Dylan Lynch '16

After three productive seasons with the men's soccer team, junior defender Matt Escobar (ME) has already made his mark on the men's soccer team, though with his senior season approaching, Escobar is working harder than ever to reach his full potential. Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) had the chance to catch up with Matt.

SCU: You received a WCC All-Academic Honorable mention this past fall for your work both on and off the field.  How do you balance your schoolwork with the rigorous soccer season?

ME: The best way for me to balance soccer and school is to plan ahead. I try to gauge my school workload early on in the week.  That way I can break down what needs to be done everyday. At times it gets exhausting, but it's a constant mental battle to put in the effort for school. I think it is very important to not let yourself get overwhelmed, especially when we are on the quarter system and we have to cope with constant midterms and quizzes. As much planning as I do, especially when I'm on the road, time is very restricted and it often requires a lot of late nights of studying. The biggest thing I do is accept that we have limited time but as long as I work hard I am able to relax going into a midterm, project, or final knowing that I put the work in. 

SCU: What are you looking to improve, as an individual player, entering next season?

ME: For next season I am trying to continue to build my fitness levels, specifically strength and cardio. I do this by pushing myself on the field in practice everyday but also by putting in extra work in the weight room and going on different types of runs. I also want to work on how I see and read the game. This comes from watching film and watching professional games in detail breaking down what defenders do in the big leagues. Of course I also need to sharpen my ball work and continue to work on striking the ball over distance.

SCU: Going into your senior season on the team, how has your leadership role changed since you first came to Santa Clara?

ME: It's strange to think that I have just one year left here, but over my first three seasons I have learned a lot about how to lead. Being a part of Bronco Leadership since my freshman year has helped me tremendously. I am a very vocal leader and one of my strengths is being able to keep the team focused and on track as well as being able to motivate the guys. At times I can be very critical but I try to make everyone, especially the younger guys, understand that I am trying to bring the best out in them. I also lead through my work ethic and how hard I push myself everyday. I think one part of me as a leader that my teammates like is how competitive I am and that I will grind with everything I have to win. I think when the guys see it consistently in practice it helps them get motivated and train hard as well.

SCU: Are you doing anything differently, training-wise, this offseason compared to past years?

ME: Yeah, I do a lot of extra fitness work both in the weight room and on the field. I have always pushed myself to do extra work with the ball or the fitness element. With that being said, the biggest change for me is my mental preparation. The fact that I have just one year left scares me and I want to do everything I can do make it a successful one. My mental preparation everyday is taking care of my body so I can put a maximal amount of work in during practice. That has been the biggest change, just knowing that I have one more chance to win a national championship, so everyday I ask myself how I am helping my team get to that goal. With this mentality I am able to push myself a lot harder and put in extra work everyday. 

SCU: What is the team's main goal for next season?

ME: That's a pretty simple answer for me: I want to win the conference and then go win a national championship. Coming in with my class ranked as the fifth best recruiting class in the country, we had one goal and that was to win it all. Last season was very disappointing and as a team we need to learn from it and use it to help us moving forward. I am very confident we have talent but I think our team really needs to come together on the field and create an identity and get on the same page. If we create that atmosphere where everyone is together and supportive through all the ups and downs we will win the conference and push for a national championship