Mark Sikora, the head coach of the men’s soccer team at Parkland College has plentiful experience in the complicated sport of soccer. Though Sikora brings the experience, his players have much to learn, leading to an inconsistent 4-5-3 record thus far.
Sikora started to play the sport at 5 years old and began coaching in 1992, with this being his 19th season at the college. He started to coach here when Seamus Reilly, the previous coach, looked to him for the job. Reilly and Sikora worked together coaching high school teams previously. Sikora needed “…a different sort of experience, one where I didn’t have to quit my day job nor move my family.” That is what led him to take the job.
When he coaches he believes that the team needs to make the decisions when a game starts, not him. His role is “…to help them achieve their goals..” during practice “…and to get out of the way” when it comes to games. This season, according to Sikora, has been “fairly inconsistent…” with the team failing to have a “consistent positive spell.” However, there are a few key factors contributing to this. He explains that the team is very young and lacks experience. On top of their youth, the team has also been challenged by extremely competitive opponents in their packed game schedule.
But he goes on to mention that their youth and inexperience mean they have the potential to grow their skills and understanding of the game. That is what they do during their practices and preparation for games. Their 2-hour practices are when they “…focus on… building from individual technical demands and building to large group tactical needs.” In preparation for a game, the team analyzes their plan and how they will implement it, and afterward review how the game went and talk about what went and did not go to plan, as well as general areas where they can improve.
Sikora mentions that the season is about halfway over, with their next home game on Tuesday, Oct. 15 against Illinois Valley Community College. So, get out there and support our players!
