A freshman’s life is not easy.

“Hey freshman, don’t forget to bring out the balls,” yelled Dusty Showers to freshman defender Derek Niepomnik.

But the veterans of the NIU soccer team better treat this year’s freshmen with some respect. They just might make the difference in the Huskies quest to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament this year.

Niepomnik, Jay Konrad, Andy Lane and Kenny Hoffman will all make the travelling squad this year.

“They’re all fortunate,” coach Willy Roy said, “to be in a system where we can utilize their talents.

“We have enough experienced players where we can use these freshmen. They’ll all see some playing time.”

Niepomnik and Konrad are a pair of 6-2, 180-pound defenders who are expected to use their heads on the field—for thinking and heading.

“We’ll be tough on set plays this year,” Roy said. “These freshmen are all good at heading the ball.”

There’s added pressure on this year’s freshmen crop. After two years of frustration, the seniors on this team are desperate to make a trip to the NCAA’s this fall.

The freshmen want to help them get there. “I’ll play a lot harder,” Konrad said, “because the seniors want to accomplish a lot this year. They’re the one’s that got this program going. They want to go to the NCAA’s. I want to do it for them.”

Niepomnik said he feels the same way. “We’re playing this season for the seniors,” he said. “They told us that this is our best chance of getting to the NCAA’s, and we want to help them get there. Hopefully, when we’re seniors the freshmen will do the same for us.”

If the freshmen live up to expectations, they’ll enjoy more than their share of success. Konrad has an advantage over the other freshmen because his brother, Jim, played soccer for Bowling Green. “He told me you have to play quicker in college,” Konrad said. “In high school, you had time to get the ball and tap it around. You can’t do that here. All we work on in practice are 1-2 touch plays. That’s all you have time for.”

As a star player at Maine South High School, everything fell on Niepomnik’s shoulders. But with the leadership on this year’s soccer team lying with tri-captains Frank Sparacino, Markus Roy and Karsten Roy, Niepomnik can just concentrate on improving his skills.

“In high school, all the pressure was on me,” Niepomnik said. “Now, I feel a lot more comfortable because everybody shares equal pressure. In high school, only a couple of people stood out. In college, everybody stands out.”