University of Evansville - LinC Yearbook (Evansville, IN)

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Soccer Standouts Dan Jenkerson, midfielder from St. Louis, Missouri Q. What brought you to the University of Evansville? Dan: I attended Meremac Junior College in St. Louis when Billy Hempen and Pat Carney (former Aces soccer players) talked to me about coming to UE. Q. How do you feel about the 1980 season? Dan: I feel that we could have been one of the very best teams in the nation. We tried both Alabama A M and Cleveland State, two very excellent teams. We had prob- lems winning on the road, we didn ' t have the home fans to support us and we didn ' t get psyched up for the games. Q. What could have been done to improve the team? Dan: Well, if we had less injuries, more people working up to potential and the best players playing more, then the tea m could have been better. Q. How do you feel about the future of the team? Dan: Next year 19 players are coming back. I think the team will have great chances of doing well and they will prob- ably get a NCAA playing bid if they work up to their potential. The year after next the team will need a lot of good recruits because eight players will be leaving. Q. What do you think about school spirit? Dan: We have very good community support and the stu- dents who come to the games give us good support. More students should come to the games, though. It only takes a minute to walk across the street and watch an hour and a half or two hour game. Q. Tell me about the Senior Bowl. Dan: It was great! It was in Fort Lauderdale in December. I met a lot of really nice people. There were a lo t of scouts there from every NASL team. I don ' t think I would have been drafted without having a chance to play in the senior bowl. Q. How do you feel about the draft and your pro try outs with the Seattle Sounders? Dan: I was very excited to get drafted in the first round for the Seattle Slounders. I was so excited I was shaking! A lot of people never even get the chance to be drafted and try-out. Even though getting cut was a big disappointment, I was very glad and lucky to get the chance at all. Frank Ehrensbeck, forward from Old Forge, Nevj York Q. Why did you decide to come to Evansville? Frank: Gaudin, the former coach of the Aces, is from my home town and I knew him. He called and asked me to come and play soccer for his team. I was also recruited by the basketball team, so both of those connections brought me here. Q. How do you feel about the season? Frank: It had it ' s good points. We played some excellent teams and did very well against them. We also had some problems not working up to our capabilities all of the time. We were somewhat inconsistent, we lost to some teams we should have beat and we beat some we could have lost. Q. What could have been done to improve the season? Frank: Well, we had a few injuries such as Gerard Homer ' s and Davis Bellamies which really hurt us. Some people who weren ' t playing very much should have been playing more, too. In some games we had some pretty bad breaks. We needed a better team feeling too. We needed a we attitude more than a you or I attitude. Q. How do you feel about the future of the team? Frank: Really good. There are excellent players, the facili- ties are getting better, the team spirit will improve as years go on because the younger members of the team really get along well, and there is a good foundation of an excellent team. We have John Nunes, Davis Bellamy, Just Jensen, Rune Burro, Pat Burns, Scott Westbrook and a lot of other excellent players who will help the team to be a success. I hope things work out well with Coach Smaltz and the team in the future. Q. What are your future plans? Frank: I ' m trying out for the Witchita Wings in June and I ' m going to see how that goes. It that doesn ' t work out, I ' m processed to go to the Marine Corps Flight school in Florida and one day I will hopefully become a commercial pilot. I wish everyone on the team lots of luck and I really think they have a good future ahead of them. Frank was the first player to complete a full four years in the soccer program at UE. PLAYER FEATURE 23