UNCW Soccer: Devan Carroll

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:45:59 +0000

By Cliff Pyron
One of the few drawbacks to UNC Wilmington is that the school does not have a football program to go along with all the other great athletic experiences the university has to offer. Since the town doesn’t have football to enjoy this fall I’m going to suggest taking up interest in football of a different kind. The UNC Wilmington men’s soccer team play the nation’s best in colligate competition and are one of the most exciting teams on campus. Last year Coach Aidan Heaney’s Seahawks won the CAA regular season title and came just penalties away from advancing to the CAA Championship, and possibly postseason. The thrill of last year’s run is looking to be echoed once again this season.
One big reason for the team’s success, Devan Carroll, he is a senior forward, last years leading goal scorer, and reigning CAA player of the year. Carroll, who had a team leading 20 points last year including 9 goals and 2 assists, and the soccer team are worth putting down the textbooks to go watch. “If I could predict something about this upcoming season, I would predict that the Seahawk fans would see a better Seahawk team than before. Definitely a team hungry for a title,” says Carroll. It will be a rough road for the squad though, battling against non-conference powerhouses UNC Greensboro and Duke and long-time conference rivals George Mason and William and Mary among others. “Our upcoming season is going to be a very tough one but we all are looking at every game the same way. By saying that, we all know we are going to have to work very hard and show every team that we are a very good team and not a team to be taken lightly,” added the forward. Regardless of the schedule the team has the potential to be one of this upcoming year’s best athletic teams at UNCW.
Carroll was recently named to the Hermann Award Watch List which is the top individual award in college soccer, but accomplishments like this don’t seem to phase him. He stresses the value of his teammates and harps on team goals rather than individual accomplishments making him a unique star. Carroll continued, “I will definitely have a target on my back but with the team we have, as long as we all play hard it is going to be hard to stop any one person on our team.” Presented with the Thomas V. Moseley award (UNC Wilmington’s top male athlete) last year Carroll is the special kind of player that keeps Seahawk faithful on the edge of their seats. “Devan is a player who makes great use of his speed and finishing ability, a combination which has led to him being one of the top strikers in the CAA,” said Ian Richardson, Sports Editor for The Seahawk. If you haven’t seen the talented forward play it is hard to put into words his abilities, you just might need to go see the show.
Carroll and the Seahawks open their regular season slate against Campbell, Tuesday, September 1 at home. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

TWP Magazine » Soccer

UNCW Soccer: Devan Carroll