A LESSON IN EXCELLENCE

One word describes the Vandebilt Catholic boy’s soccer program’s five-year run: excellence.

During that time frame, the Terriers have been at the top of Division II on a consistent basis.

During that time frame, they boast four state championships, and a state-runner-up finish. “There are other teams that want to be where we are,” said head coach Doug Hamilton. “Our message to the boys is if you want to stay on top, you’ve got to demonstrate it every time you step on the field.”

And for the most part, that has not been a problem for the Terriers. Over the past five years they have won over 130 games and lost less than 20.

But this season?

The Terriers are off to a 2-3-1 start, and suffered a 6-1 loss to Rummel at last weekend’s Brothers of the Sacred Heart Tournament at E.D. White. “It’s hard to (stay on top) for 25 to 30 games,” Hamilton said after the loss to Rummel. “But we have (in the past), and we’re taking our lumps a little bit early this season.”

Hamilton attributes the early lumps to having a team that is inexperienced in playing with each other. “We have a lot of soccer experience,” he said. “We don’t quite have the nucleus of players that we’ve been fortunate enough to have in the last five years, but we have the players.”

He added that his team’s strength is in the player’s creativity with the ball at their feet. But, at this point, its weakness is in not gelling as a team. “I know that we’ve got very talented players,” said Hamilton, “that once they put their mind to it, we’re going to be a very dangerous team—with the emphasis on the word team.

“Right now we just have a lot of talented players that are kind of disjointed (as a team).”

Hamilton pointed to freshman attacker T.J. Freeman as the team’s most creative attacker. “He’s our leading scorer,” said Hamilton. “I think he has seven goals in five games. His work ethic is great, and we’re actually looking to him to be an example to the rest of the guys.

“T.J. Lapeyrousse and Mitchell Parker in the back are going to be strong in the defense for us,” added Hamilton. “Mason Smith is a brilliant goalkeeper. I know everybody’s going to look at 6-1, and say, ‘Wow, he let six goals in.’ But I wouldn’t attribute any goals to him today (against Rummel). He’s played stellar for us.”

Hamilton said that in the past, the team has usually had players carry over from season to season, but this year only two players return with significant playing time last season—which he feels has affected the early performance of his team. “We’ve had five years, where even last year, some of those seniors played in the state championship in 2002,” explained Hamilton. “This year, T.J. Lapeyrousse is the only player that started all of the games for us last season. Scott Bergeron started some of the games, and Alex LeJuene had a good bit of playing time.”

Which is why Hamilton stresses the importance for this year’s Terriers’ team to form its own identity. “We’re not the same team as we have been in the past, and that’s okay,” he said. “We have to find out own identity. We’re just used to winning every game, and stepping on the field and beating most teams. We haven’t matched the intensity of beating other teams yet, and we need to do that. I think the boys will.”

Hamilton stresses the importance of matching opponent’s intensity, so each year he schedules some of the state’s top teams throughout the regular season. “Maybe other coaches would dispute this,” said Hamilton, “but for the last five or six years, I believe we have at least a co-equal tough schedule with any team.”

Included on that schedule are top Division I teams Jesuit, Brother Martin, Rummel and St. Paul’s. Vandebilt is also taking part in a tournament in Mississippi where they will play numerous state champions, according to Hamilton. “We actually don’t play too many Division II teams until the playoffs,” added Hamilton. “It’s kind of been our formula for success. As a coach, you don’t like to lose, but you like to learn.”

So after a 2-3-1 start, how are the Terriers handling their roughest start in years?

“You have to take these games into perspective, and realize the end result is what we are looking for,” said Hamilton. “If we win the small battles, that’s great, but we’re trying to win the war, so to speak.”

There is a saying that the past is the best predictor of the future. If that saying rings true, come February, when the playoffs begin, the Terriers will be in position to reach the end result they desire—a fifth state championship in six years.

Staff photo by Matt LeBlanc of the Tri-Parish Times/ Vandebilt Catholic freshman T.J. Freeman(7) is one of many new faces on the Terriers soccer team that is being counted on to maintain the team’s success. Vandebilt has won four of the last five state championships.