The Observer, September 12, 2008
Volume XLI, Issue 3
Men's Soccer: Cottington thrives in the background
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The men's soccer team is looking to do some amazing things this season. Throughout the past couple of weeks, fans following the team have heard a lot about the prolific offense lead by Matt Paglia, R.J. French, and Kevin Bigart. Or the lock-down defense spearheaded by senior defender Zeyad Schwen and goalkeeper Konrad Karasek. Even some fresh faces have been making noise as freshmen Niro Wimalasena and Vinny Bell have contributed an assist and a goal, respectively. However, the depth of this team goes far beyond the successful headlines. A large portion of the Spartans' success comes from players who are not in the spotlight, such as junior midfielder Jordan Cottington.
Cottington came to Case from a very successful St. Ignatius program. During his time there, Cottington won back-to-back state championships his junior and senior years, while also capturing the National Soccer Coaches Association of America national championship his senior year. His team went undefeated in 2005 and he saw three of his teammates and best friends go to major Div. I programs to play soccer. Cottington also had opportunities to play at schools such as Ohio State and Xavier, but turned them down to come get a great education and play soccer at Case. "In some respects you feel like you might be shorting yourself," said Cottington. "But my dad worked here, so I could go to school for free, and help establish our program into a winning one."
Ever since his recruiting class arrived, that is exactly what the Spartans have done – win. His freshman year, the Spartans went on their miraculous run to the third round of the NCAA playoffs and a UAA title. "We had no expectations that year. We were picked last in the conference, but we knew we had the squad to do it," said Cottington. That year he played in only a handful of games as a bad hamstring injury sidelined him during the middle of the season. "Even though I was the new guy, I was just trying to encourage my teammates and support them from the sidelines, while trying to get back onto the field of course," Cottington explained.
Last year, he was moved into a permanent starting role, playing in every game except one due to a groin injury. As it is common knowledge among Spartan fans, the team did not live up to expectations last year. "I think the rankings and success got to our heads last season," said Cottington. "We took it for granted and did not play with the same intensity." This year the mentality has changed. During the offseason, the team, while all the while focusing on getting better physically, really focused on team unity and chemistry. Cottington is looking toward that to get the Spartans through tough times this season.
"We had a tough loss last week, and while you never want to lose, it gives us a chance to reevaluate our games and correct mistakes," said Cottington. "We have the team and talent to contend for a national championship this year. We just need to want it more than the other team every time we step on the pitch." His name might not be in the headlines, but Cottington has been winning at Case ever since stepping foot on campus. He is not about to change that this year. Look for the Spartans to come back strong from that Hiram loss, and look for number 22 to be in the background.
