MSU soccer coaches, players weigh in on pros and cons of 2020-21 season

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Fall athletes at Midwestern State University have their eyes set on a regular season after having to play a modified spring schedule this past year.

Despite being back to summer workouts and preparing like they normally would, the change to their routine has left some unintended consequences.

“It’s been a lot of adversity,” head women’s soccer coach Ryan Spence said.

For MSU soccer players, the 2020-2021 year meant turning their regular season on its head.

“It was almost was like a flip for us,” head men’s soccer coach Michael Meachum described, “we put the spring to the fall and the fall to the spring.”

“Weird because you know you’re in spring and you’re acting like you are in fall but you still feel like you’re in spring mode,” men’s soccer center back Ryan O’Keeffe added, “so it’s tough.”

That kind of switch meant having to approach the spring semester in an entirely new way.

“You know you’re used to relaxing, kicking back your feet and now you have to get ready so you can’t have as much fun as normal and you have to get ready for the season,” O’Keeffe said.

But despite the changes, both players and athletes say they weren’t expecting how positive having a competitive spring schedule would be for them.

“It’s definitely nice to stay consistent throughout the spring, the summer, the fall that way you don’t get too much of a break where we start relaxing and getting too comfortable,” women’s soccer midfielder Alyssa Salinas said.

“So I think the spring was good because it kept the girls still fighting,” Coach Spence added, “still trying to perform at their best.”

Especially when it comes to incoming freshmen and transfers.

“Really were able to get them into a routine,” Coach Meachum explained, “instead of throwing them off the deep end like we normally have to do.”

“It did lead us to a little bit of an advantage with the freshmen and all the incoming and we can get ahead with them and started,” Salinas added.

Practice will pick up again in August for MSU soccer, and both teams said they’ll be entering Fall 2021 with a little more gratitude.

“Makes you a bit more thankful for the fall and to be able to play for a national tournament,” O’Keeffe said.

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