Striking a Balance On and Off the Field

At the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester, Men’s Head Soccer Coach Shetzi “Ste” Heu challenged his players and the TFC community with a single question: “What is your routine?” When he presented his players at TFC’s annual soccer send-off chapel, he spoke about how important it is for students and student athletes to be responsible when it comes to balancing their academic, social, work, and spiritual lives. 

“God didn’t call us to live a life with no risk,” Heu stated.

He prompted students to play an active role in their success because, as he told the community, “success is not an accident.” Coach Heu did not speak without experience. He strives to play an active role in the team’s success on and off the field. He encourages the team to show up on time, put in extra work, steward a relationship with God, and strive to do well in every context. 

Although Coach Heu encourages his guys to prioritize school and soccer while in season, he also motivates them to work on balancing all aspects of their lives year-round. When asked how they try to juggle these many roles, a few members of the team shared some practical ways that they try to stay motivated and balance life well.  

Jonathan Bechtel, a senior at TFC and a team captain, shared: “I have to make priority lists to understand what needs to get done. It’s important to understand that you’re supposed to get rest on top of all of your schoolwork, so I have to set aside down time. If I don’t, I get overwhelmed. I definitely feel as if I have triple the amount of time out of season as I do in season. I had a harder time organizing my time between school and social life because soccer kind of helped with that. It’s almost like my schedule was too free… Organization is hard for me, but that’s the best way to keep me on a schedule.” To all students and student athletes, he encourages, “Keep with it. I kind of fell off my senior year. Keep yourself motivated. Know that you’re near the end, and you’ll be getting a degree soon.”

“In all honesty, I don’t always stay on top of everything,” freshman John McIver stated. “I have days when I want to do literally nothing, and I feel like things aren’t going so well spiritually. But the energy I get to do the things that I do comes from a joy that I’m doing what I do as unto the Lord and for His glory. I think just being thankful for what the Lord has gifted us with and using it for Him makes things a lot more enjoyable. But I’m not perfect bro. I need Jesus more than anyone else.” 

Sophomore Michael Guthrie shared: “I balance my social life and school by doing schoolwork alone and while I’m hanging out with friends. Sometimes I try to get most of my work done ahead of time if I’m planning to spend time with people. I have to make time to put extra work in for soccer, including waking up earlier or spending a couple of hours outside of our daily practices by showing up early or staying late.”

 “It’s hard,” sophomore Cleto Lerma said. “From choosing who to hang with to what work is the most important to get done sometimes, there’s even times where you can’t do either. Trust in God is all I can really say… In season, I actually find myself really on track with work. I’m motivated and excited to play, but once it’s done, I find myself falling behind even though I have so much time.” 

Between Coach Heu’s encouraging relationship with his guys and the work they each put in to be their best on and off the field, the TFC Men’s Soccer Team has seen some improvement this 2021-2022 season. 

“This year was a great foundational year for us,” Coach Heu said. “We went from zero wins to five. Went from zero shutouts to one. I’m proud of the guys for what we accomplished, but we still have a long way to go.” 

In early November, the team also celebrated freshmen Dylan Bodney and Juan Medina for being chosen for the All-Region Second Team. 

As the semester winds down and spring quickly approaches, the soccer team plans to start conditioning early next semester to prepare for their upcoming season. To review the team’s season and keep up with them, visit https://tfcathletics.com/sports/jv-mens-soccer or on Instagram: @tfcmenssoccer.