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The soccer program has a goal

MBC soccer turns club
while preparing for the transition
to intercollegiate

This year, Multnomah Bible College will not have an official men's soccer team. There will, however, be a club soccer team made up of MBC players.

Last year, after winning the Canadian tournament and bringing home two MVP trophies, the players thought men's soccer would be here to stay.

"The first thing we heard was, 'the soccer team's been cut.' The athletic department didn't talk to any of us; we just found out through the grapevine," said Mike Roth, a forward on the team.

"They told us the reason it had been dropped was they had to have equality in funding. That means they have to give the same amount of money to the girls' sports as to the guys. The only problem is that you have to have two girl's sports to make up for men's basketball," Roth said.

When asked about this, Athletic Director Chris Reese said, "We went with club soccer because of some regulations concerning eligibility of players. We did not cut men's soccer because of women's basketball. If anyone has any questions regarding this, come and talk to me; I am willing to discuss this and get the misconceptions straightened out."

According to the rules of the National Christian College Athletic Association, of which Multnomah is a member, only undergraduates can play for an intercollegiate team. The only exception is if a grad student is in his first year after graduating and has not used up his four years of eligibility.

By definition, when a school pays for an athletic team's equipment, it becomes intercollegiate. Club soccer, on the other hand, is open to anyone who wants to play.

"I think club soccer will be a good substitute," said Nick Faust, a first-year student at MBC. "We get to play the same number of games, and we still get to go to Canada. The only drawback is we have to pay out-of-pocket."

"We had 25 people try out for the team this year, including two girls, but we had to make nine cuts, and neither of them made it," said soccer coach Tom Stephens. He is a grad student.

Stephens stepped up to the coaching position after last year's coach, Steve Patty, said he didn't have time to take on the responsibility again.

Coach Reese, although not the soccer coach, still has a lot of say in the organization of the team.

"We did not [cut the team] to create enemies. We did it to rebuild the men's soccer program. We said there would be no more soccer because the school was not going to support it. We should have said we are going to rebuild it. Our goal is to have an intercollegiate team in one year. We are looking for a coach who has recruitment skills and can take this program into the future."

The players have their own opinions. "The school was great to us last year," Stephens said, "but cut a program to rebuild it?"

Roth, a junior at Multnomah, echoed his sentiments. "How can you cut a team after it wins a tournament?"

His teammate, Travis Adams, a freshman, is just thankful there is a soccer team. He adds, "I think it'll be good for the girls who didn't have a soccer team before."

This year the soccer team will play different college and university teams from across the state. The schedule includes George Fox University, Portland Bible College and Concordia University. The soccer team is also planning a trip to Canada to play Columbia Bible College.