TALENTED GROUP SET TO LEAD SOCCER SKYHAWKS IN 2018
8/14/2018 12:11:00 PM | Soccer
Media Guide
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team is getting ready to kick off the 2018 season under ninth-year head coach Phil McNamara. The 2018 squad features a seasoned core of veterans and a very talented rookie class.
UT Martin opens its 21st season of soccer at regional foe Arkansas State on Aug. 16. With a week to rest up, the Skyhawks then travel to Marshall to play the Thundering Herd for the second year in a row. UT Martin then returns home to take on Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Jackson State on Aug. 26 before a midweek matchup against regional foe Evansville. Next, the Skyhawks travel to Knoxville to take on system opponent Tennessee for a quick road trip. The Skyhawks round out the nonconference schedule with a pair of home matches against Western Carolina and Union, respectively.
"I am pretty excited about the 2018 schedule," McNamara said. "I feel that it is one of the most progressive schedules we have had in recent years. There aren't as many overloads in the early portion of the schedule. We have been able to go a little easier in the preseason which has made it a little more comfortable for the players to get their fitness levels closer and closer to where we need them to be a couple of weeks into the season. We have a one-game weekend the first weekend which allows the players to ease into the season and contrasts with how we have been in the past. I feel that the nonconference slate is very similar to our conference schedule. We will see teams who play the same style and pace that we are used to seeing in OVC action. We are looking forward to playing Tennessee in Knoxville and I feel that it will mean a lot to those seniors from Tennessee as they get to go out with a big matchup. Overall, we feel that the schedule is very balanced and fair with the hopes of going into conference play with a winning record."
Ohio Valley Conference action begins on Sept. 16 as Murray State has been selected to win the OVC title for the third consecutive season. UT Martin will look to shake things up with a talented roster that includes 22 returners (including all 11 starters) and four newcomers.
"As I have said the last few seasons, I feel that the conference is wide open especially this year," McNamara said. "Last season about 80 percent of conference games were decided by one goal. This is a very close league and is dependent on the home schedules. It is defined by the tough road teams that can go into other places and get a win. There have been some coaching changes across the league and some schools have seen their top players graduate which will allow other teams to make a run for the championship this year."
The OVC Soccer Championship will go with an eight-team field for the second year in a row. First round and quarterfinal matches will take place on Oct. 26-28 at the campus of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The semifinals and championship matches will be held at the campus of the No. 1 seed on Nov. 2-4.
Last season, the Skyhawks proved they were contenders as they made it back to the OVC Championship tournament following a year of missing the tournament. In that time, they saw one of the largest freshman classes in the nation become veterans overnight while an already experienced group of returners led by example. This season's squad has seven decorated seniors (Maggie Burkett, Katelyn Colvin, Makenzie Crawford, Danae Kaldaridou, Sara Ketis, Amy McGivern, Kaci Mitchell) who has shown the youngsters what it takes to pave the way back to the postseason.
"The big thing was that we got a lot closer last year as we had several one-goal results," McNamara said. "I felt that we outplayed many of our opponents even though that might not have translated to the scoreboard. The main goal is to mature and be more aggressive during the end of the year and into the tournament to achieve the ultimate goal."
Looking at the roster this season, one would think that this group has a legitimate chance to win an OVC title. The aforementioned upperclassmen join a sophomore class who last year learned on the fly as one of the largest freshman classes in the Division I ranks. Kamryn Chappell earned an OVC All-Newcomer nod as she led the Skyhawks in minutes played while rookie goalkeeper Erica Myers also took home an OVC Goalkeeper of the Week award after a pair of conference shutouts last season.
"We see the big group of now sophomores bringing a sense of continuity to the game," McNamara said. "Many of them were contributors last year and we definitely see them being in the mix to make some waves this season as well."
Not to be forgotten, the 2018 juniors have also honed their skills along the way. Nicole Collins has proven to be a reliable scoring option while defenders Alexius Thomas and Bianca McFarland have given the UT Martin back line solid minutes.
"We went from being one of the youngest teams to one of the most seasoned teams in just one year which we hope will show up on the pitch," McNamara said. "This senior class has had a difficult road since they have been pretty much on their own since their freshman year. The class that graduated before them getting here put a lot of pressure on them to perform and stand out. Hopefully this year they will get closer to being the leaders I feel they can be."
McNamara feels that this group of newcomers is up to the task as they already bring a great deal to the table. The upperclassmen have proven that they can handle any assignment hurled at them and will take the newcomers under their wing.
"We have four quality, hardworking incoming players who will definitely keep the returners on their toes," McNamara said. "I figure that all of them will be immediate contributors to our game. They allow us to be a bigger, deeper squad that can rotate players in and out of the match. The main thing that I see in those four is that they don't show fear in this new experience of playing collegiate soccer."
After a year of not having any seniors and having such a large freshman group, the 2018 Skyhawks have developed into one of the deepest groups during the McNamara Era – returning over 41,000 career minutes as well as 74 points, 26 goals and 22 assists from last season. With more added depth and virtually no losses from last season, UT Martin is ready to prove that this team is set to make a name for itself.
"We are very balanced – more so than any year before," McNamara said. "We have the opportunity to play any and every system that we want to play. If we feel that we need to go 4-3-3 or with two frontrunners we can. I feel that there is cover with every position and those chances will increase every week as we get healthy. With the balance of the schedule and opening with the one game, it will help these players gain their match fitness and therefore give them a little more energy and for them to take on board the knowledge that will make us a successful team."
