By: Matt Ambrose (@mambrose97)
The temperature read 43 degrees, but it felt much colder on a Tuesday night at Owen T. Carroll Field.
Seton Hall men’s soccer first year head coach Andreas Lindberg is smiling, seemingly unaffected by the rapid change to cold weather. Just days prior, students on campus could be seen still donning T-shirts. On this night, Lindberg is bundled in his Seton Hall winter jacket, laughing and joking with players and coaches.
Oh, the things winning does to someone.
Lindberg’s team had just taken down in-state rivals NJIT 1-0, a win that got the Pirates back over .500 at 5-4-1.
Prior to coming to South Orange, Lindberg had a successful tenure with LIU Post, a Division II school. In nine seasons with the Pioneers, he compiled a 139-30-15 record, including eight regular season conference championships and seven NCAA Tournament berths.
His team began the season strong, starting 2-0 for the first time since 2008. Even after this win, Lindberg still sees room for improvement with his team.
“We’re getting there,” Lindberg said with a chuckle. “We’re trying to have a winning mentality…and it’s not always about winning. It’s those details of how we do things in practice and how we do things in the game.”
Lindberg likes to play an aggressive and exciting brand of soccer, or fotboll as it is known in Lindberg’s native Sweden. A coach with an aggressive and energetic philosophy would normally be loud and flamboyant throughout the match. Not Lindberg.
During the match, Lindberg finds a seat inside Seton Hall’s shell, soccer’s version of a dugout in baseball. From there, he calmly gives his players direction, but rarely emerges from the cover of the shell. To his right are his assistants, loudly shouting orders to players while Lindberg watches with a close eye. It is this approach that has won him so many games.
After this particular match, Lindberg saw multiple things he thought his players could improve upon. Over his career, when it comes to dealing with players, honesty has always worked the best for him.
“You can’t really B.S. them,” Lindberg said. “You have to be honest and tell them how it is without being mean and having the guys be responsible for it.”
Lindberg’s tactics work, and his players are receptive to his methods. Senior captain Nick Najera in particular is fond of his new head coach. Najera spent his first three years with the program under Gerson Echeverry, who left the program after last season. Najera noticed a distinct difference between the two coaches early on this season, and has seen it carry over down the stretch.
“Everything is new with him,” Najera said. “With the warm up and cool down, the way he plans out the sessions, everything is great. There is a purpose behind everything and it seems to be really efficient.”
Lindberg was in a joking mood after the game, discussing his team’s effort when closing out the win but still being able to have fun with the situation.
“There’s a minute left on the clock and Gabby [Viola] gets fouled, and I can see from a mile away he isn’t hurt,” Lindberg said. “This isn’t Copacabana Beach, this is college soccer.”
Lindberg gets a chuckle out of his own line. Even when discussing the frustrations he had with the game, Lindberg finds a reason to smile.
Lindberg knows his team still has room to improve, but for a team that has not finished above .500 since 2006, Lindberg’s first season is without a doubt a step in the right direction.
Make sure to follow @shusportsfocus on Twitter for all the latest in Seton Hall sports.
SHU Sports Focus 
Leave a comment