Soccer teams adjust to more than new opponents

Carter Blair, a senior on the women's team, said the change was a significant one.

"It's kind of frustrating," Blair said. "We feel like a second-class sport. But I think all of us have handled it really maturely and we're not going to [let it] affect how we actually play."

Blair said that because of the location change, the number of student fans would likely decrease.

"A lot of students have said that they would come to our games if they were on campus," she said. "So, that's sad to hear."

Women's head coach Peter Albright said that the change was not an easy one, but he was not worried about it affecting the team's performance.

"It's a challenge, but we're fine," Albright said. "We're very hopeful that it'll all work itself out. I think everybody who's associated with the program -- from alumni, to parents, to current players -- really hope that that's a temporary situation and that we'll be able to get back on campus soon."

Clint Peay, head coach for the men's squad and former member of the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic team, began his second season with the Spiders this year. He said that though the change is difficult, it's also out of his and the players' hands.

"We always talk about things that you can control and that you can't control," Peay said. "That's one of those things that we don't have control over. We just try to deal with the situation the best way we can."

Brock Tomlinson is a senior goalkeeper for the Richmond men's soccer team. During practice on the field by River Road last Wednesday morning, he took time out to reflect on how the new changes might affect the team.

"I think it's a huge effect on our fan base," Tomlinson said. "Honestly, kids don't want to drive out 10-15 minutes to a stadium off-campus. But, in the end, does a fan base win you games? No."

Location changes aside, both men's and women's coaches have high expectations for the season. And they each expressed a common goal of qualifying for and winning during the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Albright said that he had relayed an important message to the women in the locker room and on the practice fields.

"The message that the coaching staff has been communicating is that we have to work a lot harder than we've been used to working," he said.

"We've got to set our everyday standards higher than we've been used to setting. And we're capable of that. We believe that this is an exceptional group of young women."

Peay said that he had high hopes for the men's team. They welcomed 10 freshman to the program. Carl Weber and Luis Pere are freshmen that have stood out in practice, Peay said.

"There are some guys, we think, who can contribute right away," Peay said. "For the rest of the guys who maybe aren't quite there yet, we build them and bring them a strong foundation for the years to come."

Senior forward Jake Russell led the Spiders in scoring last season alongside sophomore Houston Oldham. Russell said he was excited about the new young players on the team.

"We got 10 guys who are real skillful players," he said. "They bring an energy to the field. Those 90-minute games get kind of tough. We are a pretty fit team but those [freshmen] guys coming off the bench really help us."

The women's team will play top-five ranked University of Virginia at 5:30 p.m. on Friday in Charlottesville, Va. The men will take on Campbell University at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Ukrop Park.

Contact staff writer Julia Pepe at julia.pepe@richmond.edu