Matt Allen sat down with The Observer to discuss his latest game and role as captain.
Q: Overtime is always a high stress situation. In the past game against Carroll, what was going through your mind as you lined up for overtime?
A: “I felt like we had a lot of chances, and we should have had the game in the bag already, so going into overtime, I was pretty confident.”
Q: Being a captain for the second time in a row, do you feel as if you have a different role on the team than you have in past years?
A: “Coming into it, I definitely felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal. I’ve been trying to be in that leadership role throughout my whole sports career here, but after I got it, I started assuming that position more and incorporating it into my identity and actions on the field with my teammates. Last year to this year, it has changed a lot.”
Q: Is there anyone in your life, or even on the team, who has played an important role in your development as a player these past few years on the Augie soccer team?
A: “There’s a lot of people I could choose, but I’m going to go with the other two captains [juniors Sander Soerhaug and Salah Aghlaf]. They have become my best friends and I really love playing with them because just seeing them play and getting to play with them makes me more passionate. I’m not always sure exactly what to do, and because it can be tough having to make decisions for the whole team, I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way than having them as co-captains.”
Q: Coming off of a win last week, how do you feel going into this next game against Wheaton on Saturday in terms of team performance and expectations?
A: “I think in the last game, it wasn’t that we just got the win, we came out on a really strong start and played well too. We are pretty confident going into this next game, and since we are playing at home [Thorson-Lucken Field], we are in a strong position. It feels a lot better to win on your own turf.”