Friday, November 11, 2011

Five years ago, everyone involved with the fledgling Florida Gulf Coast University men’s soccer program operated with the idea of cultivating something special, building a legacy. This weekend that vision set forth by Head Coach Bob Butehorn has become a reality, as the No. 1 seeded Eagles open play in the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Championship with their first opportunity at NCAA postseason play within reach.

The Eagles (10-5-2, 7-1-0 A-Sun) enter the championship as the two-time defending regular season champion, with an impressive record of 16-1 in A-Sun play in the past two seasons, and a 22-4 mark in their last 26 A-Sun contests. They are currently ranked No. 50 in the latest RPI ratings, and have defeated three Top-25 teams in the last two seasons, including a 2-1 win vs. No. 8 UCF on Sept. 24. They rely on and receive leadership not only from their veteran coach Butehorn, but from players like seniors Adam Glick, Jonathan Koshko, Josey Portillo and Cristian Raudales. Glick is one of the 10 national finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, and Portillo is ranked in the Top-50 nationally in two statistical categories.

According to Glick, the Eagles are exactly where they expected to be when they bought into Butehorn’s plan for the program. For him, there were many levels to his decision to play at FGCU.

“If I had gone to other schools I might have had to sit for a year or two, but at FGCU I knew I would have a good shot at starting my freshman year and have a chance to play my entire career,” says Glick.

“But also what appealed to me about FGCU was coach’s message, his vision and his goals, and how he wanted to be exactly where we are now,” he says. “I bought into what he said and he has done everything possible to get us to where we want to be as a program. I also appreciated what coach’s values were and who he is as a person. He is the best coach I have ever had.”

Butehorn’s task in 2007 was to build a program with no facilities, lockers rooms or coaches’ offices, and with no guarantee of participating in post-season play. In its infancy, the program was in the process of transitioning from Division II to Division I. That transition made the soccer team ineligible for post-season play until this season.

“There aren’t many times that you have an opportunity to start something from scratch, to build the foundation the way you want to build it,” says Butehorn. “It provides the opportunity to not take shortcuts and have something that has your fingerprints on it.

“We had to sell them on a vision. There were no bells and whistles, no shortcuts or magic to get where we wanted to be, and it was not going to be easy.”

The hard work definitely paid off. While it is remarkable that the program has evolved from nonexistence to becoming a national player in such a short time, in the beginning the progress was gradual. In their first year, the Eagles posted a record of 8-10-1, followed by a 6-10-2 mark in 2008. In 2009, the improvement continued at 8-7-1, but in year four the transformation became apparent. The Eagles boasted a 13-3-2 overall record, including a perfect 9-0-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They upset No. 13 USF and No. 5 Ohio State, and individually Glick, Portillo and Raudales among others began to make regular appearances in national statistical rankings.

But even with the success, Butehorn new adversity would be a part of the process. Even with a 13-3-2 record overall, a perfect 9-0-0 mark in conference play and a No. 19 ranking in Soccer America’s Top 25 Division I poll in 2010, there was no A-Sun tournament, and no NCAA tournament. Absolutely a tough pill to swallow, but one that Butehorn says the team took in stride due to the types of people who chose to be a part of the program.

“One important key to our success has been who we have surrounded ourselves with, not only players but in the administration as well,” he says. “We have been very fortunate to have people who are in-tune with how things need to be done and what needs to be done, both on the field and off the field. For me, I am very thankful that has helped me in getting where our program is today. I often say that our success is due to the character of our group, is truly is.”

So now the wait is over. A group that took a chance on something new now has the opportunity to claim what has been in its sights for the last five years. So how do they contain the emotion and keep themselves focused on earning the right to take that next step that they have worked so diligently to attain? Glick and Butehorn agree on the answer.

“You have to take it game by game, because now you’re one and done,” says Glick. “You take it as any other game. We understand the magnitude of it, but you just have to remind yourself that you have been doing this your whole life, and it is just another game and go out and have fun.”

Butehorn agrees. “The best way to keep the team focused is to continue to encourage them to enjoy every moment, and to understand that for every one of us this is a new experience.”

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