SIUC’s Men’s Soccer Club is an outlet for a wealth of untapped talent said club advisor Alan Harasimowicz.

Harasimowicz and student Jayver Luque re-started the club in the late 1980s after realizing there was an abundance of international talent at SIUC.

There was so much untapped talent here and it gave them ( the students) a chance to play for the University, Harasimowicz said.

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The club was originally organized in the late 1970s, but went through a transitional phase with no formal organization in the mid-1980s.

Once Harasimowicz and Luque reorganized the club, it developed an international flavor. Members of SIUC’s first team came from countries around the word.

Our first team was totally international, Harasimowicz said. There were members from Jamaica, Iran, Colombia, Malaysia, Bermuda and Kenya just to name a few (countries).

This year’s squad has 18-20 members, primarily from the United States.

Club president Ben Jenkins said anyone is welcome to practice with the team.

Anyone can come out and practice, but we have to make up a team at the beginning of the year to travel, he said.

The club has a tough schedule for their fall season. Tournament competition includes several Big 10 schools such as Northwestern, the University of Illinois, Purdue and Michigan.

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SIUC played its first tournament Sept. 22-24. The squad played three games, finishing the weekend with a 1-2 record. Losses came against Vincennes University and Southeast Missouri State University. The club defeated the University of Tennessee-Martin 2-1 for their only victory.

Jeff Siemers, club secretary, said the squad’s performance should improve once the members gain experience by playing together in competition.

Another problem with why we (SIUC) won only one game is that we’re all new guys, he said. It takes awhile to get to know each other and get the chemistry going. It helps as the year goes on, he said.

Jenkins said the team plans to use the tournament to get ready for future tournaments.

The tournament was preparation for future tournaments, especially Northwestern, he said.

The club is a Registered Student Organization, but people involved with the squad said they hope to see SIUC soccer made a National Collegiate Athletic Association sport. Lack of funding is a main obstacle to the realization of this dream.

Funding for the entire University is tough, Harasimowicz said. But at the same time with the budget crunch, soccer is a very low budgeted sport. The financial requirements are very low as compared to others (sports) as far as equipment is concerned.

The club provides for uniform costs and travel expenses through donations and money received from the University.

The team has been unsuccessful in looking for sponsors to help raise money.

Siemers said the club has the opportunity for a bright future if its economic situation improves.

There is good potential for a good team, but we don’t have the resources to compete with the other teams.