In the spring of 2013, Syracuse women’s soccer assistant coach Neel Bhattacharjee reached out to the Syracuse men’s club soccer team seeking some help.

Moving to one of the best conferences in the country, Syracuse would be going up against more physical, athletic and skillful competition.

Bhattacharjee asked team captain Eddy Walter if he could speak to a few of the better returning players on the team to gauge their interest on possibly practicing with the women’s team. Four took the offer.

“For me, it’s about trying to be a bigger, faster, strong player,” said Bobby Williamson, one of the four players who now practices with the women’s team. “The competition they see in the ACC is the best women’s soccer players in the country.”

Seniors Williamson, Garrett Lee, Joey Naparstek and Chris Melton, a graduate student, have been practicing with the Syracuse women’s soccer team (7-9-1, 3-7-1 Atlantic Coast) all season long as representatives from the men’s club team.

Three of them, Naparstek excluded, began working out with the team in the spring of 2013. In that time, they have been rewarded by building relationships with the team and have been able to hone in on specific player tendencies.

The practice players have blended seamlessly with the rest of the team, Syracuse players said, and fulfilled Bhattacharjee’s initial goal. On defensive and offensive drills they bring a strong, physical presence to practice.

“(The four practice players) obviously are faster and stronger, and it gives us good competition to play against,” freshman defender Maddie Iozzi said. “Having them in practice helps replicate the ACC gameplay and definitely increases our level of energy.”

Most of the four were scouted by Division III schools, but opted for Syracuse to get a better education.

Looking to continue sharpening their skills and receiving feedback from the Division I coaches on the women’s team, Bhattacharjee’s offer made sense.

“This gave us the opportunity to continue doing what we love and play at a high level,” Naparstek said.

Williamson is excited with the way his game has improved since practicing under head coach Phil Wheddon and his coaching staff.

“I definitely think about things differently when I’m on the field after listening to Phil, Adam and Neel preach their practices and strategy of the game,” Williamson said. “I think mentally and even more so skillfully I have improved my game.”

The club players are taking this experience as seriously as the rest of the girls on the team do, and the coaching staff reciprocates that feeling when coaching them.

However, the most prominent sentiment from the practice players in conversation was an overwhelming sense of gratitude toward the team and coaching staff for the opportunity to be a part of the camaraderie.

“We just want to blend in with the team as if we were one of the girls,” Naparstek said. “The coaches will ride us as hard as they will any of the other players, they want us to get better too.”

Published on October 23, 2013 at 12:24 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman