After finishing an abysmal 4-10-1 (1-7-1 NCAC) this past season, the menís soccer team will look to an unlikely source to provide the spark in next seasonís rebuilding. The team has once again decided to tap into the intramural levels of soccer talent at the College in hopes of finding the teamís next star.
This time around head coach Graham Ford and the Scots will look to a trio of rising sophomores to fill in some important spaces on the teamís already large roster.
Kurt Eicher í13, Taza Vercruysse í13 and Tom Gilliss í13 will look to step up from the games on the quad to playing at Carl Dale Field next season. The group of young intramural talent will look to prove themselves this spring during the Scotsí offseason training, in hopes of making it to the big leagues in the fall. Vercruysse expressed his excitement about being given the opportunity to play for Ford, stating that ìI just canít wait to get out there and show what I can do.”
Both Eicher and Vercruysse experienced great success this fall with perennial intramural powerhouse 7 Oíclock Soccer. Gilliss, feeling that he was not receiving his due amount of playing time, transferred teams in the middle of the season. After beginning the intramural season with the 7 Oíclock squad, Gilliss joined his older brother Tim Gilliss í10 and made the move to Lunz, the rival of 7 Oíclock, and three time champions of the intramural A-League.
After a regular season split in 2009, Lunz buried 7 Oíclock in the championship for the third season in a row after penalty kicks decided the outcome. The rivalry that has emerged between the two squads over the past four years has been heated and evenly matched despite the disparity in championship results.
Eicher and Vercruysse were essential elements to the success of 7 Oíclock squad which experienced a great surge of rejuvenated play inspired by the teamís younger players.† The team, composed mostly of seniors, looked to incoming talent such as Eicher and Vercruysse as the spark plug for a team that was desperately seeking its first intramural championship.
Ford and the Scots have found prospects in the intramural system before, but none of the past players never reached expectations and eventually found their way out of the program.† Ford hopes this yearís prospects will prove more lucrative for his struggling Scots than past failures.† The addition of Gilliss will mark the first non-7 Oíclock star to successfully make the move to Fordís team. Gilliss, having won an intramural championship in his first year at the College expressed a desire to move on, saying ìI feel I have achieved everything I wanted to in the IM game, now it is time for me to take my skills to the next level.”
As Gilliss, Eicher and Vercruysse look to join the varsity squad next fall the future of 7 Oíclock remains uncertain.† With the majority of the teamís players graduating in May, the tradition that began outside Wagner Hall in 2006 will likely move on with them.
Captain and coach Sam VanFleet í10 expressed frustration with the results of his four years with the team despite countless memories. VanFleet has constantly complained about never getting a championship t-shirt, something which surely would be of little use as VanFleet is rarely seen wearing a shirt.
After losing not only championships but other players to Lunz over the past four years, VanFleet commented that the move of Eicher and Vercruysse comes at little surprise to him. The Scots have been able to use the intramural system as a development league, and VanFleet expressed his hope for a little bit of financial support. VanFleet said that ìit would be nice of Ford would pay me a small transfer fee for my best players, or at least take me out to a nice dinner.”
The road in front of Gilliss, Eicher and Vercruysse is not an easy one. If the trio makes the fall squad they will likely be welcomed with a spot on Fordís incredibly deep bench, buried behind 21 returning players and surely at least a half dozen incoming first-years.
Despite the long struggle ahead of the young intramural stars Eicher and the bunch remain optimistic.† Eicher said ìitís going to be tough, but we are excited to prove that intramural players can perform at the highest level.”
Given the Scotsí recent struggles (4-13-1 in the NCAC over the past two seasons) the addition of intramural talent could be just what the team needs to get out of last place in the NCAC.
This story was run as part of The Wooster Vice, an annual April Fools publication.† It is a work of satire.