By Robby Fenbers
West Associate Editor
The Challengers continue to improve, build confidence and look for wins as they enter the second half of the 2014 season.
Coming off a rough season in which Tri-C saw only one win, Soccer Coach Devan Anderson made it clear to his team that he has high expectations this year. Led by team captains Andrei Plop, Mark Primuth and Kevin Mann, the team looks to use its experience to win close games that they might not have won last season.
“We have one of our best returning classes,” said Coach Anderson, who remains optimistic this season. The Challengers are returning 10 players this year.
As of this writing, the Challengers record is 4-5-1 already eclipsing their win total from last season.
“It is a lot of hard work and positivity,” says Plop, who is in his second year with the team, and went through the misery of last season. “We have a lot more people that know the game and have better experience.”
Though experience is always welcome, the Challengers are finding that sometimes the inexperienced have the upper hand. Richard Vanhorne emerged as a superstar with the team the past two seasons and another Jamaican freshman is grabbing the attention of not only the conference, but the entire division.
Tevin Williams continues to score goals at a blistering pace as he has 13 goals in 10 games. Coming off one of his greatest games, Williams scored four goals, one of which was a penalty kick as the Challengers defeated Lake Michigan College 5-4.
“It means a lot knowing what he did and being compared to him, I’m just trying to surpass that right now,” Williams said, when asked about being compared to Vanhorne.
Although Coach Anderson has been pleased with Williams’s freshman season, he says he does not yet have the experience of a Vanhorne, but he is playing above expectations. “I go out and specifically recruit finishers; Tevin has the ability to finish.”
With their confidence growing each game, the Challengers will look to finish the season strong.