Soccer looking to come back strong after early exit from NCAA tournament

Chris Frakes/The Captain's Log

The Christopher Newport Men’s Soccer team comes into the 2011 season looking to improve on a stellar 2010 season, in which they won the USA South tournament and had a 20-2-1 record throughout the year. While the record was the best single-season record in CNU’s history, the season was ended by a 1-2 loss in the second overtime of the NCAA second round match up against Johns Hopkins University. The Blue Jays went on to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Captains were left with a disappointing end to their season.

Junior defender David Haas explains, “While we ended up winning more games last season for our program than any other single year and along with a second conference ring, those accomplishments felt overshadowed with the feeling that we couldn’t finish off our biggest challenge.”

While the season for the Captains ended early last year, the 2011 season looks bright, as the team lost only two seniors and returns numerous key players at every position. Senior midfielder Brian Lybert and senior forward Winston Mattheisen are a formidable offensive tandem, and senior goalkeeper Justin Wolfe is looking to come back after another strong year in 2010.

Wolfe was second in the USA South Conference in save percentage, goals against average, and had the second fewest goals against throughout the entire year.

Lybert and Mattheisen both led the Captains in goals, with 10 for the season. Lybert also led CNU in assists, and was named USA South Player of the Year for his hard work. Mattheisen was named an All-American for the second straight season, and became just the second All-American in CNU soccer history.

The Captains have the talent to succeed, but they have also stepped up their conditioning this summer, as Lybert says, “It is important to be fit coming in so I can be at my best for the first game, and not have to worry about getting my fitness and touch back halfway through the season.”

Haas adds, “the guys on the team have already been meeting, working out, running and preparing for this upcoming fall since school has let out.”

CNU soccer is looking strong for next season with most of the starters coming back, but the important thing for CNU is not the individual talent, but they way they play together, as Haas explains, “we have bought into a system where our guys understand that the chemistry of our team is bigger than any individual player’s needs or ego.”

That system is run by Head Coach Steve Shaw, who has coached the Captains since 1996 and has guided them to five NCAA tournament births.

If the Captains continue to buy into this system, he may be able to add more achievements to his coaching resume, as Haas feels that, “it is important to us to get back to the NCAA tournament and try and win a national championship and we absolutely believe we can.”

Posted by Darryl Fetz on Jun 13 2011. Filed under Soccer, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.