Men’s soccer team looks forward to C-USA play
Frogs see playoff hopes dashed, acknowledge lack of focus
and effects of late-season injuries
Kelly Morris
skiff staff
After the men’s soccer team won just three of 11 games in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, sophomore midfielder Dustin Sitar said they can’t wait to make a fresh start in Conference USA next year.
“We’re very excited about joining C-USA next year since we had such an extremely frustrating season in the MVC this year,” Sitar said. “Next year will be a lot different because the play (in C-USA) is more similar to our own style, and unlike this year, we’ll be playing extremely good teams in the preseason.
“Because we knew our schedule just two months before the start of this year’s season, it was too late to play against teams of higher caliber in the preseason, but our schedule for next year has already been determined.”
The Frogs ended their season with four consecutive losses, the last coming in an 8-1 defeat to No. 6 Southern Methodist on Friday. With the loss, the team finished with a 7-11 overall record.
Sophomore midfielder Nick Browne said after the team lost against Drake 5-0 on Oct. 27, hopes for making the playoffs were basically dashed.
“It was really hard to come back in the game after (Drake) scored five goals against us in the first 30 minutes of play,” Browne said. “After that game, everything went downhill because we continued to have a lack of focus and didn’t play up to our ability. Besides underachieving, we also continued to have problems getting up for games against teams we were supposed to beat.”
Browne and sophomore forward Ryan Parsley led the team in scoring with 12 points. With four goals each, Browne, junior forward Bobby Montes and junior midfielder Nick Baker led the team in goals.
Freshman forward Wes Bender said injuries late in the season were a big reason for the team’s decline.
“With key losses at the end of the season, we had less and less motivation to go out and play, and the injuries didn’t help either,” Bates said. “Later in the season, sophomore defender Todd Bates aggravated his pulled hamstring injury, and (senior) Mike Martin had an ankle injury.”
Browne said the team is already working to improve for next season, which is now about seven months away.
“What we do now as individuals in the months before next season will affect how well we come back next year and how much we improve,” Browne said. “We hope to make it to the conference tournament next year.”
Although this was the last season for Martin and senior midfielders Matt Groves and Brad Johnson, Sitar said he isn’t worried about team depth for next year.
“We have some players from scholarship schools who are interested in playing for TCU next year,” Sitar said. “We still have enormous depth for next year because we have a lot of hard-working, experienced players coming back.”
Kelly Morris
k.l.morris@student.tcu.edu
Multi-faceted
Carril acts as a mentor, leader for tennis squad
By Dana Alden
skiff staff
Senior Esteban Carril has doubled this fall season as leader for the men’s tennis team and mentor for his teammates.
Sophomore Antonio Gordon said Carril is not only extremely talented on the court, he also has an air about him off the court that permeates the entire team.
“I came to TCU on a recommendation from (Carril),” he said. “He has helped me with my English, my tennis game and my life overall. He’s become sort of my big brother since I got here.”
Carril is the leader of the TCU tennis team now, but things haven’t always been so clear for Carril.
He said he faced many of the same problems as Gordon when he first arrived at TCU four years ago.
“I struggled with external obstacles,” Carril said. “My English wasn’t very good when I got here. I was just determined to learn and speak better. It’s coming together.”
Struggling with his speech was only the beginning of Carril’s problems upon arriving in the United States.
“I had been struggling with my tennis, too,” he said. “I actually quit for two years before I came to TCU because I had gotten burned out. I had been playing for the Spanish team, but I just had to quit. It just wasn’t what I wanted it to be anymore.”
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Sarah Kirschberg/PHOTO EDITOR
Senior Esteban Carril uses a forehand to return serve against Andy Leber of Texas-Arlington Oct. 30. Carril defeated Leber in three sets to capture the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region VI Tournament. |
Even now, despite all his successes (two-time All-American, two-time Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year), Carril said playing tennis has become frustrating for him.
“It’s kind of hard to compete when you’re a senior because you keep playing in the same tournaments,” Carril said. “Sometimes I feel like it’s just not exciting anymore.”
Carril said he doesn’t want his opinion on the repetition of competition to indicate that he’s gotten complacent or that he thinks he’s better than the college game.
“I really don’t think of myself as a superior player,” said Carril, who ranks as the No. 1 player on the TCU squad. “I think all the players on the team are equal. There are some great players on this team, and it’s just a coincidence that I’m No. 1. Somebody has to be No. 1.”
Carril’s opinion of himself doesn’t equal that of head coach Joey Rive.
“He’s a positive role model and a positive leader on the team,” said Rive, who is in his first season as head coach for the men’s tennis team. “With his work ethic and how he goes about his business, I think it circulates through the entire team.”
Gordon said he’s inspired by Carril’s on-court demeanor.
“He always goes on the court ready to fight,” Gordon said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s playing the No. 1 player in the nation. His confidence makes us all more confident.”
But life for Carril doesn’t revolve around tennis and how well he fares on the court.
Carril said he plans to enroll in graduate school upon graduating from TCU. He has plans to get a master’s degree in business or finance.
His tennis career beyond TCU remains uncertain.
“I don’t know if I’m going to continue playing tennis, maybe at the professional level,” Carril said. “I know I’m probably not leaving TCU any time soon. I would love to stay at TCU and help with the team somehow and at the same time, get my master’s degree.”
Carril won his most recent tournament, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region VI Tournament, by defeating Andy Leber of Texas-Arlington in three sets. The three-set win marked the end of the fall season in which Carril finished as the No. 6-ranked player in the nation.
Dana Alden
d.r.alden@student.tcu.edu