QUINTIN JAMES
Staff Writer
The Fredonia men’s soccer team went 11-7-2 last season, and won their last game of the season to make the playoffs. Fredonia also won a home playoff game, as they beat Plattsburgh in a memorable shootout to advance to the semifinals. After losing to Oneonta in the semifinals, they look to rebound this season and get over the hump. This year will be very different, as they have six new players on the team. That includes a few new freshmen who are eager to fight for playing time on an already loaded playoff team.
The competition in the pre-season has been high, as starting spots are up for grabs with so many new faces on the team.
“Coming in I thought we needed at least one impact freshman, and we have three that I think will fight for starting roles,” said head coach PJ Gondek.
When discussing the expectations this year, Gondek explained that the team is taking this year one game at a time.
“We are trying not to focus too much on what we accomplished last year. Every team is different and we have several new players. We will be taking it week to week right now. We have six non-conference games to prepare our players and get them comfortable in their roles before SUNYAC play and that is our focus.”
That being said, Fredonia will have a tough schedule out the gate as they play in the Buffalo State Fred Hartrick Classic next weekend before coming home for the home opener on Sept. 8. As Gondek mentioned, they have six non-conference games before they start playing conference opponents, and this will give them time to see what works and what doesn’t work.
With many of the forwards from last year gone, fifth-year senior and sport management major Parker Healy becomes the main focus on the offensive side of play. Healy is a forward who played in 19 games last year (16 starts), scored five goals and had six assists and will look to be more of a focal point in the offense this year.
Gondek does not want or expect this to be a one-man show, however; he wants everyone to contribute to the team’s success this year.
“Parker Healy is definitely a difference maker in any soccer game he plays, but I think there are others that are going to take a larger role than last year and they appear to be ready. We don’t have any expectations other than trying to put us in the best possible position at playoff time.”
One of the many players tasked with carrying a bigger role this year is sophomore Ebenezer Johnson. Last year he only appeared in two games, but scored a goal and dished out an assist in 53 minutes of playing time. Johnson is eager to get back and continue to get better.
“For me there was a lot I needed to improve on. I worked on many different aspects of my game and thought about how I could bring that back this year to contribute to what we have planned for the season.”
The Blue Devils are searching for more impact players and that starts in practice. Johnson explains how his goal is to be a better soccer player and that starts at practice.
“One of the goals that I want to accomplish this year is to become a better soccer player. I want to be able to improve on my game every time I get the opportunity [to] touch the ball, especially when I’m at practice.”
Confidence will be high at the start of the season, but the Blue Devils are focused and ready for the task at hand. Coming off a playoff trip one year ago, the Blue Devils look to advance further in the playoffs this year.
Johnson talked about the mentality of hard work instilled in them by the coaching staff. If they want to be good, they will have to work hard.
“I think we’re quite confident. We want to be able to do more than what we did last season, but of course we’re going to have to work hard. Coach said that it’s going to be hard to be good, so in order to be good, we as a team must work hard. The overall goal is to have a successful season, and we will work hard as a team to get there.”
Fredonia looks to keep up their momentum from last year, and if the new faces can mesh well with the veterans on the roster, Fredonia men’s soccer is in for a good season.