For the seventh time in nine tries, NIU men’s soccer has claimed the Governor’s Cup after defeating both Western and Eastern Illinois on April 16.

Some of the Huskies were part of a national “Top 40 Recruiting Class” by College Soccer News for the 2010 season. Assistant coach Scott Donnelly was able to enjoy the moment of the team’s success, knowing he was part of the recruitment of those players.

After a few seasons of recruiting for NIU under his belt, Donnelly has been able to see his players develop and become a cohesive group. The Northern Star spoke with Donnelly about recruitment, the chemistry of this year’s team and the benefits of his own education.

Northern Star: The team won the Governor’s Cup on Saturday. From your perspective, how well did the team perform?

Scott Donnelly: It was a good performance. The weather played a role in terms of the general atmosphere, but our guys did a good job to manage the elements, to manage some of the uncontrollables and still put out a decent performance and get out of there with the result we basically expect from them at this point.

NS: The picture of the guys after the final game on Saturday looked like they were having fun. How is the chemistry of the current team, without the recruits?

SD: The team chemistry and bond is something we work on a lot with our players. In our recruiting, we look for the right combination of personality and character so that some of those things are already in place when they arrive. We do a lot of things within the program to strengthen those bonds, to continue to work on leadership training and displaying the right character. Those things come out on the field.

On a day like Saturday, when there’s 40-mph winds, and it’s about 30 degrees out, those intangible elements can be part of what helps you get the result you’re looking for.

NS: Turning our attention to you, how has your master’s degree in European history helped you as a coach?

SD: In terms of day-to-day application with the subject area, maybe not so applicable, but certainly as with anything, a good education helps in terms of writing and speaking to people. And in terms of creating connections, whether it’s with a recruit or coaches or with our guys. The more education the better, and I think our staff represents that. Three of us have master’s degrees. Our general education level as a staff is a good thing.

NS: Head coach Eric Luzzi had a cooking show for one episode last season on niuhuskies.com. What do you bring to the table in terms of talent?

SD: That’s a loaded question, I think. I guess I could do a vegetarian version of the cooking show. That’s something that the guys give me a lot of grief for because I’m actually a vegetarian. I’ll do spaghetti and a veggie mix or something.