By: Kristin Baitinger
It’s sudden death, with ten seconds left on the clock, when St. Mary’s College of Maryland forward Isaac Ekobo, shoots and scores the winning goal for the Seahawks. The Mustangs lost after an exhausting effort and St. Mary’s kept their prestigious rank of third in the nation.
Shortly after the game, head coach, Graeme Millar and Stevenson student, Chris Gonzales, provided insight into the St. Mary’s game and their thoughts on the team’s prospects for the rest of the season.
Coach Millar has been at Stevenson University for more than 15 years now. He started as head coach of the Woman’s Soccer team, a job he kept for a solid decade, before taking over the Men’s team. In addition to that, he is also Stevenson’s Associate Athletic Director.
The St. Mary’s Seahawk game was a heartbreaker, a 1-0 squeaker. Not surprising for such a close game against such a good opponent, Coach Millar saw a lot to like.
“Overall, [Millar] was…pleased [with this] first game…coming off COVID-19 and protocols.“ Millar said. “It was good to get out here, and I thought the guys did pretty well.”
Just like the rest of Stevenson, the soccer Mustangs are only required to wear masks indoors and it isn’t necessary for them to get tested unless they show symptoms. With 16 seniors, along with incoming freshmen, managing the team hasn’t been easy.
Coach Millar bases the playing time on how well the players perform at practice. “We treat practice like a game, so if they step up for practice, they’ll be ready for the game,” Coach Millar said.
A typical day for players includes going to classes, then practicing for two hours. They do this six days a week. On Mondays and Thursdays, they have weight-lifting sessions. The close game against national power St. Mary’s leaves Millar with high hopes for the season. In addition to their schoolwork and tough schedule, the players must deal with returning to in-person school after working from home due to COVID-19. Chris Gonzales, a Junior Men’s Soccer player said that “The transition has been pretty easy. The schedule Coach Graeme gave us has worked around our class times especially during the week.”
“I’m optimistic about the season,” Gonzales said. “It was only our first game with lots of returning guys and newcomers getting in minutes. Overall, I was pretty happy with the performance.”
With the season just beginning the Stevenson Men’s soccer team has a long way to go with, no doubt, many ups and downs to come.
