The 2009 season for the MNU Men's Soccer team can only be summed up one way..disappointing. After coming off of a Conference Championship in 2008 and a final season national ranking of #16, expectations for 2009 were understandably high. The loss of 8 seniors was quickly swept aside as only an excuse and not a reason why the 2009 season could not have been equally or even more successful. "I don't think we fully understood how much impact losing those seniors would have on our team," states Coach Wardlaw, "we lost talent but more importantly we lost leadership." The result of that; the first losing season in Coach Wardlaw's coaching career and the first losing season in MNU Men's Soccer history since the first year of the program. A final record of 7-11 and no post-season bid to the Conference Tournament. Where to go from here?
"We can sit around and pout about the season and how things didn't go our way or we can learn from
the loses and become even more resolved in our efforts to get back to our winning ways. The history
of MNU Men's Soccer is rich with success and achievements. Two NCCAA National
Championships, two HAAC Conference Championships, and 3 NCCAA Regional Championships in
only 8 years!! You would be hard pressed to find a program that has achieved much more than this
within the time frame." - Head Coach,
Kevin Wardlaw
MNU Soccer is alive and well. History cannot so quickly be forgotten. We live in a world of "here and now", but in the building of an athletic program the tradition of success is not created in one or two good seasons, but instead in it's ability to show success consistently, year after year, in all situations. A season to forget or to learn from? Learning is the only way to move forward. A wise man once said, "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it." MNU will return all but 3 starters to next year's team. Those returning players will be faced with the task of taking what this season has taught them and implementing it into the fabric of the team to ensure that the history of success that has been established at MNU is continued.
