By Sophie Gabriec
Sports Editor
Now a junior, Christian Keller has returned to the soccer field after two seasons off due to two proximal radius breaks in his left arm. Keller initially suffered from the injury halfway through preseason on Aug. 24, 2015.
Exactly one year later, he broke his left arm in the exact same place. Head Coach Roy Dunshee decided to give Keller a day off on Aug. 24. of this year to avoid any stroke of bad luck he may see.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Keller was recruited as a center back on defense, but currently plays center midfield for the Shoremen. In this 2017 season, Keller has made eight shots, scored two goals, and started in eight of his twelve games played. Keller was also named Shoreman of the Week early in the season.
Keller entered the season with excitement to be back on the field with his friends and teammates.
“It’s great playing full time. It’s a little different being a junior and making a debut, but getting to play with everyone is awesome,” Keller said.
Keller has stepped into his role as an upperclassman with a desire to set a good example for those looking up to him. Having a positive team attitude and maintaining good work ethic is important to him in regard to the weight room, practices, and, most importantly, games.
“If I set a good example with work ethic, everyone with different talents can follow that,” he said. “One of the things we need to focus on is maintaining positive leadership roles. Just making sure we lead each class towards working hard and focusing on our one main goal: winning.”
Keller has a determination to earn wins against ranked teams in the Centennial Conference. He and the rest of the Shoremen repeatedly look to compete in the conference playoff tournament every season. Keller is confident that the Shoremen will be contenders until the end of the season. He wants to attract the attention of other Centennial Conference teams.
With a wave of new talent entering the squad this season, Keller has high hopes for each incoming freshman class in the future.
“Each class that comes in gets better and better in terms of talent. It drives us to work harder. We have to keep up with the fresh competition that each class brings in,” he said.
Looking ahead, Keller plans on improving as a team to get ahead of the competition in the conference next season.