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MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin soccer team is getting ready to kick off the 2018 season under ninth-year head coach Phil McNamara. The 2018 squad features a seasoned core of veterans and a very talented rookie class.
UT Martin opens its 21st season of soccer at regional foe Arkansas State on Aug. 16. With a week to rest up, the Skyhawks then travel to Marshall to play the Thundering Herd for the second year in a row. UT Martin then returns home to take on Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Jackson State on Aug. 26 before a midweek matchup against regional foe Evansville. Next, the Skyhawks travel to Knoxville to take on system opponent Tennessee for a quick road trip. The Skyhawks round out the nonconference schedule with a pair of home matches against Western Carolina and Union, respectively.
"I am pretty excited about the 2018 schedule," McNamara said. "I feel that it is one of the most progressive schedules we have had in recent years. There aren't as many overloads in the early portion of the schedule. We have been able to go a little easier in the preseason which has made it a little more comfortable for the players to get their fitness levels closer and closer to where we need them to be a couple of weeks into the season. We have a one-game weekend the first weekend which allows the players to ease into the season and contrasts with how we have been in the past. I feel that the nonconference slate is very similar to our conference schedule. We will see teams who play the same style and pace that we are used to seeing in OVC action. We are looking forward to playing Tennessee in Knoxville and I feel that it will mean a lot to those seniors from Tennessee as they get to go out with a big matchup. Overall, we feel that the schedule is very balanced and fair with the hopes of going into conference play with a winning record."
Ohio Valley Conference action begins on Sept. 16 as Murray State has been selected to win the OVC title for the third consecutive season. UT Martin will look to shake things up with a talented roster that includes 22 returners (including all 11 starters) and four newcomers.
"As I have said the last few seasons, I feel that the conference is wide open especially this year," McNamara said. "Last season about 80 percent of conference games were decided by one goal. This is a very close league and is dependent on the home schedules. It is defined by the tough road teams that can go into other places and get a win. There have been some coaching changes across the league and some schools have seen their top players graduate which will allow other teams to make a run for the championship this year."
The OVC Soccer Championship will go with an eight-team field for the second year in a row. First round and quarterfinal matches will take place on Oct. 26-28 at the campus of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The semifinals and championship matches will be held at the campus of the No. 1 seed on Nov. 2-4.
Last season, the Skyhawks proved they were contenders as they made it back to the OVC Championship tournament following a year of missing the tournament. In that time, they saw one of the largest freshman classes in the nation become veterans overnight while an already experienced group of returners led by example. This season's squad has seven decorated seniors (Maggie Burkett, Katelyn Colvin, Makenzie Crawford, Danae Kaldaridou, Sara Ketis, Amy McGivern, Kaci Mitchell) who has shown the youngsters what it takes to pave the way back to the postseason.
"The big thing was that we got a lot closer last year as we had several one-goal results," McNamara said. "I felt that we outplayed many of our opponents even though that might not have translated to the scoreboard. The main goal is to mature and be more aggressive during the end of the year and into the tournament to achieve the ultimate goal."
Looking at the roster this season, one would think that this group has a legitimate chance to win an OVC title. The aforementioned upperclassmen join a sophomore class who last year learned on the fly as one of the largest freshman classes in the Division I ranks. Kamryn Chappell earned an OVC All-Newcomer nod as she led the Skyhawks in minutes played while rookie goalkeeper Erica Myers also took home an OVC Goalkeeper of the Week award after a pair of conference shutouts last season.
"We see the big group of now sophomores bringing a sense of continuity to the game," McNamara said. "Many of them were contributors last year and we definitely see them being in the mix to make some waves this season as well."
Not to be forgotten, the 2018 juniors have also honed their skills along the way. Nicole Collins has proven to be a reliable scoring option while defenders Alexius Thomas and Bianca McFarland have given the UT Martin back line solid minutes.
"We went from being one of the youngest teams to one of the most seasoned teams in just one year which we hope will show up on the pitch," McNamara said. "This senior class has had a difficult road since they have been pretty much on their own since their freshman year. The class that graduated before them getting here put a lot of pressure on them to perform and stand out. Hopefully this year they will get closer to being the leaders I feel they can be."
McNamara feels that this group of newcomers is up to the task as they already bring a great deal to the table. The upperclassmen have proven that they can handle any assignment hurled at them and will take the newcomers under their wing.
"We have four quality, hardworking incoming players who will definitely keep the returners on their toes," McNamara said. "I figure that all of them will be immediate contributors to our game. They allow us to be a bigger, deeper squad that can rotate players in and out of the match. The main thing that I see in those four is that they don't show fear in this new experience of playing collegiate soccer."
After a year of not having any seniors and having such a large freshman group, the 2018 Skyhawks have developed into one of the deepest groups during the McNamara Era – returning over 41,000 career minutes as well as 74 points, 26 goals and 22 assists from last season. With more added depth and virtually no losses from last season, UT Martin is ready to prove that this team is set to make a name for itself.
"We are very balanced – more so than any year before," McNamara said. "We have the opportunity to play any and every system that we want to play. If we feel that we need to go 4-3-3 or with two frontrunners we can. I feel that there is cover with every position and those chances will increase every week as we get healthy. With the balance of the schedule and opening with the one game, it will help these players gain their match fitness and therefore give them a little more energy and for them to take on board the knowledge that will make us a successful team."
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