Bucks men’s soccer head coach Justin Burroughs looks forward to a successful season in Fall 2012.

Burroughs was introduced as the Bucks Assistant Coach in 2004. A year later, in 2005, Burroughs took over the reins as head coach. Since then, he has compiled a solid 58-49-6 record (wins/losses/ties) over a span of seven years.

A product of Monmouth University, a competitive Division I soccer program in North Central New Jersey, Burroughs brings the necessary competitive edge from his playing days to coaching. He won Coach of the Year honors in 2009 after the men’s team won the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College league title.

Frustrated by the 2011 campaign that saw his oft-injured squad compile a 7-12 record, Burroughs is nonetheless confident that 2012 will yield better results. “Being so injury plagued, not to mention the weather being so uncooperative, 2011 was indeed a tough year,” Burroughs said. “We had to make up a lot of games in a short period of time, which became that much tougher with so many players sidelined with injury.”

Now in his 8th year as head coach, Burroughs continues, “2012 is a fresh year, a fresh start for brand new kids, which is fun, but challenging in its own way.” The obvious reference is to the fact that Bucks is only a two-year school, so the coaching staff does not have too much time to yield maximum results from its players.

Burroughs faces other challenges each year, saying, “Oftentimes, our sports teams here at Bucks fly under the radar.” He does try to recruit players, but finds some players naively feel themselves above playing at the community college level.

“It’s deceptive to these young kids, thinking they will be able to simply walk-on as players to well-established programs such as Temple or Desales.” Burroughs adds, “It’s simply not the case, so we try to build these guys up here, and keep close connections with nearby programs to which we can refer our best players.”

So essentially, playing a year or two at Bucks can create a “stepping stone” to a more successful playing career at a more established program.

Burroughs’ strategy to begin 2012 on the right foot, perhaps literally as well as figuratively?

“We need to overcome a tough early season schedule, play with a high effort and intensity level, go out there day-by-day and game-by-game, and just try to stay healthy and improve throughout the season.”

With 2011’s season still fresh in his mind, Coach Burroughs feels that latter is the most important – avoiding injuries.

Despite some early season setbacks in 2012, Burroughs remains optimistic, saying, “Obviously we are trying to build up a solid program, to be consistent year after year.” Asked if he considered his own future beyond Bucks, Burroughs answered candidly, “You have to be open to it if the opportunity comes along. Advanced programs out there have such superior training facilities and playing fields.”

Burroughs added, “But that’s not my primary focus in any given year. Right now it’s to get these guys ready for a successful season.”

Looking forward, what impresses Burroughs the most is the team’s defense and goaltending. Mike Klimowicz starts in net as a returning sophomore goaltender. Klimowicz, joined by captains Sean O’Neill and James Traynor, is just one part of the triumvirate of co-captains that are hoping to lead the Centurions to a successful 2012 campaign.