How star player Okan Golge’s presence at Morningside University influences the soccer program and what his outage means for the future
“We put soccer on the map” is what Okan Golge cheered after the first Gpac title won by the Morningside Mustangs in Fall 2019. The following season head coach Tom Maxon said in an interview “Okan is straight money” after winning another Gpac title. Jim Sykes, the athletic director, is also “impressed” with the soccer team for gaining international attention. In the current season of 2021 the Mustangs had to dispense their striker Golge. Ever since, the soccer team is not doing very well.
Maxon elucidates what Golge’s presence means to the team and what his work changed here at Morningside. “There is two big personal differences” Maxon explains when talking about this season compared to the last seasons. “One is Okan on paper, simply 30 goals that we have to replace and we are not doing it, but the other part is his big personality”.
Golge’s impact on the team can simply be seen when comparing the soccer team’s performances from this season without him to the last seasons with him. Morningside already has more losses now than in the entire season of 2020 or the season of 2019. Other than that, Golge’s talent is underlined by his consecutive awards as the Gpac player of the year and NAIA All-American first team nomination. “He’s got a magnetism for one kind or another where guys get around him, he also attracts people in a game to where everyone else in the game is better” Maxon states when describing how Golge affects the team as a player. He also says that if you do not have to worry about Golge, you can worry about two or three other guys. Which highlights how other teams respond to Golge’s outage this season. Maxon further suggests that with Golge, the team would have performed better this season. “Our biggest losses were in overtime, we would have probably won these games” Maxon said.
However, did his performance with the team really “put soccer on the map”? Morningside’s athletic director definitely acknowledges the achievements by Golge and Co. “The depth of talent within the conference makes it difficult to win championships so to do it is impressive” is what he answered when being asked whether his view on the soccer team has changed with the recent successes.
Nevertheless, all the Mustang’s success can not be solely credited to Golge. Starting in summer 2018, along with Golge, a large group of international freshmen enrolled at Morningside and this trend is continuing ever since. Sykes realizes this trend and said “our successes in soccer along with our ability to attract international talent is not a coincidence”. He is hoping that Morningside’s move to becoming a University will enhance those opportunities in the future.
When asking Maxon what he thinks about that, he said that he hopes to continue this. Winning trophies makes it “easier to get them, they look at us and think dang thats a group” according to Maxon. The latest stats clearly make Morningside more attractive for talents from Europe who are looking for universities. This may be an opportunity for Morningside to establish a nationally competing program. “I believe Morningside is trending in the direction of being nationally relevant on a consistent basis” Sykes emphasizes. He further explains that continuing to recruit top notch players is important because “good players want to play on teams with other good players”.
When being asked, why Golge believes that he “put soccer on the map” he responded that ever since they are winning trophies, people around the campus acknowledge soccer players. “Top athletes from other sports here on campus start greeting me, asking me about when the next game is and seem to show interest for the sport” he said. Soccer was never really a cool people’s sport here at Morningside, given that it is not a popular sport in the US, Golge explains. “Everyone only cares about Football and Basketball, now we are the cool guys too”. Other than that, Golge also mentions how multiple soccer players from Morningside have recently transferred to top D1 soccer programs. The talent level increases but the program here at Morningside cannot seem to support it. Hence players move on to advanced programs with better facilities and better scholarships. “We do not even have a locker room, we asked other teams and we are also the only ones who pay for our gear ourselves” Golge complains.
Given this rising relevance of the sport here at Morningside, both Maxon and Sykes were asked if it changes the way the school looks at the sport and whether or not the program could expect more attention and funding. “Did previous success put soccer on the map?” Maxon questioned, “It definitely does” he responded, but according to him, the upper administration look at it from a whole different perspective. To them, “the health and stability of the school as a whole” is what they are interested in. For example being called a university, adding new majors, student enrollment being up, financial health being high is what he listed.
Maxon continues by suggesting that they rather look at soccer as an “addition of an entire new dimension to the school” with this large international group which affects all majors, “especially business”. Maxon further explains how professors “love it” and how he constantly receives feedback about what an “engaged interested group” they are. “This is a group that we keep and graduate which is healthy for the school”. Lastly he said, “I would not say you put us on the map, but you are a big part of what we are on the map”.
“If i have to be syndical, I would say the board and alumni want to make sure basketball and football are good everything else can go up and down and we will be okay” Maxon adds. Therefore, Golge’s absence, which causes a downfall in the performances, does not seem to worry anyone, even if it means that the chances of establishing a national ranked soccer program decreases. Sykes underpins the lack of unrest about this when stating that “the University’s expectations for our teams is probably never higher than what the coaches expectations are for each sport”.
This said, the soccer program cannot expect any changes, according to Sykes. When being asked if the school would invest into the program to continue this growth, Sykes responded that “In a perfect world each sport would have their own facility with locker rooms, unlimited budgets for staff, equipment and scholarships. However that is not the reality of where we are at today”. Overall, Maxon was right about his assumption, that Football and Basketball remain the main focuses of the school, despite the foundation Golge and Co. have created.
“2020 NAIA Men’s Soccer All-America Teams Announced.” NAIA, NAIA 2021, 13 May 2021, https://www.naia.org/sports/msoc/2020-21/Releases/2020_AA.