Wearing distinctive green shoes on Saturday evening, senior Kyle McTurk of the Stony Brook men’s soccer team faced the brisk autumn night air as well as the future for not only the conclusion of his senior season, but also the chance for his team to win an America East championship.
“Our team gets closer every win,” he said. “We get tighter. We have a bond, and not every team has one. It leads to success.”
The Seawolves have thus far gone 7-5-3 with a 3-1-1 record in conference play.
McTurk, a Long Island native from Hauppauge, N.Y., came to Stony Brook in 2008. He had played basketball and lacrosse during his time at Smithtown High School West, but he chose to focus on soccer. Since he came to Stony Brook, McTurk, a midfielder/defender, has started in 57 of the 65 games that he has played in. He was able to start in five games in his freshman season with his first shot against Towson University on Sept. 20 of 2008. In his sophomore year, he played in all 20 games and started in the last 19 of them. He did not miss a minute in 13 of the last 14 games of that season.
He started in 19 of 20 games in his junior year as well. In his senior year, McTurk has played in and started in every game.
To McTurk, the experience at Stony Brook has been “epic,” with both bad moments and good ones.
“From the highest of the highest to the lowest of the lowest,” he summed it up. “My freshman year, We were one of the worst teams in the America East. And now we’re one of the best.”
However, even with this recent run of success, McTurk indicated that he does not look too far ahead at the expense of the moment.
“We look at every game the same,” he said. “We just focus on getting another ‘W.’”
Stony Brook’s recent success did not come without some early adjustments and challenges, however. McTurk has stated that his team has overcome such challenges and bettered themselves as a result.
“We’ve come a long way from getting a new coach,” he said. “That was one of the biggest changes we had to adapt to. He turned out to be a good father figure. He trains us. We trust in him. It’s more than a team; it’s a family.”
With the America East playoffs around the corner, McTurk and his family are going to have to be especially sharp to ensure that he makes his final moments as a Seawolves soccer player memorable.
“Every time I step on the field,” he said, “I play like it’s my last [game]. I’m going to be in the right spot at the right time so that I have no regrets.”
