Any trip to Arizona in mid-November sounds like a great vacation. But the Michigan men’s club soccer team didn’t go down to Arizona State with leisure on its mind – it simply wanted to take care of business.
Mission accomplished.
The Wolverines won the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s (NIRSA) soccer national championship in Tempe, Ariz., on Nov. 18.
Michigan compiled a 5-1 record to win the third National Championship. After a loss to North Carolina in its opening game, the Wolverines caught fire.
“We played one of the worst games of the season (against the Tar Heels),” said Aaron Swick, senior midfielder and team president. “But we were able to come back so quickly and gain momentum, and then we kept on rolling from there.”
Tournament Most Valuable Player Brent Medema’s first-half goal off a corner kick held up as the game winner in the championship game against Illinois. Senior goalkeeper Alex Lubyansky was unbeatable, recording five consecutive shutouts.
The championship was the pinnacle of immense success over recent seasons.
“We’ve put a lot of work over the six-year period that I’ve been here,” Michigan coach Jeff Shuk said. “Every year we’ve come close and every year the goal is to win it. To have it come true is amazing.”
The National Championship was the Wolverines’ sole focus throughout the season.
“We finished up every practice with a ‘champs’ cheer,” junior striker Cyrus Shabrang said.
But the appeal of joining the team is hardly limited to its on-the-field competitiveness.
“It’s nice coming into college from high school with the opportunity to meet a lot of great guys as a freshman making the team, since freshmen are looked at as completely equal,” junior midfielder Jeff Jackson said.
Looking at the athletic and social opportunities the team presents, it’s little wonder the team has earned such an impressive reputation. Each year more than 70 students try out for a coveted spot on the 24-player squad. But the team’s reputation extends beyond the Ann Arbor campus.
Junior midfielder Brad Murphy was 14 years old when he first heard about the club soccer team.
“I was refereeing a soccer game, and I mentioned how I wanted to go to Michigan,” Murphy said. “And then somebody started telling me about how great the club soccer team at Michigan is and how I should play.”
Former players also stay connected to the happenings of the team.
After Michigan lost its first game in the tournament, it received calls of encouragement from seven former players and Michigan varsity coach and former club coach Steve Burns.
The camaraderie among the players is clear; they are responsible for organizing and running the team by themselves.
“We have to raise or pay for pretty much everything, whether it is hotel rooms, gas, airplane tickets, or anything else,” Swick said. “There is a huge financial commitment playing on the team.”
Shuk credits another group for its unconditional backing.
“The parents are vital,” Shuk said. “So many parents traveled with us to Arizona and were always there to help us with keeping the water coolers full. And with six games in three days, making sure we had enough ibuprofen.”
Michigan also receives financial support from campus favorite Big Ten Burrito. But the team still feels underfunded on occasion. Nothing illustrates this point more than the place it calls home, the not-so-picturesque Elbel Field.
Regardless, the Wolverines are having a blast playing the sport they love and bonding with each other. The season is over, but a familiar goal has already been set for next year’s team.
“We are only losing three or four players, so a repeat is definitely on our minds,” Shabrang said.