Men’s Soccer Aims to Combine Cohesion and Confidence

by Ali Dimoff

The Bobcats earned their first win of the season, Monday Sept. 11, on the road against Penn College.

Head coach, Dan Keefe, explained what the victory meant.

“It was a three hour bus ride on a Monday night, which is a little uncommon, but the team pushed through a hard fought match, and was able to grind out a 1-0 win,” Keefe said. “The way they laid it all out there is something we can look back on later in the season as a reminder—we can do it.”

Which is a message Keefe is focusing on this season.

“The biggest thing we can improve upon is confidence,” he said. “It’s easy to be apprehensive as a freshman. We have a lot of talented players, I want them to go out there and show it.”

One thing Keefe said he hasn’t had to do much of is motivating.

“Returners did it amongst themselves this off season to better themselves and the program. They would come to my office and ask for the soccer balls, or just get into the weight room on their own time,” he said.

The biggest goal for the team this season is to compete, and improve every day, according to Keefe.

Team cohesion under this season’s captains—the lone Senior, Jake Porter, and goalkeeper Reese Laurell, a Junior—is something Keefe hopes to see continue throughout the season.

“They [the players] gel together. It’s a bond I haven’t seen here before—with each other, for each other.”

Conference play begins at home, Saturday Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m., against Penn State Behrend.

Featured image via Pitt Athletics.