Rose-Hulman News
Last year, men’s soccer player Rhys Evans scored 10 goals to lead the Engineer offense that ranked second in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) in scoring with 40 goals this season. His 10 goals and 22 points scored this season ranked him second in the league. The Engineers advanced to the NCAA Division III men’s soccer playoffs for the first time in school history and traveled to Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa where they fell to Dominican (Ill.) 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
This year, the senior mechanical engineering major and reigning HCAC Most Valuable Player has already made his impression. He scored the lone and winning goal last weekend in the 1-0 win against perennial conference power Transylvania University. That brings him to two goals and one assist on the season and 23 goals and 52 assists in his career, ranking him sixth in school history.
Rhys Evans took some time to answer some questionsv for The Rose Thorn.
The Rose Thorn: How long have you been involved in soccer?
Rhys Evans: I’ve been involved in soccer my whole life. It’s a family thing.
RT: Last year, the men’s soccer team won the HCAC title and made the program’s first NCAA appearance. Is there anything you and/or the team had taken from the experience?
RE: Definitely, we as a team learned a lot from that experience. Our goal at the beginning of last season was to win the conference tournament. Once we accomplished that and went on to play in the NCAA tournament, we weren’t prepared mentally for that next step. We were so stoked to be there in the first place that we played for the experience instead of the win. Now, we as a team are expecting to win conference and are prepared to win games and make a run in the NCAA tournament this year.
RT: At the end of last season, you were named HCAC Most Valuable Player as a junior. Do you think that puts a target on your back this season?
RE: Hmmm, I’ve noticed thus far that it does. The defenders on [Transylvania] were not exactly gentle with me during our game to say the least. However, as we play through our conference schedule I recognize that this will benefit our team. Hopefully I’ll draw extra attention from defenders which will create chances and openings for other teammates as we’re looking to attack forward. We have an extremely deep and talented team where anyone can step-up and make great plays.
RT: Are there any obstacles this year’s team would have to overcome to win the HCAC?
RE: First of all, staying healthy is top priority. We lost Joe Salisbury to an unfortunate injury and illness at the beginning of the season and his presence is dearly missed on the field, but we’re pulling for him to get back ASAP. As long as we consistently play up to our standards, approach each game with a fighting attitude, and respect our opponents, I’m confident that we’ll finish the season undefeated in conference. I expect that we’ll be playing Transylvania again at home for the HCAC championship. That will be a huge game.
RT: This year, the men’s soccer team has played well respected and some nationally ranked teams such as Ohio Wesleyan and Principia College. Have these tougher challenges affected the way the team plays?
RE: Of course, competing with teams of this caliber managed to expose many of our weaknesses and allowed us to get a taste of what to expect in the NCAA tournament. These games have helped to mend our team into a stronger one and presented us with the familiarity of what it feels like to play with high-level teams. Even though we walked away from those two matches with losses, we’re better off now for challenging them.
RT: Last weekend, the team beat perennial HCAC soccer power Transylvania. Do you think this bodes well for the rest of the conference schedule?
RE: Assuming that [Transylvania] will be the toughest team we play in conference, yeah I think it’s a good start. But that win puts us at the top of the HCAC with an extremely large target on our back. All the teams will be gunning for us, so we anticipate each game to be a hard battle.
RT: Do you have any hobbies outside of soccer?
RE: I love to do anything on the water, which includes slaloming, barefooting, jumping, wakeboarding, wake-surfing, and pyramid building. I’ve water-skied my whole life and for the last nine years performed on a ski show team. So if anyone has a boat nearby, I’ll give a free lesson for a pull!
RT: What’s the most meaningful or favorite game-time moment?
RE: The dopest game-time moment was indubitably when we won the HCAC championship at home last year. That was a thrilling experience.