Oct. 17, 2006
Moving into a new situation is never easy, but sophomore transfers Marcus Rein and Zak Boggs, both recent additions to the UCF men's soccer team, have made the adjustment and are ready to make an impact.
Rein and Boggs are two of the six transfers - all with impressive credentials - who UCF head coach Brent Erwin brought to Orlando, adding veteran experience to a team that features 13 freshmen. The duo traveled similar paths during their high school careers as they both trained at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. It was there that they first met Coach Erwin.
"I had trained with him before at the IMG Academy in Bradenton," said Rein, a goalkeeper who joined the Golden Knights in January. "I knew he was looking to build a solid soccer program and I wanted to become a part of that. I never had the chance to see the campus, but for me, it's all about the soccer."
A transfer from West Virginia just weeks prior to preseason, Boggs recalled a similar reason for choosing to don the Black & Gold uniform.
"I had a strong connection to IMG Academy and had met Coach Erwin," the forward explained. "We clicked because we have the same attitude toward winning and the same goals for the team. I figured this was a place where I could grow as a player."
Upon finishing high school, Rein originally opted to attend Wake Forest, where he redshirted his first season then saw limited action in 2005. He earned the job as UCF's starting goalkeeper out of preseason and his career came full circle in the first match of the regular season as he faced his former Demon Deacon teammates.
"I attempted to treat it as I would any other game," Rein said. "If I had treated it differently or if I changed the way I played, it wouldn't be consistent with what I am trying to do - which is to play my best every game."
Rein admitted that making the move to UCF proved to be both an easy and difficult task, but not because of soccer but rather because of the university itself.
"It wasn't that hard of a transition," he said. "Last spring I got in the best shape of my life because I was working hard for three or four hours a day. The biggest change was the size of the school. Coming from a small school to a school that is incredibly big, it's difficult. In the first couple of weeks, I tried to meet as many people as I could and be as friendly as possible but then I wouldn't see them again for a month."
Boggs started 20 of 23 matches for the Mountaineers and scored five goals as helped WVU advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He then tallied 12 goals with the Bradenton Academics of the Premier Development League (PDL) over the summer. "I want to keep building off that, play to my potential and keep getting better," he said.
Although Boggs said that becoming acclimated to the classes although not the curriculum has been his biggest adjustment, he seemed disappointed in the advice he received. "I talked to someone and they said it might be a three to four month period. I told them that's too long," he explained with a smile. "Without the soccer, I don't know that I would be able to adjust as well as I have."
Because being a member of the UCF soccer team has helped Rein and Boggs in their transition, it is only fair that the pair is prepared to return the favor.
"I'm all for the team and doing whatever the team needs me to do in order to win," said Boggs. "Anything that is asked of me I'll try my hardest to do. If that's scoring, I'll score. If that's passing, I'll pass. The goals are going to come."
Rein not only shared Boggs' idea of team success but also looked beyond. "I am not trying to get stats. I'm just trying to win. I'm just trying to get shutouts, make saves and keep our team organized. Team goals are the most important thing. I wanted to come in, show what I could do and become a part of this team. My goal is to help build this program and I hope that this season is the beginning of that."