Nathan Terrell returns back to the nest at UMW for another season with his team

by AMANDA SHEWARD

Senior Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic affected universities worldwide in a number of ways, and in the chaos of the pandemic, athletes temporarily lost their ability to play the sport they love. To make up for the time past, the National Collegiate Athletic Association implemented an exception that allows student-athletes to play for an additional year if their previous seasons were impacted by the pandemic.

Nathan Terrell, a biomedical science major, is playing his fifth year of NCAA men’s soccer at UMW. He decided to stay an Eagle because of the team’s great comradery. 

“I chose to stay at UMW because we have a team that has great chemistry and have the opportunity to play for conference and national championships this year,” he said.

Last season the team fell short to Washington and Lee University during the third round of the NCAA Division III tournament. By winning the Continental Athletic Conference and advancing further than last year’s team in the tournament, the decision to stay will be even better.

In addition to this season being Terrell’s last, he is also a co-captain with Freddy Rogers, a senior marketing major and Gabe Francisconi a graduate student obtaining his masters in business administration. Terrell believes that being a captain brings its own set of challenges and rewards. 

“Things are not always black and white,” he said. “Finding solutions and communicating these effectively to the team is not always easy but is rewarding when done right.” 

Even though this may be his final season as an Eagle, the thought of not coming back with his team next year has not crossed Terrell’s mind, instead he is focusing on taking the season one day at a time. 

“Our team emphasizes taking the season day by day, focusing on being the best you can be today, so that’s been my mindset,” he said. 

Terrell hopes to help cultivate a winning culture with his team this year and leave with no regrets and hopefully a national championship. 

“I am still playing soccer because we have a great group of guys here at UMW that are capable of winning a national championship,” he said. “I also wanted to take my fifth year because I didn’t want to regret not taking it.” 

Terrell emphasized the importance of being at a university that has strong athletics without missing out on academic opportunities. 

“I am thankful that UMW has an environment that is highly competitive and that I get to play a role in our success on the field,” he said. “I also found UMW to be a good fit academically, where I am satisfied with my education without having to sacrifice soccer, free time, or social life.” 

Francesconi believes that Terrell shows the qualities of a great athlete on and off the field.

“[Terrell] motivates me in all facets of life. Off the field, being his roommate for two years I saw his attention to detail in all aspects,” he said. “Being more of an Academic than myself he motivated me to push myself in the classroom,” 

Francesconi said that on the field, Terrell stands as a testament to all of the team’s hard work.

“On the field, he constantly reminds me of the work we all collectively put in and this motivates me to continue playing hard for not just him but the entire group,” he said.

Francesconi believes that just by being around someone like Terrell, the entire team is motivated to better themselves as both a cohesive team and as individual athletes.

“Being in the presence of someone as squared away as himself, is a massive motivator for our entire squad,” he said. 

This season has started strong for the men’s soccer team. Winning almost all of their games so far with only one tie. Terrell is looking forward to the new challenges that the team will face. 

“Our program is now at a point where we are nationally recognized as a top team, and we have the challenge of having a target on our back. Every team that we play this season will have extra motivation to beat us,” Terrell said. “The challenge for us is to only focus on us. If we perform at the level that we know we are capable of, then that is all we can ask for, and that is what we try to do every day.”  

Junior business administration major Michael Lenhard, one of Terrell’s teammates, said that Terrell motivates him by setting a good example of the standards that he has helped set. 

“[Terrell] brings a sense of calmness to the team that no one else has. This includes when he has the ball, but also in his decision-making, positioning and his reactions to situations,” he said. “We are going to miss his leadership the most. He gives so much both on and off the field that it will be difficult to replace the impact that he has.” 

After this year, Terrell wants to continue playing soccer. While he may not become a professional soccer player, he wants to at least play in an adult league. 

“I will definitely keep playing soccer. I’m not sure if I’ll have the chance to play professionally, but I see myself playing in at least some sort of adult league,” he said. “I also may try to become a grad assistant, but I’m not entirely sure yet.” 

Being a part of the UMW men’s soccer team for more than four years is something Terrell is incredibly grateful for. Once this season is over, he is going to miss playing alongside his teammates. 

“Beating a strong opponent when everyone on our team plays their best makes me feel accomplished and proud,” he said. “I am also going to miss hanging out with the team and spending time with my friends.”