a Jeremy Bishop realized that with a new title came new experiences and expectations as he took on the role of the new men's head soccer coach this year. A Harding alumnus, Bishop had coached collegiate-level soccer for 12 years and returned to Harding excited to share his knowledge and experience with the athletes of his alma mater. "I played football and club sports during my time at Harding," Bishop said. "I always had a passion for sports and was given an opportunity to be a general assistant at Central Arkansas while I worked on my master's." With the new coach at the helm, the team saw a few changes in their routine and players moved to different field positions. Rhon Royer, a junior from Georgetown, Bahamas, played as a midfielder this season after being moved from the backfield position last season. "It all depends on what coach Bishop needs you to do," Royer said. "Certain players have certain skill sets, and depending on what we need at the time, he might move you into different positions on the field to help out." Under Bishop's leadership, the team also underwent a new training program to help the players. The new workout involved maxed out weights to help build size and increased running to help build speed. It also included more time with the soccer ball in order to help the men become a more possessive team in gameplay. 'We started with a 4-4-2 went to a 4-3-3, then back to a 4-4-2 style of fielding," Will Lynn, a freshman goalkeeper, said. "Coach is really good about switching us from one formation to another depending on how the game is playing out, giving us better position to score and win games. We're taking everything very seriously." Even though Bishop had not been at Harding long, his players already held him in high regard with much respect. ':A..ll the players are really motivated to play for him," Lynn said. "He's a fun guy to play for. He knows how to get us in the mindset to play." Bishop's future goals included helping the players grow both individually and as a team, getting to know the older members on a deeper level while recruiting new talent for the following season. He was optimistic that the soccer team would continue to improve with each passing season. "I look at the off season as a time to improve individually," Bishop said. "We want to get them stronger and faster and better with the ball. My job is to bring in people who will fit in well with our program." Russ Gray Athletics f 5 T --
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