Bluffton Soccer: Making the Cut

Jacob Graham

Being on a starting roster for any collegiate athletic team is an honor but not every athlete makes the cut. The Bluffton University Men’s Soccer Program and Coach Steve Smucker are notorious for starting youth.
In a sport where experience is crucial, usually the team with the most upper classmen wins the conference; Bluffton takes a chance on effort. The last three conference titles were won by the team that started the most seniors. The youngest player to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the year award has been a junior.
Bluffton continues to start youth when experience is needed to win games. Jacob Graham believes underclassmen, generally, try harder than the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen are better skilled, but the only time the majority tries is game-time.
There have been numerous cases where upperclassmen have quit due to a lack of playing time after playing as a freshman and sophomore. In 2007, Bluffton started five freshmen and four sophomores for the majority of their games. Bluffton started four freshmen and four sophomores for the majority of their games in 2008. In 2009, Bluffton started two freshman and four sophomores for the majority of their games.
The record of the Bluffton University Men’s Soccer team in 2009 did not show the experience from years past, but in goal differential this showed. Bluffton lost four of their six conference games by one goal.
It pays off to start the more experienced players with only the top of the youth joining the starting roster. The Bluffton Soccer team is taking steps in the right direction shrinking the number of underclassmen starters, which points to a bright future.