North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Veteran Zuerner Leads Young Squad
8/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 17, 2010
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. -
Zuerner, a senior midfielder from Charlotte, is one of just three returning starters for the Wolfpack, along with senior defenders Tyler Lassiter and Lucas Carpenter. But he is not about to lower his expectations from last year, when the Wolfpack posted a 13-7-2 record, fell just short of a ACC title and received a first round bye in the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach George Tarantini will be looking to replace veterans like leading scorers Ronnie Bouemboue, Alan Sanchez, Kris Byrd; defenders Korede Aiyegbusi and Chrystel Bakong; and goalie Chris Widman, just to name a few. Practice for the Wolfpack began last Friday; the team will host its first exhibition game August 26 at the Dail Soccer Stadium.
"We're almost putting a whole new team out on the field now, whereas last year we were a veteran team," said Zuerner, who tied for third with Byrd in scoring on last year's team. "We'll definitely be a young team this year, but by no means does that mean it is a rebuilding year. It's just a different team with a different style of play and different characters in there.
"The main difference from last year to this year is the makeup of the team. We are going to be a little younger, a little more inexperienced, but that can be overcome by hard practices, dedication and commitment to the game. I have no doubt that we will as successful this year as we were last year."
Tarantini is confident that his team will be successful, because of players like Zuerner, who arrived from South Mecklenburg High School as a walk-on but quickly earned a starting job and a scholarship by his sophomore season.
"Zuerner developed his game through a lot of work," said Tarantini, who is beginning his 25th season as the head coach of the men's program. "He was committed to improve. He is one of those players you don't see him all the time, but the little things he does are very important.
"He's a guy who has worked for everything he has. That's what you want to see: someone who came into the program and made his own breaks. He has made the most of every opportunity he has had to excel. I respect him a lot."
The coach especially respected the fact that Zuerner was almost always the first player to show up for the team's 6 a.m. distance runs in the spring, showing a good example for those who will be expected to follow him this fall.
But Zuerner was absent during the summer, while most of his teammates stayed in Raleigh to train for the coming year. He returned to his hometown of Charlotte to complete an internship with Bank of America to fulfill a degree requirement.
That doesn't mean he took the summer off from training, however. After working his 9-5 shift at the bank, Zuerner spent two to three hours a day working on his skills or working on strength and conditioning. He lifted for 90 minutes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and did skill work with some friends from other college teams on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He found pickup games when he could during the week and on weekends.
"It definitely required a lot of time management, trying work a full-time job and cram in weights, conditioning and soccer," Zuerner said. "But I wanted to do everything I could to get better and be ready for the season when I got back to Raleigh."
But he did what he needed to do to get ready for his last season. He and his teammates know it will be a transitional year, but that doesn't diminish his expectations for his final season of college soccer.
"Being one of the most experienced players coming back, I have to step and take a leadership role, along with the other two guys coming back," Zuerner said. "I have been part of a lot of situations, like ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament games. For a lot of the younger guys, I have to be there for support. I have to lead and direct them through whatever issues they are going through.
"Hopefully, I can help steer the team in the right direction this year."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
