Men's Soccer | 8/24/2016 2:00:00 PM

STATESBORO – For the first time in a decade, the Georgia Southern men's soccer program will be under new leadership when they take the pitch this fall. The 2016 Eagles will still look to build off of what former head coach Kevin Kennedy laid as a foundation for a successful program in the Sun Belt Conference, but they will do so with a new voice and a new vision from first year head coach John Murphy.

The New Coach
Murphy brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Statesboro, including 10 in the professional ranks where he coached in over 300 games both in the United States and abroad. He has coached at college powerhouses as well as successful professional teams and has also turned programs around for the better. He sees great potential in Statesboro, not just in the long term, but also in the short term.

"I think the expectation for us is to build on the good work that Coach Kennedy did previously," Murphy said. "He left me a pretty good situation here and I appreciate the fact that he did such a great job recruiting and developing this group. I think at this point, it's about getting all of us on the same page by helping the players have a better understanding of my philosophy and my methods and then trying to integrate those with the talents that the kids bring to the table. I think you saw a little bit of that in the preseason where there were times that looked very good and there were times when we looked disjointed, and that's the reason why you play scrimmages. If we can learn from these things quickly and move on, that will put us in good stead and preparation for Houston, Florida and the rest of the season."

Preseason Preparation
Murphy and his new squad of 25 players haven't had much time to waste on pleasantries. Murphy arrived on campus the weekend before preseason began and he and the team hit the ground running. Despite the expedited time frame, the Eagles haven't rushed the building process as they continue to work on the smallest, most basic details of the game.

After just a week of practicing, going through drills and scrimmaging against each other, the Eagles got the opportunity to test their mettle against outside competition when they played SCAD and UNC Asheville in a pair of home exhibitions. GS defeated SCAD 3-0 before falling 2-1 in a weather-shortened game against the Bulldogs of UNCA. The exhibitions and several Blue-White scrimmages have allowed Murphy and his assistants the chance to get a good feel for where the group stands heading into the regular season.

"I saw plenty of things I liked in the preseason," Murphy said. "I like the fact that we have a flexibility in the front part of our group that will allow us to throw some different looks at teams because we have some exciting players. We have some guys in central areas that can operate to either hold the ball in or to get underneath and create a little bit, and I think that flexibility will allow us to be able to adapt during the season and that is going to be important because we're playing a tough schedule."

The Players
The Eagles have a relatively young squad in terms of the number of freshmen (10), redshirt freshmen (4) and sophomores (3), but they will still have plenty of veteran leadership as all eight of their upperclassmen have plenty of collegiate playing experience and will most likely factor into the starting rotations, at least early on. Seniors Aidan Reising and Jeremy Rector, along with junior Hunter Loyden and sophomore Chase Herzog also spent time this summer training and playing with South Georgia Tormenta FC and that extra training will prove invaluable as they look to help the underclassmen adapt to the college game.

"The group that's been here the longest, these guys have been battle-tested. They've played against top competition and obviously been on campus for several years and you can see the quality," Murphy said. "These guys are hungry for success, so they want more, and my staff and I are here to provide them more opportunities to get better.

"I think (the upperclassmen) are the ones that set the tone. It's up to the younger guys to be able to step up to that standard. We're going to be as good as our older players lead us to be. We need to all step up and follow their example, and that's what I've been telling these guys- it's their team. I'm here to oversee their development, but at the end of the day, soccer is the kind of game that really is a player's game. The guys on the field have to be the ones that make the decisions and make plays happen and find ways to win games. It needs to be a player-centered approach where these guys are taking the responsibility when they step on the field and every time they put on that uniform, that they're going out there and giving everything they can for the program, for the University, and for the community. So, we have kids that take a lot of pride in playing for this school."

The Schedule
For the Eagles to be successful in 2016, they will have to run a gauntlet of tough games, including starting the season with four straight matches on the road. The tough schedule of 18 regular season matches includes 14 foes that played in the post season in 2015. Five of the Eagles' 2016 foes made it to the NCAA Tournament, including 2015 NCAA Championship runner up and National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA) preseason No. 3 Clemson. Georgia Southern will have to play Clemson, Duke, No. 24 South Carolina, as well as league-favorite and 21^st-ranked Coastal Carolina all on the road.

But Murphy knows that to be the best, you have to play the best. And to take that even further, you have to prove that you can win on the road and overcome adversity.

"We're playing top teams, not only within the conference but outside of the league, as well," Murphy continued. "We have to be able to delve into our entire team. It can't just be 11 guys on the pitch, and I feel comfortable that we could probably go 15, 16 deep at this point. And again, full credit for that goes to the previous coaching staff and the work that they've done, and full credit to the commitment that these kids have made previous to me arriving. I just think now they're hearing a different voice and certainly 10 days isn't enough to get everybody on the same page. It's going to take a little bit more time, but we have to find a way to be cohesive and combative in the short term while we're trying to get our feet underneath us.

"I prefer to play a strong schedule because I think that brings out the best in players," Murphy said. "It's one of the reasons why these student-athletes come to a school like this; because they want a challenge, and we're very fortunate we're in a fantastic part of the country. The southeast for me is one of the toughest regions in the country in regards to quality of schools. It doesn't matter what conference you look at, but you have top schools in this area."

But even the home schedule won't be overlooked as the Eagles' six home matches will offer them the opportunity to play solid competition in front of their fans.

"In regards to our games at home, we need to make this place a fortress," Murphy said. "We need to make it a place where people do not want to come and play, not because the facility is not of quality, but because of the team that's playing on it. I think our facility is exceptional, the playing surface for our game field is fantastic, and I would think any top team would want to plan a surface like that, but we certainly want to create a mentality when teams come to Statesboro that's going to be very difficult for them to get anything from the game. We expect to play and compete against the very best and that's how you get the best out of teams."

The Eagles open the season in Houston, Texas with matches against Houston Baptist and Texas Rio Grande Valley on Friday, August 26 and Sunday, August 28. The Eagles will then travel to Stetson on Friday, September 2 and Jacksonville University on Sunday, September 4. The Eagles will open their home slate on Friday, September 9 against James Madison.


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