If there is one word to describe the demeanor of the IUPUI men’s soccer team, it’s excited. Smiles were all over the place at an early morning practice and encouragement was constant during endurance drills and stretching rituals.
“Our attitudes have changed from last year,” sophomore
Jeff Keyler said. “Guys are enthusiastic and we are excited for the new season. I think this new positive attitude will help us win more games.”
Most of this positive aura has been brought forth by new Head Coach
Isang Jacob. Jacob comes to the Jaguars from Penn State where he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator the past two years. This is his second stint on the IUPUI sidelines as he was an assistant from 1995-2002 and helped lead the Jaguars to their only NCAA Tournament berth in 2000.
It was the chance to return to his coaching roots that brought Jacob back to Indianapolis.
“The fact that I was a part of the program during the glory days is what brought me here,” Jacob said. “I know the area well. I lived in Indy for several years, and I know there’s lots of potential here. We’ve been to the NCAA tournament, we’ve won the conference and the conference tournament before. Why not take the job?”
Jacob takes over a team that finished 9-8-2 last season and earned a spot in the four-team Summit League Tournament. The Jaguars were competitive in every game and relatively speaking, just missed making the NCAA’s for the second time in school history.
“After watching some tape from last season, I asked some of the players why they didn’t make the NCAA Tournament because I couldn’t believe that we didn’t,” Jacob said. “We were all over UMKC, we should have won in Oakland. I have to get them to play with pride. Just being in the conference tournament is not good enough. I want to get us back to the NCAA and the athletic department is supporting us. The budget has increased and with the department backing us, there is no excuse for not reaching the NCAA Tournament.”
Jacob brings with him a new coaching staff. Joel Chalkley was promoted to full-time assistant coach after two seasons as a part-time assistant with the Jaguars and George Crawford became the second assistant. Stephen Woodward took over as the goalkeepers coach during a whirlwind late July period.
“I’m very lucky and very fortunate to have the coaching staff that I have,” Jacob said. “I strongly believe in continuing what we had. Joel knows the game and his relationship with the players was what I looked at closely. He understands them and he relates to them well.
"George has a lot of experience and he was my teammate when we were with the (Indiana) Blast. I know what he’s capable of and he brings a tremendous knowledge of what the next level is like for our guys. Stephen is a perfectionist and he expects the goaltenders to have a strong work ethic, which is important to a position that is often overlooked. You cannot afford to make mistakes in net and he will help keep those to a minimum.”
The Jaguars also have an impressive recruiting class that is headlined by Indiana University transfer
Ian Block. Block didn’t see any playing time in Bloomington last season after redshirting in 2009, but Jacob feels that he will make an impact right away.
“Ian has really implemented himself right away with the team to find a place in the lineup,” Jacob said. “He’s really doing well so far.”
As far as the returning players go, senior
Perez Agaba and Keyler are the headliners up front. Agaba led the team with in shots on goal and was second on the team with four goals and two assists last season. In his three seasons, he has five game-winning goals. In addition to excelling on the field, Agaba is also a stud in the classroom. He was the Summit League Scholar Athlete of the Year last season, was named to the ESPN Academic All-America First Team. He just recently completed an internship at Yale University and has maintained a 4.0 GPA in biomedical engineering.
“Last season had its ups and downs, but this season has a lot of promise,” the soft-spoken Agaba said. “I feel like I have achieved a lot but there’s a lot of work to be done. Everyone seems to be motivated. You can really hope for the best at this moment because right now things are moving very positively. We are off to a good start. “
Jacob has been impressed with what he’s seen from Agaba so far, which included a pair of gorgeous assists in the Red-White Scrimmage game.
“Watching him from the tape, he is so dynamic,” Jacob said. “He’s got speed, he’s technically clean and he can score goals. The flavor is there. We just have to get him fit, work with him gradually. He’s got the ability to play at the next level and if he believes in himself, he can get it done.”
