Soccer team balances next year's aspirations with this year's ambition

September 24, 2008
By Marcus Johnson
Sports Writer

Prairie Stars soccer has been on the roll this year against Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents. With UIS athletics moving into that conference next year, men’s soccer has been showing their opponents they will be able to compete with their GLVC opponents next year.

Currently, the team stands with a 2-1 record against GLVC teams. During the past week the Prairie Stars have had a two game home stand against the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons and the St. Xavier University Cougars.

The Prairie Stars lost the first game against the Tritons 1-0 in overtime.  The lost gave them their first lost on the season against a GLVC opponent.  This was a hard fought contest for both teams, with both teams each having seven corner kicks. The Tritons also outshot the Prairie Stars 14-8, a common theme in the other two matches featuring future GLVC opponents.

The Men’s team got back to action last Saturday with a 4-2 come from behind win against St. Xavier. The Cougars took an early 2-1 lead at halftime, but the second half was a different story for both teams. Using a penalty kick by Jakub Piotrowski at 55:35 to tie the game 2-2, the offense decided to take over from there.  Five minutes after the Piotrowski goal, Brain Doelman then scored on a leaping header. Piotrowski then scored again at 76:43.

With one more game against a GLVC opponent this Saturday, you have to wonder if the team’s success against GLVC opponents is just a fluke. Freshman Defender Michael Waldo doesn’t feel it is.   Waldo thinks the wins against GLVC opponents have also “earned us some respect from our future Division II foes.”

With only three seniors on this year’s team, the majority of the team will be returning next year when they will be an official member of the GLVC. But before they make that transition, they have some unfinished business on the NAIA level.

The soccer program hasn’t been to a national championship game since 1998 and hasn’t won the title since 1993.  In order to do so, the team will likely have to cross paths with AMC rival McKendree, who is currently ranked #6 nationally at press-time. 

But Waldo feels that this year might be the year for the soccer the program to make it back to the glory days.

“I feel like this year’s team has meshed real well,” Waldo said.  “The team chemistry is really good and we have a lot of confidence in each other.

Our team goal is to make it to Nationals and I think we have a great shot at accomplishing it.”