships and families, successful careers and the commitment to have success in whatever path in life they chose. And they will always be a part of Saint Mary’s Soccer.
Bryan Neu: Bryan was the senior I knew least about, due to his semester abroad during my opportunity to take over the program this past spring. However, while he had to hit the ground running with our program in August, he has never stopped. I have been so lucky to have been part of many great teams and have worked with terrific leaders, but that short list of true leaders who earn respect every day has Bryan’s name on it. He knows how to read people and situations, always gives his best effort and never asks for anything in return. During a season where wins were tough to come by, he always found a way to win something during the game; a footrace to the ball or a 50/50 tackle in a crucial part of the field, and always, every game, he won the respect of those around him, no matter which jersey they were wearing. One of my favorite sayings is that Respect is Like Money; You Appreciate More when you Earn It. Bryan earns respect every day, and that is truly priceless.
Chris Williams: One of the toughest positions in sports is that of the soccer goalkeeper. Playing on a team that has had the challenges that ours has had this season, and the past four, magnifies that ask to an even higher level. Chris truly stepped up to the challenge this year and from the first day of training camp, proved he was going to compete and become a starting goalkeeper for us. Three freshman came to campus to unseat him and step into the pipes. On Day One of preseason, while those three freshman were bent over at the waist, trying to recover from dropping out of the beep test, Chris kept going. His first response to players seeking his position was to let his own work do the talking for him. And it worked. The games we won and tied this year would not have happened without Chris and his ability to make a stop when we needed it. Moreover, his ability to play in an inordinate amount of one-goal games where he would face twice as many shots as his compatriot in the opponents goal, spoke to his steadiness and willingness to accept the role asked of him. However, as much as I was impressed with Chris’ ability to do a tough job each day, every day, I am more impressed with what he asks himself in the classroom. Competing in a rigorous soccer season every day, travel every week and extra training sessions on top of what the field players do is tough enough; to be exceling in a time-intensive major, taking the GRE and planning the next big step in life such as graduate school, is even more admirable. The NCAA has a saying; “Almost all of our athletes will go pro in something other than sports.” Chris, and his commitment to both soccer and his education, stand as the prototype of what that means.
Juamaine Venter: To truly embrace what being a college soccer athlete, or any college sport for that matter, is to see what goes into every day of the season, not just game day. Jua’s contributions this year are important on the field, but far exceed the normal senior year when you look at what he does for us every day. He is an organizer and someone who is determined to help his team and program all the time. Not just the starting eleven; not just on game day. He is like an assistant coach who plays in games, always looking out for his teammates, his coaches and his program. While we are blessed with many young men who want and work for Saint Mary’s to improve, Jua stood apart by doing things without being asked and possess the responsibility and maturity to see that they were carried out. As a sports management major, I think this season has shown that he should be and needs to be, in professional role where every day he can help an organization improve. I can speak personally that his leadership and commitment to the team has made this transitional year for me and our staff ten times easier.
We all know it will take hard work and dedication for our program to move forward and to improve the quality of our team over the next several years. One of my main motivating factors in accomplishing that task is for players like Jua, so that they can show up at a Saint Mary’s match somewhere down the line, watch us beat up on a MIAC school and earn recognition and respect of the soccer community that we all want for our side. I hope he will know that it began with this season and his effort towards that end.
Bobby Gas: When I came to interview for the job at Saint Mary’s, I decided to arrive a day early to look around for myself and try to learn about the campus and culture. We didn’t know each other at the time, but Bobby was the first student I met; his pride for our school was evident on that first day. As I have mentioned several times to various people, the love and pride that Saint Mary’s alums and staff have for the school strikes me as wonderfully unique and a testament to the overall quality of experience that students, and student-athletes, receive here. Bobby has been one of those students, and I would bet will be one of those alumni, who spread the gospel of Saint Mary’s to whomever they interact with. He is committed to improving our team this year, our program overall and the University as a whole, and that is an important building block for us have. He was asked to change positions this year, take on new and challenging roles and to improve his skill set in an effort to push our team forward. He embraced each challenge with his trademark enthusiasm and not even stiches in his head or a significant shoulder injury stood in his way of progress. As with all of our seniors, I really look forward to watching the path for Bobby in the future and hope when our program is at the top of the heap, he will remember his contributions to making that happen.
|
