Similar to all Southern University teams competing this fall, the SU soccer team finds itself in a unique situation just weeks into the 2008 season.
Due to damage left by Hurricane Gustav, which battered the campus practice and game fields, SU was forced into postponing its August 31, Southwestern Athletic Conference opener against rival Alabama A&M and cancelling contests with Central Arkansas and McNeese State which would have been played last week.
SU coach John Knighten said the Alabama A&M match has been rescheduled for October 19, and that he is in the process of rescheduling with Central Arkansas, but a date has not been set.
“So far we’ve missed three games and two weeks of training,” Knighten said. “That missed time training is a major setback. You can’t get that time back.”
Before Gustav hit Baton Rouge, side tracking the SU soccer season, the Jaguars had already gone 0-3 with losses to William and Carey, 9-0, Nicholls State, 6-0, and Tulsa, 10-0. SU has yet to score a goal this season and failed to do so last season until its third contest in a 1-2 loss at LSU-Shreveport.
“We’ll be fine,” Knighten said of his team’s lackluster play.
“Once we get some practice time in, we’ll be able to correct the mistakes we’ve been making. Then, maybe we can score some points to help out our defense.”
SU got its first practice work in better than a week Tuesday. With Gustav battering the practice and game fields, and with students driving over and leaving fresh tire tracks on SU’s practice field, Knighten held the teams walk through on the fields far west corner.
“Both fields took a lot of damage,” Knighten said. “People drove over our practice field to the point where there are several pot holes in it to where we can’t practice there.
There is a small area where we can do some training. That’s where we are right now.”
SU cancelled five games in 2005 due to the aftermath left by Hurricane Katrina.
Said Knighten of the delays, “The players are responding very well to what’s going on. Some of them are juniors and seniors and experienced this in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. They know how to fight through this.”
SU hosts LSU-Shreveport today at 4 p.m. at Clark Park in Baker.
Notes
SU normally plays home soccer games in A.W. Mumford Stadium, but damage to the stadium has forced the Jaguars to move to Clark Park in the wake of Gustav. Knighten plans on returning to Mumford Stadium after repairs are complete.
