Two years ago, the name Manville Strand was not heard among the Mines Men’s Soccer team. No one recruited him, no one gave him a scholarship, and he was not even on the team. But, after joining the team as a freshman walk-on, this Oredigger goalkeeper quickly rose from anonymity to become the RMAC 2009 Freshman of the year. Now, in his second year as an Oredigger, Strand has not lost a beat, allowing only one goal in four games and racking up 7 saves. He has played over 340 minutes and garnered a 0.26 goals against average and a 0.875 save percentage. Earlier this month, Strand was named the RMAC defensive player of the week. The civil engineering major is now helping to lead a dangerous Mines team that is ranked third in the nation and has already defeated #1 Fort Lewis 1-0. For his effort and performances so far, Manville Strand is this week’s Oredigger Athlete of the Week.
Oredigger: How/When did you start playing soccer?
Strand: I started when I was about 12 years old. My friend just asked if I wanted to tryout.
Why did you choose to come to Mines?
It’s a great engineering school and has a lot of opportunities that comes with it
Favorite part about being a student athlete?
Just always being on your toes to keep yourself motivated in every way possible
Least favorite part about being a student athlete?
You really don’t have the chance to join clubs and do certain activities during season while we travel.
Favorite or least favorite part about Mines?
Favorite: Location, location, location. (Strand’s hometown is Las Vegas, NV)
Least favorite would be that studies take up a lot of your time when you can be having fun doing something else.
Who is your favorite teacher at Mines?
[Prof.] Dennis Ott (Adjunct Faculty, Math and Computer Sciences).
What are some goals the Men’s Soccer team has for this season?
Well, as always, every year we want to go undefeated, win the RMAC conference, and then nationals to finally be number one in the nation!
What will be some of your toughest games this season?
Fort Lewis is always a tough match but no matter what, the next game on the list is always considered the hardest game.
What has been your best soccer memory?
Winning the Nevada State Cup my junior year and then getting to go to Hawaii for regionals and just messing around.
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