One of the main contributors to the success of the Tigers' soccer team is junior forward Andy Morrison.
From day one, Morrison was asked to play a big role with the program. Coming from Northridge High School in Middlebury, Ind., Morrison was recruited in 2011 by Coach Brad Hauter.
"You could tell immediately, he had that goal scoring gene in him, which is uncommon," Hauter said about his forward. "What you couldn't see in him was the work ethic, the discipline, commitment and the leadership."
The year before Morrison stepped onto campus, the Tigers had a successful 14-2-2 record. Hauter's winning reputation lured Morrison to the University.
"I chose to play soccer at DePauw because of the winning tradition and the successful class a year above me," Morrison said before the team's trip to Ohio for the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament.
In his first season at DePauw, Morrison started at the forward position, more than making up from the high expectations Hauter and the rest of the coaching staff had for him.
"DePauw has traditionally been a defensive minded team and every now and then we get a really good goal scorer," Hauter said. "In his first year here, I think Andy [Morrison] had ten goals."
There was worry among the coaching staff about the typical sophomore slump. Hauter was concerned that with teams having tape of Morrison's style of play, that they would be more prepared to defend him. However, in the off season, Morrison continued to work hard and was able to increase his goal total in his sophomore year to 12.
Now in his third season with the team, Morrison has taken on more of a leadership role. Hauter feels that in addition to his goal scoring talent, he has made everyone else on the team much better.
"This preseason, when it was 90 degrees and everyone wanted to go home, it was Andy [Morrison] that set the bar high with his rigorous training," he said. "Andy [Morrison] provided the motivation for the other guys to keep working hard."
When the Tigers kicked off the regular season, Morrison was instrumental in DePauw's best start in school history. The men began the season by going undefeated in their first twelve games, compiling a record of 11-0-1. During that stretch, Morrison scored eight times.
"My role has been to score goals and create offensively. Leading the team in offensive categories is nice, but as a captain and forward, it is my job," Morrison said. "However, getting wins is much more important."
Despite clearly being a leader on the team and an offensive juggernaut, there is still an area where Hauter feels Morrison can make some improvements.
"Andy [Morrison] can score on anyone, at anytime, from anywhere," Hauter said about his talented forward. "That being said, there are times when I'd like to see him draw an additional defender and then find one of our guys open."
Morrison has been working on trying to make an additional pass instead of going for an impossible shot. He has increased his assist total to seven this year and has a high shot on goal percentage.
So far this season, Morrison has attempted 78 shots. Of those, 45 have gone on net giving him a percentage of .577. That is second highest on the team behind first-year Julian Gonzalez's shot on goal percentage of .667.
Morrison has done more for this team than just lead and score goals. His style of play has also led to a decrease in the number of fouls the Tigers have drawn this year. To date, the Tigers have only been issued 11 yellow cards and no red cards. It is clear that DePauw has made disciplined play a priority.
"I think a lot of times, fouls come from when you can't get into the right defensive position, or you don't have the ability to stay with certain players," Hauter said. "However, I think athletically, we have such great talent that that really isn't a problem for us."
Morrison provides a different view when looking at fouls that the team has committed this year.
"We feel like fouling has actually been a problem for us this year rather than a strength," he said. "Nearly half of the goals we have given up have come from set pieces in our defensive third."
Morrison's leadership and offensive ability, coupled with the disciplined style of play, have helped DePauw cruise to a 14-2-2 record in the regular season.