Powell Following The Plan At Elon

The formula sounds simple: Surround yourself with good people and good things will happen.

Darren Powell believes in that plan. He also believes in timing. In his ninth season as Elon men’s soccer coach, Powell has found good people, established a set of core principles, and convinced the right players to be a part of his program. As a result, the Phoenix are knocking down program firsts with alarming regularity.

This season, Powell hopes Elon can secure a third, as in a third-straight NCAA tournament appearance. A 1-0 victory against Georgia Southern on Oct. 15 helped #25 Elon improve to 10-2-1 and record its fourth-consecutive season with double-digit victories.

It wasn’t so long ago that Powell arrived at Elon with a plan to build a fledgling Division I program into one that could compete with the heavyweights in the state of North Carolina.

Powell and the Phoenix have knocked down plenty of markers — first back-to-back winning seasons (2006-07), first victory against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent (Clemson, 2009), and first Southern Conference tournament title and NCAA appearance (2011) — along the way and are primed to level another one in 2013.

“Since day one, we have had our sights on getting better and moving the program forward,” Powell said. “We talk about that on a daily basis.

“All of the players have given their best effort since I have gotten here. They have passed it on from group-to-group and team-to-team. The c[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’]urrent group is trying to do better, and so far we are on track.”

Earlier this season, Elon matched its highest ranking ever when it climbed to #16 in the NSCAA rankings for the week of Oct. 8. A 2-1 loss a week later at Wofford followed before Elon rebounded with a 1-0 victory against Georgia Southern. The loss dropped Elon to #25 in the Oct. 15 NSCAA poll and set up a meeting with #22 Furman on Oct. 19.

This season’s success follows Southern Conference regular-season titles in 2008 and 2012. The Phoenix also have won the past two Southern Conference tournament crowns to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.

Powell envisioned that kind of success when he arrived at Elon in December 2004 after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro.

Like any coach, Powell said he has tried to find the right players who want to take advantage of the academics at the school and the fact that the men’s soccer program has the ability to play so many elite programs in the immediate area.

A look at Powell’s roster suggests the strategy is working.

The Phoenix have players from nine states, including 10 from North Carolina, as well as from England, Austria, Brazil, and New Zealand.

His goal in coming to Elon was to sell the fact student-athletes could go to school there, get a degree that would set them up for the rest of their lives and spend a lot of time becoming a better soccer player.

“I think each year the more recognition the program gets it expands the network further,” Powell said. “When I first came to the program, there weren’t many North Carolina players on the roster. We set out about securing players from North Carolina. The first year we won the Southern Conference in 2008 50 percent of our roster was from North Carolina.”

Jason Waterman isn’t from North Carolina. The junior forward, who is tied for the team lead with six goals and leads the squad in scoring (18 points), is from Indiana. He said the players’ ability to hold each other to a high standard and not take days off has accounted for their success this season.

“Knowing our coaching staff is really a competitive bunch, I think that translates down to us,’ Waterman said. “We are trying to exceed expectations and never to be complacent or happy with where we are. It starts with the coaching staff and goes all the way down.”

Waterman said the Phoenix are constantly striving to get better and are willing to spend extra time before or after practice to help each other work on individual skills because they know that will help the team have more success. He said the strong character of the players has created a family environment that has aided team chemistry and has developed a mentality that is blue collar in practice.

Waterman said a “blue-collar” attitude is somewhat appropriate for the Phoenix because he feels the players pride themselves in “putting our noses to the table and doing whatever it takes to grind out the win.”

Don’t get him wrong, though, because Elon has plenty of talent. Sophomore midfielder James Brace is tied with Waterman for the team lead with six goals. Matt Wescoe, a native of Willow Springs, NC, who had the game-winning goal against Georgia Southern is second on the team in scoring with four goals and 15 points.

On defense, junior Nathan Dean has been an anchor at goalkeeper. Junior Austin Dunker, sophomore Nathan Diehl, and redshirt-senior Nick Butterly have been constants.

“This year’s team has been great so far, and the character and the desire of the group has been very strong,” Powell said. “The guys come to practice every day with the right focus and frame of mind to get better. What has helped this team is correct focus and correct preparation. Hopefully that will last for many years.”

Waterman believes that will be the case. He said the family concept already had taken hold when he arrived as a freshman. He said it continues today in “pro time,” when the players take additional time before or after practice to hone skills that will help them become professional soccer players.

While that may sound to be a lofty goal, it is no higher than the dream Powell had when he arrived at Elon. His initial goal was to build a program where student-athletes could earn a great degree and polish their soccer skills. So far, the Phoenix have exceeded his expectations.

“I think this group of players, as long as they continue to do what they do, they can set the bar as high as they like,” Powell said.

“I think the most important thing this team needs to do is to make sure it can secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. Once we do that, we can dream and try to achieve another first for the program and win a (playoff) game for the program and move on from there.”