Losing is thing of the past if coach has his way

By Kyle Ringo
The Metropolitan

To those skating, biking or walking a dog in Washington Park, he might have sounded like Charlie Brownâs parents. Just another noise mixing in with the birds chirping and traffic passing by on an 89-degree afternoon.

But Metro soccer coach Brian Crookhamâs voice is the only noise the 28 soccer players are paying any attention. He screams directions to them as they whirl and wind in a chaotic mess through an Aug. 25 practice no one seems to be enjoying.

ãWe have to go to West Texas and Bakersfield (Calif.) in the next two weeks,ä Crookham said to an onlooker standing in the shade. ãI was hoping it would be about 130 (degrees) today.ä

The relatively cool temperature isnât the only thing that disappoints him. He gathers the players together in an exhausted huddle after practice to scold them for having a bad attitude. And the prospect of playing every game this season on the road only irritates him more.

The Auraria Fields project has suffered setbacks in recent weeks due to bad weather and now might not be completed until late October or early November, said Metro Athletics Director William Helman.

But Crookham, who is entering his third season as menâs soccer coach, insists he can mold a winner out of his collection of players, regardless of where they play.

ãOur first and primary goal is to win the conference,ä Crookham said. ãWeâre pretty talented, and we also have got a lot of new faces starting, so itâs going to be a rough ride (at first).

ãWe need to put it together enough to challenge for the conference championship.ä

That is a lofty goal, considering Crookhamâs last two teams have finished well below the .500 mark. The

Roadrunners finished 5-15 in 1995 and only improved by two games to 7-13 in 1996.

So it seems Crookham is faced with pulling a rabbit out of a hat if he intends to overcome Regis, the defending conference champs, or even to finish closer to the top. It will start and end with defense, Crookham said.
ãWe scored goals last year, but we gave up a ton of goals,ä Crookham said. ãWe were soft (on defense) and that is going to change this year for sure.ä

One of last seasonâs bright spots, all-conference defender Chris Johnson, is sitting out the season due to academic ineligibility, so Crookham has gone out of his way to strengthen the defense.

Crookham went to England last spring to recruit players and found Liam Barnes, a freshman defender from North Yorkshire, to replace Johnson.

Joining Barnes is fellow Englishman Richard Paylor, a sophomore forward from Stoke-on-Trent. Crookham also coaxed Jorge Mena, a sophomore midfielder, to make the trip across the Atlantic from Madrid, Spain.

Crookhamâs last piece of the puzzle came from closer to home. Todd Padgett, a freshman midfielder from Albuquerque, N.M., rounds out the list of new starters.

ãWe are more talented,ä Crookham said. ãIt is going to take us a while to gel into a unit, but we are more talented.ä

For all the high expectations the new talent brings, Metroâs fortunes might ultimately be decided by the play of its goalkeeper.

Last season, it was keeper by committee with Stephen Babby and Zach Loescher splitting time in the box. Combined, they allowed 53 goals and a 2.37 goals against average.

This season, Babby has established himself as the starter with Loescher acting as a reliable backup, Crookham said.

ãWe were not comfortable with playing two goalies all the time last year, but it ended up that we didnât feel like anybody wanted it,ä Crookham said. ãNeither of them wanted to win it for more than a game or two.ä

Babby, 28, has been playing soccer since he was 6 years old, but he started to burn out on it after high school. So instead of stopping shots, he started serving them as a waiter. Then at the age of 26, reality sunk in. He realized he wanted an education, and he missed soccer.

ãI think Iâve worked pretty hard to get where I am,ä Babby said. ãCompared to my first year, itâs like apples and oranges.ä

Babby said his first goal for this season was to earn the starting position, and his next goal is to win.

ãI want to win the tournament,ä Babby said. ãI set certain goals that are attainable, and I think that is an easily attainable goal.ä

Because the impending season will be one long road trip, starting with scorching late-summer trips to California and Texas, everyone is talking about composure.

ãIf we go in scared, and if we go in young and jittery, we are going to get crushed,ä Crookham said. ãWe want to be mature and composed about the way we go about things.ä

And thatâs exactly what he was telling his team at the end of practice, right before the sun crawled behind a cloud.