The Geneseo men’s club soccer team gives students an opportunity to continue playing competitive soccer after their high school careers. While there are other opportunities to play soccer here at Geneseo—such as intramurals—the club program allows for students to play at a more competitive level.
Junior communication major Pat Hurley is a devout member of the club soccer team. “[Club soccer] is an incredible opportunity,” Hurley said in an email interview. The team has quite a selective process when it comes to choosing new members.
“At the beginning of the fall season, there are a few days appropriated for tryouts,” Hurley said. “Of all those who tryout, only 22 will compete on the active roster. Such a roster entails a game squad and practice squad.”
For those select few who are able to claim a spot on the active roster, they must be ready to make a serious time commitment.
“We compete in the fall for only a few months because of weather and the availability for fields, as we are not a Varsity sport,” Hurley said.
Despite the time commitment, the league is relatively informal. There is not a set playoff system that is to be followed. Instead, the team seeks to play only a few games when the weather begins to get nicer in the spring.
“We make cuts in order to play at a higher level, pitch in for jerseys and look to take this opportunity as seriously as possible,” Hurley said.
To compete in matches against other clubs across the state, there needs to be a hierarchy of positions to ensure that the program moves smoothly. Students who are players on the team fill these roles.
“The president runs everything through the school, like reserving fields,” Hurley said. “There is a student coach that runs practices, names the game squad and the captains act as general leaders to get the players ready to go for that week’s upcoming game.”
Throughout the rest of this season’s campaign and moving into the future, the team works to improve and to grow as both individuals and as a program. Like many other athletes, however, Hurley is confident in the team’s attempts to build this team and organization into a great threat.
“We are always looking to improve,” Hurley said. “It’s OK to not be satisfied, as we always want to get better at skills. With hard work and commitment, we are looking to grow in every aspect of the game—whether it be mental, physical or just kicking the ball around.”
Such improvement will not come without serious commitment from everyone involved in the team and the organization. If everyone is doing their best, then they can only hope to improve in their future endeavors.