Men’s soccer canceled as a sport; new teams added
January 14, 2020
As many sports fans at Lincoln Land already know the men’s soccer team will not be here in 2020. This came as a surprise to many players on the 2019 team as they had high hopes for their next season. In the midst of all this change I recently got a chance to talk to a freshman who planned on returning next year and foreign exchange student who hopeful for his future soccer career.
Tanner Marsh, a freshman from Arizona says that he was disappointed when he heard that the soccer team was cut, but in some ways he saw it coming. Marsh a defense player for the loggers said he was “kinda sad” and had mixed emotions about the whole situation, especially since he had planned on still going to school here in the spring and had higher hopes for their next season.
“The athletic department has been great with honoring all the Freshman’s scholarships into their sophomore year” says Marsh. Marsh is lucky because he has more than one option. He could stay at Lincoln Land and finish out the rest of the year or go home and have the possibility of playing soccer at Mesa Community College in Arizona.
Adam Naim also came a long way to pursue his dreams of collegiate soccer or football as he wishes Americans would call it. He came to Springfield all the way from Birmingham, England. Naim says that it was a disappointment that the team was ultimately cut, but says that his body and mind are mentally prepared to play soccer somewhere else and transfer and is fortunate that he has received offers already from other schools.
Franck Pandong a freshman mid fielder coming to LLCC from Lanphier High School here in Springfield said he knew that eventually the team would be cut but did not expect it to happen this year, because of this Pandong thinks that is this will most likely be the end to his soccer career. With all that being said he is happy to see what the future holds for him at LLCC next year.
Lastly, Aidan Iocca a sophomore who is hoping to transfer to a four year school in Illinois to continue his soccer, said that he “had hunch that the team was going to be cut” but hoped that it would not be. In regards to the new women’s team he said “I’m happy that there is women’s soccer, but I wish they would keep the men’s. And honestly I could care less about esports”.
Even though this situation is sad and disheartening for many in the LLCC’s soccer community, there is a silver lining. Next year LLCC will have a women’s soccer team! According to the LLCC’s Athletic Director a women’s soccer team here has been in demand for some time now the recruiting process is already underway.
Go loggers! The lamp and LLCC can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of the new and returning teams in 2020!
MISSY Hodgdon • Jan 14, 2020 at 8:59 pm
If LLCC would have managed the program there would still be men’s soccer. LLCC just screwed any up and coming males who wanted to play and stay local. What a great trade of for men’s sports, soccer gone and esports in, my tax dollars well spent. I invested in my community college and LLCC’s management of the whole soccer program is bogus. THANK YOU LLCC!