The first ten games of the men’s soccer season were promising to say the least. The Pilots finished them with a record of 6-3-1 including an impressive 2-0 win over the then No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes. But their work isn’t over; in fact, it is just beginning.
The Pilots will begin their conference schedule today at 2 p.m. with a showdown against Gonzaga.
The West Coast Conference teams have not been kind to the Pilots in the past. The Pilots won only one game last year in WCC play and in 2014 they didn’t manage a single win in conference. This year the WCC is shaping up to be tough once again. Going into conference play only San Francisco, San Diego and Saint Mary’s have losing records.
But none of that matters according to head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt.
“What happened in non-conference is irrelevant,” Carlin-Voigt said. “Everyone has the same record, everyone is 0-0.”
What does matter, however, is that the Pilots are coming off a bye week that has provided a much-needed break to the players. Their game against Gonzaga will be their first in two weeks. This break comes after a stretch that was less than favorable for the Pilots as they played five away games is 13 days.
“Guys picked up some knocks and the training room did a good job at keeping the guys healthy,” Carlin-Voigt said. “We’ve looked at ourselves in the mirror and we’ve spent some time addressing specific areas.”
The Pilots will be hitting the road again after the break and not just for the Gonzaga game on Sunday. The following weekend the Pilots will play at San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 14 and at Santa Clara on Sunday, Oct. 16.
All in all the Pilots will play five of their eight WCC games away from Merlo, but Carlin-Voigt and the rest of the team are getting over that by taking the season one game at a time, no matter where it’s being played.
For the Pilots, the focus is on Gonzaga and nothing else.
As the Pilots go into each game one at a time the emphasis is going to be on defense because that’s where it all starts. And as far as key players, there really are none for the Pilots. It is a group effort from the starters to the guys waiting to come into the game.
“We believe in collective defending and defending starts with our forwards. The attack starts with our goalkeeper,” Carlin-Voigt said. “We want to play a brand of total football.”
This collective effort has worked for the Pilots and has provided a complete turnaround for the program. At this time last year the Pilots’ record stood at 3-6-2 compared to an almost opposite record of 6-3-1 today.
The Pilots managed only one win and one tie in WCC play last year and it is safe to say that the expectations are much higher for the team this year with Carlin-Voigt at the helm of the program.
But right now, they aren’t worried about wins and losses.
“The ultimate goal is to get better every day,” Carlin-Voigt said. “I’m not one to make big statements. If you have a quiet confidence you let other people do the talking for you.”
With that being said, Carlin-Voigt was sure to emphasize the winning attitude that has been instilled in the players and coaches alike.
“We have a championship blueprint in place and how soon that can happen is up to everyone in the program,” Carlin-Voigt said. “Everyone quietly has confidence that we can continue to make the next step, but for now we’re not thinking past Sunday.”
There is, and for good reason, a renewed excitement in the air surrounding Pilots soccer after their impressive start to the year, but to the players and coaches, none of the hype matters. The Pilots are starting over on Sunday and beginning their journey towards the postseason.
But for now, they’re taking it one game at a time.
