Fall Sports: A Look at Men’s and Women’s Soccer
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Bluefield University are well into their 2021 seasons. The men are enjoying quite a bit of success, while the women are learning from what has become a very challenging season.
The men’s soccer team has had a solid campaign so far going 4-7 with six games remaining (as of 10-12-21), which is a lot better than 2020 when the Rams finished 2-7 overall. The team has been particularly impressive offensively with the help of senior center back Axel Johansson who is first on the team and fourth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference in goals scored with six.
“It is going a lot better than we expected,” said Rams head coach Justin Morton about the success of 2021. “We have scored more this year than the last three years combined.”
Coach Morton added that retention has been key to why the team has improved with 22 players having two-plus years on the squad. Among those veterans are Johansson and fellow seniors Devin Calloway, Chris Dandridge and Lamont Finley.
Recruiting a good freshman class has also contributed to the team’s success. Among the newcomers are Aiden Liberty, Tony Rodriguez, Andrew Goodman, Jonathan Gonzalez and Adam Gymnander. Coach Morton said he is particularly proud of Gymnander who has played well this season despite coming off of a big knee injury. Gymnander has started eight of the 11 games this season and has scored two goals and recorded two assists.
Sophomore Drake Cullens agreed that Gymnander has been a huge help coming in as a freshman and playing so well. Cullens is also excited about how the team has performed in 2021. In fact, he said he sees this team playing in the conference finals.
The Lady Rams soccer team has not fared as well in 2021, going winless so far at 0-9-1 (as of 10-12-21). But despite the lack of wins on the field, head coach Katie Morton said the team is winning in a lot of different ways off the field.
“Coaching these girls has been nothing but a joy for me because of the people this team has,” said Katie Morton. “This is my first year with them, and I know it takes time to build more wins on the field. But overall, this is the best group I could ask for as my first year. I am excited to see what the future holds for Rams soccer.”
Editor’s Note: Visit bcrams.com for the latest statistics for the men’s soccer team and the women’s soccer team.