07/27/99 - All Bulldog fans, please read this letter from MSU men's soccer team captain Matt Martin. Help out if you can.

Bulldog Fans: Please do not call the MSU Athletic Department to ask for financial help for men's soccer. All he is asking is for you to go see the MSU men's soccer team play. And if you like what you see, help them out financially if you will..

MSU MEN’S SOCCER TEAM

Last year started off with a bang ridding an eleven game unbeaten streak, only to have it snapped by a loss in a shoot-out to Georgia Southern in the semi-final of the prestigious Clemson University Invitational. We moved on to place first in the Southeastern Collegiate Soccer League (SCSL) western conference granting us a berth in the SCSL final four. This is where the top two teams in the eastern and western conference clash for the league title and two slots in the national tournament. In the first match on Friday night, we played Auburn, whom we tied in a very physical match earlier in the year. The game ended in a 2-1 victory for the Auburn Tigers giving them a berth in the championship game. We played Alabama the next morning in the third place game and cruised to a 3-1 victory. Rob Fike and Matt Martin received all-tournament honors with Matt scoring three goals, and Rob scoring on one and assisting on two. Later in the day we were told we had received one of two at-large bids to the national tournament.

The national tournament took place two weeks later on November 19-21 in Phoenix, Arizona. We had high hopes coming into the tournament only to have them shattered by some very tough competition. The first day, we had two tough losses to Utah State and Texas A&M, but were still in the tournament. A loss the next morning to defending and eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines ended our season. Paul Roy, a defender, received second team all-tournament honors.

When the yearly totals were in, Rob Fike received the golden boot award (top goal scorer in conference play) finishing with 12 goals and 10 assists and Matt Martin led the team in total goals with 15, adding 9 assists. MSU has held the golden boot award for 5 consecutive years.

For the 1999 season, we are returning 16 players including 9 starters. We hope to continue our winning tradition and hard work into the 1999 season. We also hope the experience of last year’s newcomers will add to the depth of the squad.

Our conference, the SCSL, consists of two divisions similar to the SEC, east and west. The western division teams are MSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Southern Miss, Samford, MUW (Mississippi University for Women), and Murray State in Kentucky. In the eastern division, there is Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, UT Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State, and Tennessee Tech. The National Collegiate Soccer Association (NCSA) is our national governing body (like the NCAA or NAIA) and holds our national tournament every year.

Soccer at MSU is considered a club sport meaning we get no financial support from the athletic department and getting small assistance from the recreational sports department. We raise most of our money from selling ads for $125 on a poster with our team picture and schedule on it. We also receive corporate donations, but when the money runs dry, we dig into our own pockets. We play strictly out of the love of soccer and MSU. There are several players that turned down soccer scholarships for a higher level of learning and soccer combination at MSU. Donations can be sent to: MSU Soccer Team; PO Box 5159; MSU, MS 39762, or questions sent to mjm3@ra.msstate.edu or msusoc21@yahoo.com

Our 1999 schedule will go as follows

* - Denotes conference match

MSU club website is www2.msstate.edu/~mjm3.

Matt Martin
MSU Men’s Soccer Club

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