Men’s soccer to open at Utah State
On top of school work the UVU men’s club soccer team, along with Coach Kemal Makasci, is concluding tryouts with hopes of creating a solid team that will lead them to a successful season through leadership and commitment.
As one of the club teams on campus, the men’s soccer program receives no funding from the school, leaving the coaching staff and the players to participate through voluntary commitments. Luckily for them, eager coaches and players dedicated to make this season one to remember.
Jared Vogelsberg is one of those players. Vogelsberg is the club president and captain for the men’s soccer club.
“He has very good conditioning strength and tactical background,” Makasci said about the striker. “I think he is a very good leader for the team.”
Makasci has been holding open trainings for the past six weeks, eager to find prospective players and a few more leaders who are interested in playing for the club team. Their hope is to find two to three more captains who can lead this season with more organization than has been evident in the previous years.
“Organization has always been an issue with us,” Vogelsberg said. “This year we’re a lot more organized. We have two assistant coaches who were previous players on the team. They have a lot of experience.”
One of those assistant coaches is Viktor Bezhani.
“We want committed people,” Bezhani said. “If we get a good group of committed people, then we can work something out. I have no doubt in my mind that we can.”
Makasci and his staff have not only looked for prospective players with talent or ability, but also at a player’s commitment to the team, something hard to find without a full-ride scholarship.
The Wolverines have established defenders and are looking to fill mid and forward positions. More importantly, they need a goalkeeper after losing a talented goalie at graduation last semester, leaving an important spot wide open on the team.
“We are looking for a good, solid goalie and that’s something that we haven’t seen yet,” Vogelsberg said. “UVU is a very big school and I know that a lot of people have played goalie. It’s just about getting the word out and telling people that we’re having tryouts”
If The Wolverines can find the kind of goalkeeper they’re looking for, almost all the ingredients for a successful season will be present. Makasci and Bezhani are expressing optimism for the season and Vogelsberg has the guidance skills needed to lead his team to wins. All they need now is the support and school pride from the student body.
The Wolverines will play their first game Sept. 10 at Utah State. Last year UVU lost to Utah State 2-1 after the Aggies scored two goals within the last four minutes of game-play.