UMass Boston doesn’t have a football team. But they do have a futbol team. Soccer, that is. For any of you who have the cliche American bias against soccer, just give the men’s soccer team of UMass Boston a chance to prove your bias wrong.
In his fifth season as men’s soccer coach, Myles Berry looks to lead his team of savvy soccer players to its third consecutive winning season, something that will surely cement his legacy in the coaching pantheon at UMass Boston.
Players to Watch: To this point, Berry wouldn’t be too specific about whom to single out as a surprise contributor. “We have a few newcomers who have the potential to make significant contributions to the team,” Berry said. “We haven’t even had a chance to practice yet,” he added, indicating that he will need more time to evaluate his new talent. No matter what level of sport you compete at, there’s always room for improvement. Senior Emile Pierre-St. Louis was singled out by Berry as the player with “the most potential to improve his game and have a significant impact on our success [this season].”
The Leaders: Guilherme Gonclaves, a senior midfielder and native of Campo Grande, Brazil will lead the way, along with junior goalkeeper Paul Maniscalo. “Gui,” as his coach likes to call him “has done a lot in the off-season to keep the team working together.” Berry says that goalkeeper Maniscalo has been a leader since his freshman year and that “both players are well-respected by their teammates and coaches.”
Expectations: It was noted earlier that Berry is shooting for a third consecutive winning season for his Beacons. He expects nothing less. He plans on bettering the 11-7-1 mark from 2006 and winning the Little East Conference Championship. Berry had his Beacons close to the prize last year when they lost to Plymouth State University on penalty kicks in a semi-final LEC tournament game.
Why Go? If you’ve read this far, I know you’ll go. Soccer is a great, competitive, intense, passionate game. The UMass Boston men are looking to improve from last season and they seem poised to do so. Berry also said that “our players are skilled [and] we play a very entertaining style of soccer.” And if soccer doesn’t seem to tickle your fancy, then come for the diversity. The men’s soccer team has representatives from The Netherlands, Brazil, Cape Verde, Thailand and Columbia. If you’re taking a foreign language, there’s a good chance a member of the team can tutor you.