Michael Apotria – Special to the Southern News
Junior Sean Black of Southern’s men’s soccer team said he is excited to get out on the field and compete for a chance at a national championship.
“Southern has won multiple championships,” said Black. “I want to be part of a team that is going to be successful.”
Black, a player recruited out of Rollins College and born in London, England said he is excited and eager to face new challenges.
“I think it is going to be an impressive season for us. We have a little more depth and I think we are going to do better than we did last year,” said Black.
Last season, the Owls earned a record of nine wins, seven losses and one tie. Black, who was a sophomore at the time, said he has put in the work during the offseason to elevate his game.
“For me, I wanted to add more end product, polish my game and most importantly stay healthy,” Black said.
Head men’s soccer coach Tom Lang said many qualities he saw on film from Black was a perfect fit for the style Southern soccer plays.
“He is good in the air and his passing ability out of the back is quite good,” said coach Lang. “We are a pass oriented team so we felt he was a great fit.”
Teammate and senior midfielder Ignacio Navarro said how important it is to have a player and teammate like Sean on the field.
“Sean is very composed”, said Navarro, “ and that goes a long way. It might be the last five minutes of the game and you want someone composed to bring up the ball. Someone you can trust will make the right decisions and slow the game down.”
Navarro said Black’s composure might have come with him from his time in England.
“A lot of people in America can be nervous or afraid to get on the ball and defend, Sean’s not,” said Navarro.
It’s not just his composure that makes Black an asset to the team, but his height and his size is vital, Navarro said.
Coach Lang said Black’s size was something the Owls needed.
“We had a lack of height in the back of the team [in previous seasons],” said Lang. “He gives us a better chance in the air.”
It was Black’s size and height that attributed to his first goal of the season, which was a header off of a free kick in the Owls’ 2-1 win against Dominican College.
Black said he was not expecting his first goal of the season to be a header.
“I was kind of surprised actually, most of my goals have come from corner kicks,” said Black, a central defender.
Additionally, Black scored two goals for the Owls last season and said he is looking to improve upon that total this year.
“This year I set myself a target of five goals,” said Black. “The quality of the crossings has been fantastic and when you have that sort service, the goals come naturally.”
Coach Lang believes that five goals for Black are definitely in the realm of possibility.
“Sean is a pretty talented guy,” said Lang. “It is certainly obtainable due to the numerous opportunities of corners and free kicks to put some in the back of the net.”
The Owls hold a 1-2 record, and Black will look to add to his goal total on Sept. 14 in the Owls’ first home game against the University of Bridgeport.
Photo Credit: SCSU Athletic Communications
