Oct. 13, 2000
By Brooke Sibley, SCU Media Relations
Defender Michael Goehring has been one of the leaders of the 2000 Santa Clara men's soccer team. A senior from Fresno, Calif., he is one of only five players who has started all 11 games for the Broncos this year. The team's emotional leader, Goehring has one goal and one assist on the season and will be a key figure in Santa Clara's push for a West Coast Conference championship.
Q: When did you first realize that you had such a strong passion for soccer?
A: "I starting playing soccer when I was seven years old and probably what turned me on at first was the first year when we went undefeated. Obviously when you're that age you love winning and all the things that go along with it. I never really took it seriously until I was twelve. Then is when I met my club coach that I ended up going through all my club years with. He showed me how to play the game and by then I knew I wanted to come Santa Clara. I planned my future out to include soccer so I quit all other sports and my club coach took me under his wing. It was a perfect fit are far as what I wanted to do. When I was younger, the school that I went to (in another city) got out about two weeks prior to the rest of my teammates. So I would practically live with my club coach for two or three weeks. We went to the gym and played soccer twice a day. We basically spent eight hours together either playing soccer, lifting, running, and even playing a little basketball. It was fun, he just wanted to make me a really good player. He played on the national team so he knew what it took and helped to create my passion."
Q: On the Santa Clara team, which player do you feel that you connect with the best?
A: "Probably Brett Davis. He's my best man (Michael has wedding plans for next fall) and the only one from the original class that I came in with who will graduate with me this year. It was a big class with a lot of people leaving and getting cut, so I'm close with Brett because we've played together the longest."
Q: As a senior, what are some of the biggest changes you've seen in the dynamics of the team since your freshman year?
A: "My freshman year I was very frustrated. I was expecting a lot more from myself when I came in. I wasn't used to the college game and we didn't do very well that year. The following year, my sophomore year, was a very good growing year for the entire team. We did really well and went to the final four. It was really fun but we all knew that we were the Cinderella team, sneaking through, getting by other teams. It was a great feeling but I think it was another growing year for us and we came together really well. Last year was obviously a special year, I could say a million things about last year's team. I look at this year's team as not going back to the way we used to be. I think we're a much better team than we were my freshman year, but it is another growing year for us. We still have a good core of veteran players but we don't have the depth or experience that we used to have. I think that next year's team is going to be really good, and the years to come are going to be even better. It comes to the point when one of my biggest concerns is making sure that the younger players have someone to show them and introduce them to how this program is and it's supposed to be played."
Q: Do you have any ultimate goals for the season?
A: "The ultimate goal is always to win the national championship. Being realistic, my goal for any season is to make the playoffs. Once you're there, pretty much anything can happen."
Q: What do you expect of yourself both on and off the field?
A: "I expect perfection both on and off the field. That is unattainable, but it is the reason that I strive for it. I don't like doing things that come easy to me. So on the field I know there's always room for me to improve. That is what always keeps me coming back. I take the same characteristics with me off the field with school and with my relationships with friends and family. I just had a conversation with one of my friends the other day about how much soccer has affected my life and how lost I'd be without it."
Q: What are your plans for after college?
A: "My heart wants to play professional soccer, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to. One reason is because I'm engaged, and the other is that my ankles haven't been holding up very well. I might have surgery on them after the season is over and since the draft is in February, the timing is off. I want to finish school and I know a couple of guys who got drafted last year and had to drop out of school to play. I've thought about talking to some of the coaches about the possibility of playing with the San Jose Earthquakes and train with them. That way I could train with them, see if they want to pick me up and still go to school. I haven't talked to them yet but that would be my best case scenario. I have a job lined up in the Bay Area and I'd love to eventually go into coaching. I'd actually love to coach for Santa Clara someday!"
