The big transition

MELANI GoMES STAFF WRITER MSG722@CABRINI.EDU

Watch out, David Beckham. There is a new freshmen soccer team at Cabrini this year, and these young players are hoping to turn heads by the end of their first season.

Freshmen athletes in any college have to deal with the new pressures and expectations placed by their coaches and opponents, but Cabrini's youngest soccer.team, guided by coach Doug Meder, already has a few qualified players hoping to conquer whatever challenges are put on them this year.

One of these guys is no. 19 defense marking back Jeffrey Carman, who is returning to the position he previously played at North Catholic High School in Philadelphia.

Despite the rush of playing for a fast-paced sport in a new college, the social atmosphere on the field can be tough for these young players to deal with. Carman said, "The atmosphere here is totally different than in high school. There you knew everyone, and now I am at the bottom again trying to advance to the next level."

Like any young athlete playing for a college team there are difficulties adjusting Carman said, "It was hard adjusting to the college level. It's a whole new style of play but the upperclassmen, and especially captain Sean Dugan, helped the incoming freshmen adjust to the faster more skillful level of soccer that is played in college."

When asked how the older team players treated him, Carman says, "The team was very accepting from the start. They treated us as equals on and off the field and didn't exclude us from anything because we were freshmmen.

In between dealing with the new atmosphere at Cabrini, fans will not have to worry about it affecting these players' mentality throughout the season. Cannan said, "I expect it to be hard work, but a lot of time is going to be put in if we want to win games.