Physicality is Theme of WCC Men's Soccer

By Gabe Taylor

With 20 games being crammed into a two and a half month season, the Santa Clara men's soccer team is bruised and battered. Six players are currently bench-ridden with injuries, and the physicality present on the pitch is continuing to take its toll.

Hamstring injuries have plagued Mykell Bates, Alex Fitschen and Gabriel Romero, while starting midfielder Murphy Campbell remains on the sideline after suffering a season ending injury at the beginning of the season.

On Oct. 14, Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount combined for 35 fouls, and eight cards — two of which were red. The redcards — handed out to both a Bronco and Lion's player — were issued before halftime arrived.

"I think Santa Clara's tradition is (as) a pretty physical team," commented San Diego's head coach Seamus McFadden following the Broncos' 4-1 rout of his Toreros.

Prior to the 2004 season, West Coast Conference teams only played each other once. Now, every team competes against conference opponents twice — once at home and once on the road.

And the teams have left little doubt that they will turn to physicality if it means exiting the field with a victory. With teams jockeying for position in the tight WCC standings, the games can turn into battles.

"The game tends to be more aggressive than probably it should be," said Santa Clara head coach Cameron Rast.

A primary reason Rast takes this stance is that when a players are carded, they are able to return to the match after being subbed out.

"It is a physical league, and it's kind of the environment that's been created in this conference for soccer, and you can really tell," said senior midfielder Brandon Zimmerman.

Soccer is physical in nature. Slide tackling, bodying up on the opposing players and charging in for a 50-50 ball are all a part of the game.

"You never really want to see a guy get hurt in this game," said Zimmerman, who is known for his aggressive and vocal style of play. "But the thing about it is if you go in soft on a tackle, you're making yourself more liable to be hurt."

The WCC's most controversial move came with the decision to instill a bye week. Rather than allotting more time for the matches to take place, teams' schedules require players and coaches to exert an immense amount of energy in a shorter period of time before and after the week off.

"That decision is pretty unbelievable to me," said Zimmerman.

In late September-early October, Santa Clara was forced to compete in four conference games within the span of eight days.

"That's not conducive really to playing with a high level of quality," said Rast, noting that it is difficult enough to play two games in a week.

After picking up consecutive wins against the University of Portland and Gonzaga, the Broncos dropped the remaining two to the University of San Francisco and Saint Mary's.

"When you play four games in eight days, somebody's bound to get hurt," said Zimmerman.

Rast and Zimmerman both agree that health and consistency are imperative for a soccer team to thrive.

Jam-packed schedules are creating a roadblock across the WCC that limits teams' ability to gain momentum, with many teams merely having one day in between matches. With this minimal gap, coaches are left with insufficient preparation time before the next game springs upon them.

When asked how a coach prepares for a game when the team only has one day to rest, McFadden was quick to reply, "you don't."

If McFadden controlled the fate of WCC soccer, he would tweak the schedules in order for teams to primarily compete on Wednesdays and Saturdays instead of the typical Friday and Sunday games that are assigned now.

"We're not doing justice to the student athlete or their experience," said McFadden, adding that the league is "dogging" the players by asking them to perform at a high level on Friday night, and then asking for more of the same less than 48 hours later.

Whether it's a one-day break or a team taking a much-needed breather during their bye week, the fact remains that teams are suffering from the current scheduling and rules. Soccer is a physical sport, but the league must establish a balance between aggressive play and safety in order to protect the health of the student athletes. Only until this balance is achieved will teams be capable to perform to the best of their abilities.  

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or at (408) 554-4852.