Kicking things into gear

Story by Samuel Campbell and Phillip Pyle

The Eudora Cardinal soccer team begins its 2015 season and the players’ hopes are high. Darren Erpelding, the new head coach, is taking the reins and leading the charge.

Having previously coached for the high-performing Desoto soccer team, it is clear to see that he really knows the game. At Desoto, his teams won five regionals, went to state twice, and won 108 games in ten years.

From day one, Coach Erpelding has been building up team confidence and moving away from a mentality that losing is okay. On top of that, he’s been pushing players to play at their full potential and at a level they’ve never known before. Sam Campbell, Jr. and captain of the soccer team, loves having the new mindset.

“From somebody playing the game you can tell there is a significant change in the style and mentality of play from this year to years past,” said Campbell.

Although the Cardinals lost their first five games, they held their heads high and didn’t let early losses get in their way.

“Even when we have lost I can see it bothers them so I know they care,” Erpelding said. “I haven’t been here but I expect it hasn’t always been that way. Then they come out the next day and work hard and get better.”

Their first victory came against the bulldogs of Baldwin, knocking them aside 2-0. Players are eager to keep moving forward and keep scoring. Justin Toumberlin, Sr., talked a lot about how excited and motivated everyone is to play.

“The team has shown so much progress and hard work,” he stated. “The team has changed so much and it’s a fun sight to see. Myself and everyone around me is excited when we get to step out onto that field and play.”

Taylor Graves, a freshman on the JV soccer team, believes the team has improved much over the course of the first couple of weeks. She credits these improvements to Coach Erpelding and Assistant Coach Jordan Slater.

“I really like both of them. I think they both know what they are doing and will make both the teams great,” Graves states.

Spectators and students should expect to see a refreshed team under the direction of Coach Erpelding.

Jonathan Bock, So.,thinks that Erpelding’s high expectations motivate the team.

“The most important thing he’s brought with him is a winning mentality. He was used to winning at DeSoto and he expects nothing less from us,” said Bock.

“You can hardly tell it’s the same team out there.”