Freshmen Phenoms Jeff Rickel/ Reporter
The nationally ranked men’s soccer team is halfway
through its season and a strong freshmen class is one of the
leading contributors to its success.
Of the team’s 18 goals, eight have been scored by
freshmen, who have also contributed eight of the team’s
16 assists. Forwards Nick Aparicio and Justin Wyatt have
stepped up and combined for five goals and five assists
through the first nine games of the season, and Aparicio was
named the Southern Conference’s player of the week for
the week of Sept. 5.
“I’m just happy to be able to play on a team
with so many solid players,” Aparicio said. “I
wasn’t expecting anything like player of the week or to
start. I just go out there and play.”
Aparicio was quick to mention that it is a big jump between
the high school and college game. He explained that the game
is a lot faster, and the level of play is high, with stronger
and all-around better players.
Phoenix coach Darren Powell said he knew they had brought in
a good class and expected the freshmen to contribute straight
away. He is also pleased with the team chemistry and
doesn’t think the freshmen will be affected by the
pressures of playing at the college level.
“They’ll be fine,” Powell said. “It
doesn’t take too long to adjust. After a while they are
no longer freshmen.”
Wyatt is tied for the team lead with three goals and leads
the team with two game-winning goals.
Freshman defender Steven Kinney has also scored three goals
and has started the first nine games this season.
The next few weeks will prove to be the biggest challenge
for the freshmen and the rest of the team as they will begin
a long road trip that will have them play several conference
rivals. Along with conference matches, the Phoenix will be
tested by UNC and Virginia Tech, ranked seventh and 18th in
the nation, respectively.
“We’re not going to look ahead to those games
yet,” Powell said. “I know it’s cliché, but
we’re going to play one game at a time and play our
best.”
One game to mark on the calendar is next Saturday when the
Phoenix take on UNC-Greensboro. UNC-G is the defending
Southern Conference Champion and will be a good way for the
Phoenix to measure how far they’ve come this
year.
Contact Jeff Rickel at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247. | 
