Last weekend the Westminster College Men’s Soccer Team won the PAC championships 1-0 against rival Grove City. Since that game a lot has happened as the Titans prepare to take on Capital in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this up coming weekend. Before the team embarks on a journey to Cleveland, I was able to talk to their assistant coach Ryan Francis about their season and where they are going forward.
Question 1: What is the biggest difference between last years team, that did not make the playoffs, compared to this years team?
Answer: Honestly the biggest difference has been the leadership at every level. The seniors this year have been so driven and focused on winning the conference that nothing else has seemed to matter. They have truly put everything else aside and just focused on getting better every day and making everyone around them better. On top of it our three captains all led in a different way. Doc led very much by example while Reggie was a much more vocal leader while still leading by example every day. 
Comparing this to last year, we really did not have senior leadership. They were all kind of doing their own thing a lot of the time and that translated onto the field.
Question 2: What was the point in the season where you felt like you guys could win it all?
Answer: From the very beginning. I felt like we had a group of returners who were talented enough and a group of recruits who could hold their own It was all just a matter of putting it together on the field and playing as one cohesive team.
Question 3: How did going to Hawaii have and effect on your season?
Answer: It made all the difference. It gave the guys a great chance to be together and bond over something as a team from the very beginning. It is a lot easier to get the guys motivated to do a team meeting on the beach than it is in the classroom here at school. It also gave us the chance to play two very good teams in HPU and Chaminade, both of whom gave us good games that we really could not get here in Pennsylvania for pre-season.
Question 4: What was it like playing against some of the best teams in the country in Carnegie Mellon and Case Western?
Answer: It was exactly what we needed during the season. We got to play top flight opposition and see how we matched up against them. They both gave us good games and our boys stepped up to the test. We competed and had the lead at one point against CMU but we are a young team and will continue to grow, but I was very pleased with how we played in those games.
Question 5: How does this championship team compare to the one in 2015?
Answer: This team definitely has more talent and fire power. Up front we can score goals while keeping it clean at the back. In 2015 we were very senior heavy and that showed in our play. We defended first and were content with 1-0 wins compared to this year where we scored goals at a record rate. Also this year coming into the season we set the standard early that we were good enough to win the conference so we sort of expected it while in 2015 it kind of just happened so fast and one result led to another and we got the win.
There was no doubt that the Westminster Men’s Soccer Team is one of the best to come through Westminster, with multiple player setting individual records while the team smashed many team records along the way. As the Titans prepare for a tough match this weekend, we have to look back and marvel at all they have accomplished this year as they look to build upon this in years to come.
Soccer with Reggie 