Men’s Soccer at Salt Lake Community College currently holds a ranking of ninth in the region.
With 18 players, seven being starting freshman, SLCC’s Men’s Soccer has won nine out of 16 games this season as they plan to make it past regionals.
“This is a good team,” says the men’s soccer coach, Enrique Velasquez. “They’re great guys and they work hard. They are straight up men.”
Velasquez got his first look at his upcoming team at tryouts that were held at the beginning of summer 2012. So far he has chosen the right team members to accomplish this season.
“We have a great defense so with that it helps us to be more offensive,” says freshman Jordan Erekson who currently plays as a versatile midfielder.
Halfway through the season, regionals are fast approaching
The regional tournament is scheduled Oct. 27-29 at the University of Utah.
The region includes stiff competition from California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.
“The winner of that tournament will get an automatic bid into nationals,” says Velasquez. “We think we will be right in the thick of things during that tournament.”
Having had some professional experience, Velasquez has applied what he has learned into coaching at SLCC
With the backing of a National B License in coaching from the United States Soccer Federation, Velasquez uses this to his arsenal on the field.
“I have been playing for 48 years,” says Velasquez. “I’ve been a coach for 20 years.”
Leo Vega, the assistant coach, also has valuable assets to contribute to the team. He has played in both Europe and South America as well as coached for leagues in Argentina. He also has a coaching certificate from the International Federation of Football Association or FIFA.
With the coaches having previous experience, they expect a lot from their players. Grades need to be maintained at least a 2.5 GPA, they need to be committed and respectful to every aspect of the game.
The next home game is to be held at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus on Oct. 12 against North Idaho College at 3 p.m.
More stats and rankings can be found at NIRSA.org, and for more information on the SLCC soccer team, visit SLCC Men’s Soccer on Facebook.
