Men's soccer team finished as regular season champions in 2018. The Harding Men's Soccer team were back-to-back Great American Conference (GAC) regular season champions during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Since Head Men's Soccer Coach Jon Ireland joined the staff, the men's soccer team finished their third straight season with a winning record. "The guys started believing, and it turned into something very powerful," Ireland said. "The year before I got here, they won four games, so we went from 4 to 14 [wins] in that first year. That was a credit to the players; you don't do that unless you have good players." Senior defender Justin Kucera said the 2017 and 2018 seasons were tiring at times but still enjoyable because of his teammates. Kucera said he saw a stark contrast between his first year and the 2018 season. "First year, the team did not win hardly at all, but it was still fun to play because the guys enjoy playing no matter what," Kucera said. "Now, the team competes a lot better, and we have worked to maintain a good chemistry with everyone on the team because we understand that we play for each other, not for ourselves." Sophomore midfielder Jack Savage was a member of the team for one year and said he noticed a strong sense of unity in the team. Despite the 2018 team being defeated in the championship game against Ouachita Baptist University, Savage spoke positively about the 2018 season. "The season definitely didn't end the way we wanted it to, but we won the regular season which is, in my opinion, tougher to win considering the amount of games and travel," Savage said. "I think our team has a lot to be proud of. It's the little successes each game that we focus on and value to achieve the bigger ones." While championships were achievements that gave teams a sense of pride, according to Kucera championships were not the priority of the men's soccer team. "Winning is fun, but playing the sport I love with people I love is way more fun," Kucera said. "In the future, I'll always remember my teammates even ifl don't remember the individual games." story by Carson White 239 I MEN'S SOCCER
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