Earlier this month, the Texas men’s soccer team started its season off with bad news.
The team’s alumni association released a statement Friday saying UT RecSports has reduced the team’s budget, pushing head coach Matt Prewett to rely on more than just his team to have a successful season.
While “school comes first” for the team, the players are reaching out to the Longhorn community for support to make sure they have a successful season on and off
the field.
Prewett — in his 12th year at the helm of the team — remains confident in his team’s ability after a promising start to the season.
“This should be a break-out year for this group,” Prewett said. “We are fully focused on winning back the [Texas Collegiate Soccer League] conference championship again in 2014.”
The team has won four conference championships previously, with its last TCSL title win coming in 2010.
After official tryouts ended last week, the team won their first match of the season against Sam Houston State, 5-1, in Huntsville. Prewett said several of the club players had offers from Division I, II and III schools, but chose to attend Texas instead.
“This year’s team is the most competitive since I have been involved with coaching this club,” Prewett said. “That says a lot because we’ve had talented groups in the past.”
Senior defender David Cornyn has been on the team for three years.
“There’s a lot of talent on this team,” Cornyn said. “We believe we’re going to be a major threat this season.”
Last year, Texas qualified for the NIRSA national championship after a well-played season, only to have the tournament cancelled indefinitely due to weather.
The Longhorns want another shot at nationals this year, and Cornyn said more support from the Texas community would boost the team’s morale.
“The club enjoys support from the students,” Cornyn said. “Especially for our rivalry games, such as Texas A&M and Texas Tech.”
The next game kicks off Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against the Lonestars U18. The most anticipated matchup of the season comes Friday, Oct. 24, during a home match against Texas A&M.
