STU lost five recruits over the summer
On an unusually hot September morning, the Tommies’ female soccer team is training on Chapman Field for the fast-approaching season. Normally, this would also be tryouts for the team; but head coach Macky Singh won’t be making cuts anytime soon.
As of the beginning of training camp, Singh only has about a dozen players to build a team with. In Soccer, 11 players (including the goalkeeper) are on the field at one time. Considering the need to have substitutes on the bench, and the possibility of injury, this is a tough number to work with.
It’s a very unfortunate start for the team, which is at the dawn of rebuilding. After losing 11 of 12 games last year, fresh talent is needed if they want to make strides toward a winning season.
The situation for the Tommies looked much better earlier in the summer, when there was a lot more interest in the soccer team. But, as training camp neared, the interest waned.
“Before camp, we had 20 names who were interested. But some got cold feet, or didn’t want to play,” said Singh.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment for the Tommies is the low turnout of recruited players. Over the summer, seven sought out players said that they would come to St. Thomas University. Out of those seven players, two got injured and three backed out not long before training camp began.
“We’re still recruiting,” said Singh. “The girls have put up posters around campus.”
But time is very tight for recruiting right now. The regular season begins on Saturday September 11th. If the Tommies don’t find more players, it will be an overwhelming challenge to chalk up some wins on the board.
