Although the varsity program was eliminated last January, men’s soccer has not left campus.
Following a magical season in which the program finished 33-1-1 and second in the nation, the Vanderbilt men’s club soccer team began this year at the Virginia Tech Tournament, finishing third with two wins, a draw and a loss.
The effort began a highly anticipated season in which the team hopes to duplicate last year’s results and carry the flame for men’s soccer.
The men faced a daunting task this weekend, with four games on the schedule, including one against the rival Auburn Tigers. The opener against William & Mary saw junior striker and former varsity team member Jerry Yirenkyi start the season where he left off last year, finishing with a hat trick in the 4-0 victory.
The following game pitted Vanderbilt against UNC, a school rich in soccer tradition. It ended a scoreless affair. The third game more than made up for the dearth of goals in the previous match, with the Vanderbilt men scoring four goals to Wake Forest’s two. Yirenkyi again joined in on the scoring, earning his fourth goal in the tournament, with senior JP Moreland and juniors Scott Shugh and Matt Gist scoring the others.
Unfortunately, the team ended the tournament on a dour note, losing 1-0 to an Auburn team it defeated twice in 2005.
“The Virginia Tech tournament was not the ideal start for us,” Yirenkyi said. “The best thing we can do is to make changes. The dynamics of the team has changed greatly over the last year. We have a lot of new players. They all bring a different playing style to the team.”
Junior keeper Josh Wiedermann saw plenty of hope despite a frustrating result, in part due to a rough pitch and unfavorable referees.
“We noticed a clear progression in the team's play by the end of the semi-final game against Auburn, with very solid play from all seven of our new players that traveled to Virginia Tech with us this weekend,” he said. “So, although the tournament ended abruptly, the play we witnessed in the semi-final game against Auburn is reminiscent of the powerful year we were a part of last season, finishing second in the nation.”
Wiedermann was also eager to point out the consistent midfield play of Chas De Roziere, Alex Lopez and Niko Kumar, who, coupled with defenders Scott Krenitski and Eric Delong, provided consistent linking of the back line and midfield for effective play.
The play of the team last year and the commitment level shown at the start of the new season is a fantastic reminder to the student body that men’s soccer at Vanderbilt is not dead, but rather rejuvenated.
Despite what some may think, Yirenkyi said the attitude within the team is just as serious as ever.
“We take everything we do very serious,” he said. “Having played varsity and club, there are not a whole lot of things that are different.”
