Miners Regroup for Fall 05 Season

[Left: Part of the NMT Miner squad poses in front of the castle after a friendly mini tournament at United World College. The games against UWC and New Mexico Highlands were the last for the exhibition Spring 2005 season.]

The NMT Miners returned to Socorro a few days early to prepare for their fall soccer season. They had just two running practices prior to the first scrimmage game against the SHS Varsity team last Sunday night at Warrior stadium. The Miners won 5-2, with veteran forward Tyson Gobble accounting for 4 of the 5. The first home (non-conference) game is against New Mexico Highlands University on Sunday, August 28 at 10 a.m. on the Tech athletic field.

The Miners face another rigorous fall season in the NIRSA collegiate club soccer circuit. They play eight conference, and four non-conference games prior to the southwest conference regional tournament to be held in Las Cruces the weekend of Oct. 30. This year, all five members of the conference (ASU, U of A, NMSU, UTEP and NMT) will be invited to the tournament, with seeding based on conference record.

With just three seniors graduating in May 05, and a host of new players, the Miners expect to improve upon last season’s record of 2-8. As the newest (and smallest) member of the college conference, the NMT Miners have a significant challenge in front of them. The goal: To come up with their first ever victory versus one of the big schools. The two wins last fall were against Thunderbird International School of Business (Phoenix, AZ) and Western State College of Colorado (non-conference). The closest the Miners came to beating one of the giant schools was when they played against Arizona State in El Paso. Into the second half, the game was tied at 2-2 and the Miners had the momentum, until a red card ejection of their defensive sweeper swung the game the other way.

Certainly, the most significant addition to the Miner line-up this year is a pair of dedicated goalkeepers. Freshmen Nick Karler (Bosque Prep) and Zach Peterson (Piedre Vista) will be vying for the starting role of protector of the net. This frees up Gobble to do what he likes best -- hammer goals into the net rather than trying to keep them out. Last year, Gobble was one of three rotational keepers. The Miners have always struggled with the goalie position, resorting to forcing unwilling field players into the critical position.

Another new player expected to make an impact is Socorro native Nick Smallridge. A returning part time student, Nick will add speed, strength and skill to the Miner midfield. The defense is also bolstered this year with high school all-stater Jimmy Karlin (Farmington), and returning junior Jon Smith. Both will add speed and intensity to the defensive line.

The Miners will be hosting a free youth soccer clinic on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 9 am to 11 am, open to all kids ages 5 and up. AYSO representatives will be present for the Fall registration.

Tomorrow morning’s game versus NMHU is free to all soccer fans.

You can find more information about the NMT men’s soccer team at http://infohost.nmt.edu/~soccer/.

-NMT-