Any new coach will always have his work cut out as he prepares a team full of unfamiliar players for a competitive season. For new Georgia Southern men’s soccer coach John Murphy, the pressure of stepping into a new gig is magnified by a miniscule timeframe in which to prepare his new team.
    Murphy steps in as the head man for the Eagles to follow Kevin Kennedy’s 10 years at the helm.
    Kennedy stepped away from the team in midsummer, accelerating the normal process of filling a vacancy.
    “I just met most of the guys for the first time last week,” Murphy said. “We’re in the storming phase right now, which is hectic. They’re hearing a different voice and getting used to some new things, but this is a talented group that I’m pleased with and excited to coach.”
    That Murphy is so happy with the Eagles is a testament to the team.
    Throughout a 20-year coaching career, Murphy has spent 10 years in the professional ranks – both domestic and abroad – and has logged plenty of coaching time in the hyper-competitive ACC.
    Having previously worked at Clemson, Murphy comes to Statesboro after spending the last two seasons as Associate Head Coach at Boston College.
    The Sun Belt doesn’t hold quite the national stature of the ACC, but Murphy didn’t think twice when asked about the level of play he expects from the Eagles.
    “The talent here is comparable to anything I saw in the ACC,” Murphy said. “Hartwick has had a few really good years and Coastal Carolina is as good as anyone out there. I see a lot of guys here who have that potential to compete at a very high level.”
    Murphy’s abbreviated amount of time to get to know his new team has been helped by previous relationships in the soccer world. Murphy considers Kennedy a good friend and the former Eagle coach did as much as he could to give Murphy as much information as possible as to how the team had been running and what kind of players are on the roster.
    The Eagles’ new coach is also well acquainted with Darin Van Tassell and Ben Freakley, the owner and coach, respectively, of Statesboro’s Tormenta FC Premier Development League franchise that began play this past summer.
    “I know that Tormenta had a great first season and did a lot to bring out the support of the town,” Murphy said. “I think that can be a great benefit to our team.
    “Soccer is a grind. We’re going to work with the women’s team to improve the program, and that could also include Tormenta. We hope that a few people who enjoyed the games this summer carry over to our games in the fall. At the same time, we want to have a good season and keep the excitement going on into next summer (for Tormenta).”
    As for the season at hand, Murphy thinks that the current roster of Eagles will play into his system.
    Georgia Southern returns a good amount of veteran leadership and offensive talent. In a reworked scheme, Murphy will ask his players to be aggressive in attaining possession while pressing up the field and out to the sidelines in order to spread out defenses and allow for plenty of Eagles to join in on the attack.
    “The way I see it, a good offense makes for a good defense,” Murphy said. “If we’re controlling the ball and making other teams defend, they can’t score.”
    The Eagles will get their first taste of game action tonight as they welcome the Savannah College of Art and Design for an exhibition beginning at 7 p.m. Georgia Southern will travel to UNC Ashville for another exhibition game on Aug. 20.
    Regular season play begins Aug. 26 as the Eagles travel to Houston to take on Houston Baptist and Texas Rio Grande Valley in an early season tournament.
    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9408.