While the season may be winding down for the men's club soccer team, the future remains bright.
"Although we did not make nationals like we expected to, I think this season has really shown some promise for the years to come," said junior forward Brian Boyett, president of the team.
Leading up to regionals, the men's soccer team was ranked No. 1 in the region.
The Tigers had defeated teams such as Alabama, Samford, the University of Central Florida and Columbus State.
The Tigers outscored their opponents this season 35-10.
"We won the University of Florida Invitational Tournament for the first time and ended the season with a 10-1 record," Boyett said.
While the season proved to be a success for Auburn, the team struggled at regionals, with tough competition from the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida.
The team finished the weekend 2-1 after being eliminated in the first round of the tournament.
"The season was a bit of a ride," said senior outside fullback and captain Wes Ormond. "The team seemed to be getting better and better, and we were really optimistic going into last weekend.
"Getting knocked out so early at regionals was a bit of a shock to us."
Because of the loss at regionals, the Tigers' chance at a nationals bid is slim.
Even with the disappointment from regionals, Boyett is confident about the future of the team after the high turnout of talent during tryouts.
"We had a record turnout at tryouts," Boyett said. "I think we had over 100 new players try out, which is huge, considering the 60 or so we normally have. Picking the team was harder than ever."
While the team has 17 returning players and an unusually large roster of 37, the freshmen on the team made an impact this season.
"The young talent we picked up was incredible," Boyett said. "Several freshmen earned starting positions very early in the season and were instrumental in our success. They are the future of this program."
After three years on the team, Boyett said he is convinced that this year's team has something special--chemistry.
"Overall, the biggest strength of this team was its great chemistry," said senior center-midfielder Andrew Wallace. "It was a very close team with everyone willing to put the team above themselves."
Not only was the team's chemistry strong, but they kept the drama to a minimum.
"We put in a lot of hard work on the practice field, and it showed come game time," Ormond said. "Maybe our biggest strength was keeping things relatively drama-free, which is hard to do sometimes with that many guys, so much at stake and no coach."
Though the Tigers will probably not make the trip to nationals, the season is not over.
Auburn faces the University of Georgia Nov. 12 at the Wire Road complex.
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