Highs and Lows Keep Season Interesting

The women’s and men’s soccer teams have had an intense and rigid season thus far. Starting the season with a low number of players, flexibility and the ability to play multiple positions on the field has been the key issue concerning the program.

Hampering flexibility, though, along with their dearth of players, the soccer program has had to deal with unexpected injuries. Recently, midfielder Cyrus Jaffery injured his leg in such a rare way that the athletic trainer said he’d only seen it twice in his entire career.

On Thursday, Oct. 7, both women and men’s teams played Midland Lutheran at Abel Stadium. Midland scored twice in the last three minutes against the women’s team overshadowing the corner shot point by Leah Stevens during the second half of the game. Currently, the women’s record is 4-7-2. And, despite the previous record being 4-4-4, they’ve been doing well.

Oct. 3, the men’s team paid tribute to the only undefeated team in Nebraska Wesleyan University soccer history. Fifteen players plus the coach of the 1999 team came back to NWU for the celebratory 10-year tribute, showing a few photographs on the new scoreboard along with a commemorative narrative during half-time.

Coach Mike Lynch says, “The current team wore the 1999 jerseys, which they loved.” The current men’s soccer team is doing its best and staying competitive.

While Jaffery is out with an injury, the team got back Senior forward Cole McCallum. Lynch said, “Having Cole back helped us on Saturday as he not only scored twice but also is a big leader on the field.” The men’s team, like the women’s, gave way to Midland with a final score of 0-1.

The season as a whole has been marked with many ups and downs, making school support even more important to success. So, with the Doane game coming up soon, hopefully it will be an encounter worth remembering.