Entering his fifth year on the Fairfield Men’s Soccer team, graduate student Thomas Drillien earned an All-MAAC Preseason distinction. With 15 goals scored over his time at Fairfield, Drillien is already among the top scorers of the program entering his final year.
Newly minted as a captain of the team, Drillien acknowledges the hurdles associated with the leadership role awarded to him by the new coaching staff: “With a lot of change comes work and progress, it’s not always going to click right away, but I’m confident we are moving in the right direction.”
Krystian Witkowski began his time as head coach of the team in January, and Drillien believes that “this new coach brings a new dynamic and level of professionalism, which I think everyone appreciates.”
Although Drillien stands out on the team with an impressive scoring record and an All-MAAC Preseason distinction, he consistently points to his team as co-creators of his success. “The nature of soccer requires a collective effort and it’s great to have such talented teammates who can put me in positions to be successful,” he states.
Being a captain is not a role that exists solely on the soccer field; instead, being a captain also means welcoming transfer students, easing the transition for international students and bridging the gap between a new coach and the players. For Drillien in his leadership position, he realizes that leading is a group effort and he understands that every player brings different strengths to the table. “We have a good leadership group as a whole and we all bring strengths to the table,” he adds.
Even though Drillien has weathered four years on the team and is a captain, he knows he will be learning alongside his team this upcoming season: “It’s a learning process for me in this position as well.”
Men’s soccer recently encountered tough losses and in order to bounce back, Drillien highlights the importance of focusing on the process rather than just the outcome. “By doing the little things right and focusing on the aspects of the game we can control, that will put us in the position to be successful in the long term,” he contributes.
Given that Drillien’s played on the team for four years, he’s witnessed team dynamics shift when new players or coaches enter the fold. One aspect of the team culture he’s noticed changing is social media’s impact on the players. “With the increasing use of social media, people are more cognizant of how their online profile is curated. This adds an extra level of scrutiny for the modern student-athlete.”
He also realizes that the need to “curate” themselves may be exacerbated by the expectations the student body places on student-athletes. An example he offers is the all too distinguishable athlete backpack, which it seems that every athlete on campus totes. With such a distinguishable item, Drillien knows that athletes are easily recognized and he states, “We need to be aware of our behavior.” He acknowledges that athletic teams should work to be active and positive influences in the campus community.
During his undergrad at Fairfield, Drillien completed internships and was an officer for Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society. Drillien firmly believes that “It’s important to remember that there is more to life than just soccer, like with anything, things we’re passionate about can be all-consuming. Taking a step back and appreciating different things helps provide a refreshing balance.” Off the soccer field, or football pitch as they call it in his home country of New Zealand, Drillien enjoys reading and he’s currently enjoying “Ego Is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday.
One of the pillars of Fairfield athletics is the camaraderie shared between different sports teams. Recently a Fairfield Men’s Soccer team Instagram post made the rounds on their account @fairfieldstagsmenssoccer, with the Fairfield Field Hockey team lip-syncing the audio and posting a parody of the video on @stags_fh, which garnered impressive traction on the platform. Not featured in that video is Drillien; however, in the Mirror’s exclusive interview, he offered his away trip essential: a good book and a nap.
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