May 12, 2008

Learning how to balance academics and athletics at the collegiate level can take time for most student-athletes. Unlike high school athletics, college sports are not confined to just one season, as most teams play off-season schedules and hold practices throughout the academic year. It then becomes noteworthy when a younger player has mastered that balancing act of finding time to excel both in the classroom and on the playing field.

Men's soccer player Matt Reichenbach is one of those rare few who has never had to sacrifice one for the other. The sophomore civil engineering major was one of only seven men's soccer players in the Patriot League to earn a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) during the 2007 fall semester and one of only three engineering majors to do so.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, however, that Reichenbach has been able to be so successful at Lafayette. He knew the time commitment it would take to be a student-athlete but never doubted he would be able to spend the time needed in both areas.

"I figured if anyone could handle it (the workload and soccer) I could because of my work ethic," he said. "I knew it would be a lot of work and any engineering major is demanding, but I felt I could handle it. Plus, I've always known I wanted to go into structural engineering so Lafayette was a good fit."

Head coach Dennis Bohn felt the same way. Reichenbach says that Bohn was one of a small handful of schools that showed interest in the defender from Kingsville, Md. The head coach, about to begin his eighth season on College Hill, saw an incredibly focused and determined individual in Reichenbach.

"Matt is one of the most self-motivated student-athletes that we've had in our program," Bohn said. "He is always thinking about what he needs to do be successful both in the classroom and on the field. He was a very good high school student-athlete when we recruited him and he's maturing into a great student-athlete here at Lafayette."

So how does he do it? Reichenbach doesn't pull any crazy all-nighters, doesn't get up at the crack of dawn to finish a paper due that day. He can explain his success in one simple word: organization.

"I organize my day from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed," he said. "I know what I'm going to do at every point in the day and that's what makes it possible to balance both school and soccer. I don't have a lot of free time but as long as I structure my time I'm able to balance both."

Reichenbach admits that he may not be the typical college student.

"I probably have a different mindset than most college students," he said. "I'm 100 percent focused on soccer and school. They're pretty much my main two focuses and everything comes after that."

Reichenbach's efforts in the classroom were reflected in his GPA while his efforts on the Lafayette defense were showcased by the success of the 2007 season. That team finished with a 10-4-6 overall record and fell just of a Patriot League title, dropping a 1-0 decision to Colgate in the championship game.

That game doesn't begin to tell the whole story of the season, however. The Leopards finished the year ranked seventh in the nation in team defense with a 0.56 goals against average and recorded 10 shutouts while allowing only 12 goals in 20 games.

Reichenbach and the rest of the Lafayette defense took great pride in their accomplishments last season and know they have the ability to see as much, if not more, success this coming season. However, he also knows that results are never guaranteed and the room for error, especially in the Patriot League, is slim.

"The margin of winning and losing in college soccer is so small," he said. "You can go from a 12-win team to a four-win team so easily. I'd love to say we'll be as great defensively as we were last season but you never know. Every team in the league is so evenly-matched--physically and skill-wise. Little things separate all the teams and it's going to be a completely different season with so many new players. I'd love to say we'll have the same results but nothing is ever guaranteed."

However, the Leopards are doing everything they can to repeat those results. They just completed a spring season that included games against other top-quality teams, including a season-ending game with Penn State. Reichenbach believed the spring season was a positive one, but also noted there was definite room for improvement.

"We played a lot of good opponents," he said. "We progressed and got better after each game but there were still a lot of things we had to work on. We were able to get some shutouts at the end and since I play in the back I really love that, getting a shutout. Ultimately it's a learning process, though."

With the spring season having ended and the end of the semester nearing, Reichenbach will have more free time. He won't be using that time to finally relax, however. Instead of scheduling his day around classes and soccer, he will schedule it around work, training and soccer. He'll return home to Maryland to work for a contracting company while also finding time to train and compete with his club soccer team, the Baltimore Bays. This marks the final summer Reichenbach can play for the Rays, a team he has been with for eight years. He and his teammates are hoping to end the summer and cap off their careers with a championship.

"Winning a championship has always been a goal of ours," he said. "I've been with these guys for eight years and this is our last shot to win."

In order to help the Bays, and the Leopards, win championship titles, Reichenbach will train intensely over the summer. Already someone who spends more time in the gym than most other student-athletes, he will use his "extra" time in the summer to hit the gym extra hard.

"It's hard to balance training and school," he said, "but when I'm home I don't have to worry about classes so I can focus more on the training part. Summer is definitely my time to train. I like to train by myself and get away. I look at summer and I get excited because I can back into my lifting and fitness routine."

That type of work ethic and dedication are qualities that Bohn says has a tremendous impact on the entire team.

"Matt's a terrific role model to all his teammates," Bohn said. "He studies hard, trains hard and plays hard. What more can a coach ask for in a leader? I think all of his teammates respect him for his passion for engineering and soccer."

While Reichenbach doesn't train hard, play hard and study hard just to gain that level of respect, he certainly has it, and will undoubtedly use it to propel the Lafayette men's soccer to continued success.