HELENA — “Soccer is a lot more pliable than a lot of the American sports,” says first-year Carroll College coach Austin Shick when discussing necessary adjustments for the Saints' upcoming game Saturday against the University of Lethbridge at Nelson Stadium.
“The main thing is they need to come in fit and they have and that’s been really positive,” declared Shick.
Originally from Nevada, Shick played collegiality from 2008-10 in Oregon before starting his coaching career in 2016. In February, Shick was named the second head coach in Carroll’s men’s soccer program history,
“It’s funny, because I did the scouting plan against Carroll last year when I worked at another school, so the style will change,” added Shick.
“We’re going to play the ball on the ground a little bit more, we’re going to try to keep the ball as much as we can, but we’re going to try to be good in all facets of the game as well, defend with ten in the box, try to attack in a lot of different ways, and yes, we will kick a ball long when we need to,” added Shick.
He outlined many of the upcoming changes as well as his long-term and short-term goals prior to the start of the 2023 season. From creating their own brand of soccer in Helena to staying present in the lives of the players “to make us a family,” said Shick.
“We have had our upperclassmen link up with our incoming guys, both transfers and freshmen, and trying to get them to understand what the Carroll way is and what it means to be a Saint,” says Shick.
Carroll will have 15 returning players along with 16 incoming transfers and/or freshmen, such as Miguel Angel Kery, originally from Rockville, Maryland, who spent the last year playing in Spain.
“My goal is to do the best that I can off and on the field, but at the end of the day we just want to make playoffs this year and represent Carroll, Helena, my team and especially my family,” said Will Dominguez, originally from Mattawa, Washington.
Dominguez previously played for Shick at Blue Mountain Community College in Oregon before transferring to Carroll this summer. “It’s nice to be here and get the opportunity to do more, to be better every day," he said.