Keyler on the other hand, led the Jaguars with five goals and three assists last season as a freshman. He was also named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year.
“I came in with an open mind last season and I tried my hardest to be a starter,” Keyler said. “My ultimate goal last year was to be a starter and I’m just hoping for another good year."
Jacob also had a lot to say about his sophomore star.
“Jeff is amazing, all he does is score goals,” Jacob said. “I don’t care how he does it as long as he scores goals. I told him all we need to do is polish him, polish his technique, and he can score more often. The kid just has a nose for goals. That’s just it. He’s a hard worker and if we can implement what we did at Penn State, he can get even better.”
The Jaguars aren’t just a two player team.
Senior back/midfielder
Yogi Snider was a Second Team All-Summit selection last year and senior center back
Galen Cassady was named to the All-Newcomer Team along with Keyler. Fellow senior
Tyler Keever and junior
Alex Mannen both will be in the mix for the starting goalkeeping job. Other key contributors include junior forward
Ryan Robinson who scored three game-winners a year ago and rangy center back
Emile Garcia.
In addition, junior
Joshio Sandoval started every game a year ago and classmate
Kyle Hyland is a highly regarded outside back.
“We have some players with experience coming back and we only lost two players,” Jacob said. “When you have a veteran team, the hunger is there and I just have to get them to believe in themselves and that they can get it done.”
Although the team looks impressive on paper, the Jaguars have a daunting schedule to deal with this year. They have only six home games and will play four teams who participated in last year’s NCAA tournament. After opening with back-to-back home games in August against Liberty and Wright State, IUPUI will be on the road until October facing Kentucky, Cincinnati, and last year’s national runner-up Louisville. The season concludes with the Summit League Tournament in November.
Despite the tough schedule, Jacob remains positive and thinks it will benefit his team in the long run, hopefully helping them reach their goal of making the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s good - it’s going to prepare us,” Jacob said. “If we can play well with what we have through the first half of the season, by the time we play Butler, we should be fine. It will definitely show what we have and what we can do. We have to make the tournament. That is our ultimate goal.”
His players agree and believe the season will be a failure without a tournament bid.
“I think last season we could have made the (NCAA) tournament, but a few mistakes cost us that opportunity,” Agaba said. “Hopefully we are able to learn from that and amend our ways to make this season the best we can make of it. We have a lot of good players coming back and some great new guys coming in. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t make the (Summit League) tournament and even the College Cup.”
June 8 – Men’s Cross Country (
JAGS LOOKING TO BIGGER ROSTER FOR LOWER SCORES IN 2011)
June 15 – Men’s Tennis (
MEN'S TENNIS SETS SIGHTS ON ONE GOAL IN 2012)
June 22 – Women’s Golf (
WOMEN'S GOLF TEAM ADDS A YEAR OF EXPERIENCE HEADING INTO 2011-12)
June 29 – Softball (
THOMAS, JAGUARS LOOK FOR STRONGER 2012)
July 6 – Men’s Swimming & Diving (
FUTURE BEGINS NOW FOR MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING)
July 13 – Women’s Basketball (
TEAM BASKETBALL THE FOCUS FOR THE JAGUARS)
July 20 – Men’s Golf (
MEN'S GOLF SETS SIGHTS ON REGIONALS IN 2012)
July 27 – Women’s Swimming & Diving (
LEADERS POISED TO CARRY JAGUARS UP THE SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS)
Aug. 3 – Women’s Cross Country (
DEPTH THE KEY FOR WOMEN'S XC SUCCESS)
Aug. 10 – Women’s Soccer (
SENIORS HOLD THE KEY TO WOMEN'S SOCCER SUCCESS)
Aug. 17 – Men’s Soccer (EXCITEMENT EPITOMIZES MEN'S SOCCER)
Aug. 24 – Volleyball
Aug. 31 – Men’s Basketball
Sept. 7 – Women’s Tennis
