Men’s Soccer battles through injuries in second half of season

By Jared Brehm | gargoyle@flagler.edu

With the 2014 men’s soccer season nearly halfway through, the Flagler Saints stand at 6-8-1 overall and 3-4 in conference play after being plagued by a number of key injuries.

After beginning the season with a fast start, the Saints have struggled recently, dropping five straight before beting Nova Southeastern University 3-1 in a non-conference men’s soccer match on Oct. 22.

The tough September schedule proved to be a good learning experience and a challenge for the Saints as they posted a 3-3-1 record. However, all three losses were to top-ranked teams and were all lost by one goal.

However, the team’s recent struggles have largely been due to critical injuries. Junior and starting forward Jonny Cosgrove’s leg injury forced him to miss several games. In addition, junior midfielder Marco Warren’s ankle injury had him sitting out considerable time.

Despite these injuries, Coach John Lynch remains optimistic about his team and likes their chances of moving forward.

“Our goal has never changed no matter what. We strive to win a championship,” he said.

When asked about losing a considerable amount of senior talent the last two seasons and how that might affect the team this year, Lynch replied, “I don’t believe in rebuilding. We always preach to aim high no matter what.”

The Saints are entering the second half of the season, and although they are a bit banged up, Lynch believes that “with a little bit of luck we are right there.”

With some of these key injuries, Lynch said it’s taking every player stepping up to make a mid-season turn around.

“It’s really been a team effort,” Lynch said. “No one player is filling the shoes.”