TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

How much does it help to have all but one player back from the team that went 7-5 in the Mid-American Conference last season?
That means a lot. We just keep building. There have been some ups and downs this season, but we continue to grow tighter as a team. Hopefully it will all come together towards the end of the season as we prepare for the postseason.

One goal for the program is to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. How far off is the team from reaching that level?
It will depend on how we fare in the MAC Tournament. This season, we’ve had a couple of losses that we shouldn’t have had. But, with a handful of MAC games left, we can still turn things around prior to postseason play. From there, it’s just a matter of working as hard as possible and stringing together a number of wins.

How essential is it for your team to finish out the remainder of your MAC schedule with victories?
Our main goal from this point is primarily to win the majority of our conference games that remain. If we can turn our record around so that we’re above the .500-mark, that will definitely propel us and give us momentum heading into the postseason. Closing out on a positive note is very important for us.

Has a rivalry with Miami developed after being knocked out of the last two MAC Tournaments by their squad – once in the quarterfinals and once in the semifinals?
We have a huge rivalry with them. This year in the regular season, they were again able to beat us, 2-0. We played a solid game and it could have gone either way. Maybe we’ll get another chance to play them when the MAC Tournament rolls around.

At the Purdue Boilermaker Challenge Cup, UB had a chance to square off with Purdue in the second contest. What can you take out of a game with a Big Ten opponent to help you in MAC play?
That raised our awareness as to where we want to be as a team. They are definitely one of the better teams in the nation – and it was a bit of a wake-up call for us. It was an opportunity for us to see where we need to be.

Last season, your team scored nearly three times as many goals in the second half as compared to the first half. That trend seems to be holding true this season, as well. What explanations would you have for that and is it better to be stronger like that in the second half?
I think we would rather jump out to a lead and hold it, but I guess we do pretty well under pressure when it comes down to it – when we need to put a goal in, we usually can. The past couple games we’ve had trouble scoring, but I think that aspect of our game will come around for us in the upcoming games.

With a pair of goals this season, you’ve already surpassed your 2001 total. But other than goal scoring, what ways can you measure your improvement on the field as a midfielder?
I really want to work on my distribution. As a center midfielder, I just try to help my teammates in any way possible. That may mean mixing things up, keeping the other team of guard, and maintaining possession of the ball.

Earlier this season in a game against Colgate, you scored on a penalty kick. What is your approach when taking a penalty kick?
It is entirely mental. If I feel like I can knock it in, I visualize myself putting it in one of the corners. Right away when I was awarded the penalty kick, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I could make it.

As the season moves along – especially into the postseason in November – the temperature clearly drops. Does this affect the style of game that your team plays?
I think we do better when it is cooler. So, I feel things are more to our advantage when the weather gets cooler in the latter portions of the season. We seem to thrive when there’s less heat and less humidity for whatever reason.

Following the 2001 season, you earned a spot on the MAC Academic Honor Roll. What does that honor mean to you?
Academics are priority number one for me. So that type of an honor reflects that for me. It’s definitely one of my focal points this year to achieve that same status.

-The ’10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.