Fans watching the men’s soccer team often only see a team, but from the players’ points of view they see a brotherhood. Although there is a multitude of new additions to the team, five seniors have not only led their team to a successful season, but also created an atmosphere of comradery.
CLOSE ON THE FIELD
Goalkeeper J.T. Addington, forward Stephen Tanquary and midfielders John Hanscom, Joey O’Keefe and Marshall Deogarcia are all seniors who have played on the team for all four years. During those years these five players have become more than teammates – they have become brothers.
“I think a lot of times a team can get close on the field, but we always had this extra element that you could really see on the field,” said Hanscom.
In their first years at Biola, they joined a team where freshmen were very much looked down on. Although they remember that time as feeling separate from the upperclassmen, they found themselves getting closer to each other in the process.
SPARKING A BOND
During that year, four out of the five guys, minus Addington who had class during that time, started a Bible study that sparked their bond.
“That was something that kick-started it where we were forced to be really open with each other,” Deogarcia said.
In 2013, the team found themselves face to face with their Golden State Athletic Conference rival Concordia for a ticket to the NAIA National Tournament. Unfortunately the Eagles fell to Concordia and finished second in their division.
Although the team did not make it to Nationals the year after, they are confident they have what it takes this year to achieve their goal. Going to Nationals has been a goal for the five seniors since their first year on the team.
“As a team we have always wanted to go to nationals. It’s something we haven’t done in my three years of being here so it’s always been a team goal,” Addington said.
THREE YEARS OF MOLDING
Their phenomenal leadership of the team has come through their three years of molding, growing and bonding together in a group representing what a senior class should be. They have been able to observe the years before them and learn from what they did and did not do well.
“Through these three years together we’ve seen a lot of different senior groups,” said Tanquary. “So we have seen a lot of what we want to embody for the younger guys and a lot of what we don’t want to embody.”
Their bond has contagiously spread throughout the team and has started a pattern for the younger players to follow in their footsteps. The brotherhood and passion for the game they have is something they desire the younger players to strive for in their future years on the team.
“They [the freshmen] have approached us saying ‘hey what makes you guys different?’ and we try to tell them that they need to spend time with each other,” O’Keefe said.
Hearing the story of these five seniors has shed some light on the inner dynamics of the men’s soccer team. With their bond becoming ever stronger, the Eagles are ready to take on the rest of their GSAC divisional match ups.
