Eric Bell, Staff Writer
This year, returning to sports gives us a new sense of normality. The Belltower decided to catch up with someone whose primary season coincided with the year’s first half. Eber Navarrete Vieira is a freshman goalkeeper for Saint Martin’s. Hailing from Longview, Washington, Vieira shares a bit about his first season as a Saint.
“My first year at Saint Martin’s started pretty well. At the end, I got to experience new styles of play on our team and everything, so I felt like it went pretty well”
Navarrete Vieira In Discussion to the Fall Season
The soccer team still has a spring season and a regimented winter offseason program, so the team is far from finishing everything. To touch on the new styles of play Vieira referred to, the team started out the season playing with three defenders in the back half of the field. This was an experiment by the head coach to see if this way of playing would fit the team better. After a few matches, however, the team moved back into a more traditional setup of four defenders in the back half of the field. This seemed to work better for the team, as players were better suited and equipped to play this formation and style of soccer.
When The Belltower asked Vieira about his overall experience as being a student-athlete at Saint Martin’s for the first time he said, “”Yes, I can definitely say that I enjoy it.” A very definitive and solid answer, providing a fantastic platform for younger players, especially freshmen, to grow and thrive here during their time on campus.
Before he became a Saint, Vieira attended Mark Morris High School, where he was an honor roll selection, a 4-year varsity letter winner, and the team MVP in his senior season! Way to go, Eber!
It is essential to get the insight of younger athletes here at Saint Martin’s because they are the future of SMU’s athletics. Getting to know them and getting to hear their thoughts on how things are going is important and can lead to improvements across the athletic department as we advance. It is not all about just making big changes, which are important for sure. It is just as important to highlight the things that are going well here in Saints athletics. Many people in various sports here on campus have consistently made the all-academic team and have received awards for their dedication and excellence in the classroom. While it is vital to push and foster change, we must recognize the accomplishments of our athletes. These accomplishments should be celebrated and, in my opinion, more well-known and documented. The Belltower would like to congratulate all who have received this honor as well as those who will be receiving this honor in the future. As you all know, there is a world away from the field or the court, and our Saints athletes are prepared for life after college, whatever that may be.
The Belltower 