Article Date
August 5, 2005
Oklahoma Baptist enters its second season of soccer with a strong mix of returning players and newcomers that head coach Marcelo Galvao hopes to mold into a conference, region and national contender.
The Bison finished last season in the NAIA Region VI Tournament, owners of a 14-7 record. The Lady Bison, despite a six-game, season-ending losing streak, posted six wins as a first-year program on the way to a 6-9-1 mark.
Very few of last year's players had experience at the college level. With a year of experience behind the returning players, this year's squads could transition into a dynamic duo.
"I think its going to be an exciting year for us," said Galvao. "Last year was the first time for a lot of the players to play college soccer whether they were in high school or international ball. We're really emphasizing building team unity this year. We've got some good recruits coming in. I think we're going to be a different team and I think we'll have different expectations."
Seniors Maira Negri, Fabio Pires and Marcos Silva provide a strong leadership core for the teams.
"This year we have three seniors who have really taken a leadership role in the offseason training, trying to get other players under their wings, contacting them and helping them in different areas of their lives," said Galvao.
Negri was the starting goalkeeper last year for the OBU women, who registered four shut outs. She had 74 of OBU's 78 saves for the season.
Silva had 14 goals and 11 assists last season, ranking second on the squad in both categories, on his way to 39 points. Pires, the Sooner Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year, led the team with 13 assists.
"We have a very talented team on the men's side," said Galvao.
Galvao is hopeful that team unity and discipline can carry the talent-laden squad.
"I think if you are evaluating us technically, we were one of the top men's teams in the nation, but we didn't have some of the elements that are necessary to be in the top five or top 10," Galvao said. "I think this year we have the possibility of being a lot closer to that level. I think we are going to be more complete in all areas of the field in men's and women's competition."
The initial edition of the Lady Bison squad was one that had to overcome obstacles from the start of the season.
"On the women's side had a lot of injuries and some people we were expecting didn't come. This year we have a solid 23 players. The mentality is different," Galvao said.
This year's obstacles come in the form of a schedule that doesn't have the teams at home until mid-September.
"We encountered a few difficulties scheduling the games we wanted," Galvao explained. "We had some late drop outs and we knew that by going out early we could build some team unity before we get to our home crowd. We're going to face some obstacles right away and we'll have to sort them out early."
When that home opener against College of the Southwest rolls in Sept. 16, the OBU squads should be ready for a home field advantage with what they hope will be a strong fan base.
"Players will play no matter what, but knowing you have people behind you, knowing that there are people on campus who appreciate their work makes it a lot more enjoyable," said Galvao. "We want to do things that develop relationship with the students, faculty and the community and build the program that way."
Conference action gets under way in October and Galvao is hopeful that his battle-tested teams can step up at the critical time.
"We think a lot of our teams in the conference are going to be very solid. We can only expect that the other teams got better," Galvao said. "Our conference is probably one of the strongest if not the strongest in the nation. Our region has developed some teams that are becoming dominant. It's going to be a very solid conference and region. We don't want to lose to the teams we lost to last year and I'm sure the teams we beat feel the same way about us. The rivalries are already there."
But for the preseason and the early part of the regular season schedule, building relationships and fundamentals will be the key.
"We're going to emphasize our team spirit and unity right now," Galvao said. "Some of our other goals will be determined by that and how disciplined we are."
The season begins Aug. 23 with a trip to Bacone College in Muskogee.