University of North Carolina Athletics
McCrary Brings Championship Experience
November 17, 2015 | Men's Soccer
This story originally ran in the Nov. 10 issue of CAROLINA, the official magazine of Carolina athletics and the Rams Club.
By Alex Zietlow
It was a Wednesday practice at Finley Fields. The sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, and the grass was still a little damp from the rain that came earlier in the week. The Carolina men's soccer team was practicing taking penalty kicks, as that aspect of the game is now pertinent with the team nearing the elimination portion of the year. The players were joking, having fun playing the game they love, but there was a different intensity and excitement that the team exuded.
“I'm excited. I can't wait,” fifth-year senior defender Jordan McCrary said in reference to entering his last collegiate post-season. “You have the atmosphere of everybody getting after it [in practice]. It's like that all the time now.”
Typically, practices following matches are less physically demanding for those who had played more than 60 of the 90 minutes in the previous game. The entire team participates in a certain number of drills, but when it comes time to compete in small-scale games and live-ball drills, the select few that played more than two-thirds of the most recent game stretch, rehabilitate, and recover.
At this point in the season, however, all hands are on deck as the Tar Heels seek more accolades to add to their special season. And one pair of hands in particular look to end the season on a high note, to not only round out his illustrious career at Carolina, but to also leave the program just as the Tar Heels ended the 2011 season – as national champions.
“Going into every game, this could be our last one; and for some of us, these could be our last college games ever,” McCrary said. “Coach (Carlos Somoano) talks about one main thing, which is leaving a legacy, and I try to say that every now and then to some of the guys just to keep that in mind.”
McCrary came into Carolina as a five-star recruit, previously starting for the U.S. U15 and U18 squads. The defender was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team, starting every game he played in. Being used to playing the toughest competition on the biggest stage, he viewed winning as something you were supposed to do at Carolina. He ended up being a vital component of the 2011 NCAA championship team.
“We went into games then, and I knew we weren't going to lose,” McCrary said. “I knew we weren't going to let up a goal that's for sure; and if we did I knew we would always get one back.”
Knowing what it takes to have a championship-caliber team, McCrary said that the 2011 Tar Heels and the 2015 Tar Heels are not all that different. After all, this year the team's core leadership is composed of upperclassmen, the strength of the team is in the back line, and the team's goal scoring comes following unselfish, team efforts as opposed to one player taking on several defenders.
“There are a lot of similarities between the two teams,” McCrary said. “We have the same drive, the same mentality, the same kind of family feeling…it feels just like [2011] to me.”
McCrary's journey as a Carolina athlete, although successful, has not come without its set of challenges. The defender played through what he thought was a nagging groin injury his freshman year. The injury was so severe, he had to change his position in order to accommodate his wounded leg. After the season was over, the man who played every game he was eligible realized the leg he was nursing was not merely pulled or strained.
“I played with a torn groin my freshman year,” McCrary said, smiling and shrugging it off. “I mean, I wasn't going to sit out.”
Come his senior year, however, McCrary faced an injury he could not play through. Prior to the start of what would have been his final collegiate season as a Tar Heel, the defender tore his ACL, and learned that he was out for the year. But what initially seemed like a nightmare turned into a blessing in disguise, as the veteran was able to learn more about the game and himself.
“I've always visualized everything on the field as a player, but then when I got hurt, I got to take a step back and see how everything is supposed to be,” McCrary said. “I got to learn a lot more about the game and how we're supposed to play. It made reality kick in and made me think about realistic things in life.”
The injury molded him into the leader he is today, and it even taught him a lesson that directly applies to his team. “We went so long without a loss…just like my freshman year,” McCrary said. “You need a game that's going to remind you that it's not going to be easy. You need a loss to really make you think you are not invincible.”
The team's passion, confidence, and ability are comparable to the national champions' just a few years ago. And the accomplished defender wants nothing more than to have his teammates experience the feeling of winning a national championship.
“There was such a family atmosphere [my first season] like there is now,” McCrary said. “I would really love for my teammates to have the same feeling I had my freshman year.”
The ACC Coastal Champions look to sustain their success in the postseason. After a loss on PKs to Syracuse, the Tar Heels now look ahead to the NCAA Tournament. And if they are successful, they look forward to a lot more intense and fun practices.
