PRATT, Kans.- While there might be wholesale changes for much of the Pratt Community College athletic department, one of its mainstays is undoubtedly men’s soccer coach Kevin Kewley.

His friends back home in England poke fun at his “Yankee accent” because he's now spent more than 40 years in the United States either as a player or coach. A member of the Liverpool Football club beginning in 1970, Kewley arrived in the U.S. on loan in 1976, joining the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League. He eventually signed a permanent contract with the Tornado in 1978 before making a move to the Major Indoor Soccer League as a member of the Wichita Wings in 1979. After more than 350 appearances and 113 goals scored, Kewley became the manager of the Wings in 1991, a position he held for 10 years.

Fast-forward to 2019 and Kewley is approaching yet another decade of continuity, this time as the head coach of Beavers. With the kick-start of a new season only a day away, he relishes the opportunity to shape a new group of young men.

“It’s always exciting, but especially this year because we’ve got 16 new players,” Kewley said. “It’s always tough because we’re a two-year school and there is always constant turnover, but it’s such a challenge to mold them into the way you want to play and into your discipline. That takes a little bit of doing.

“We don’t have any preseason games so we’ll use our non-conference games to experiment. And like I tell my guys, the 11 guys that start in Colorado will not be the 11 guys that finish the first game of the playoffs…hopefully.”

The Beavers are scheduled to begin the season in Sterling, Colo., where they will play Northeast Community College on August 24, as well as the host school, Northeastern Junior College on August 25.

With a few preseason games having to be scrapped for a variety of reasons, the Beavers, as coach mentioned, will be thrown into the fire with their first set of games having immediate consequences. With only fall training to lean on, Kewley has still found reasons for encouragement.

“I like the comradery of the boys,” Kewley explained. “They’re all good kids. I think they’re all winning to learn, listen, and adapt to my system. I’m a pretty disciplined coach and I want them to play a certain way. Coming from a pro background and coaching college for so long I know that the disciplined teams are the successful teams and are the ones that stay together.”

Kewley has certainly seen his fair share of high-level football, as evidenced by his time spent as an academy and senior player for the world-renowned Liverpool Football Club, as well as being around the game professionally since his days as a teenager. The discipline he seeks is vital to implementing a system based upon wearing down the opposition.

“I like to play a high-pressure, possession-type game where the other team gets the ball, and every one of us defends,” Kewley said. “It’s kind of like basketball. If one guy decides not to play defense, his guy is going to get the ball and he’s going to get a shot. When the other team gets the ball, we have 11 guys defending and when we have the ball it’s 11 guys on offense.

“But, you have to have balance to do that. If one guy doesn’t do it, the system will break down and that’s kind of what we’re working on right now.”

As it is with most sports, defense wins championships…or at the very least it helps. Given the consistency of his boys on the back line during fall training, Kewley believes that his defenders will anchor his club early on.

“I think defensively we’re going to be good,” Kewley said. “We’ve got two good goalkeepers, we played attack versus defense at practice this morning (August 16) and the defense was really, really good, so I’m really pleased with the defense.”

Though the Beavers’ attackers have taken more time to get up to speed, Kewley thinks that issue will work itself out.

“The offense is still a concern, but that’s going to come around. Last year, we had Francesco D’Aulerio, and he was the top goal scorer in the conference. He scored goals out of nowhere. I don’t see that yet, but obviously someone has to fill his shoes.

“I’m hoping someone will step up but it’s still early days.”

Just as Kewley is looking for someone to fill the shoes of D’Aulerio, who eventually transferred to West Texas A&M, he’s still narrowing the search for who will take the reins on the pitch. And he’s very particular about those who will be given the captain’s armband.

“(I’m looking for) someone who’s going to be respected by all the players, and respected by me,” Kewley said. “I need a guy to be a role model, I need the other guys to look up to him. There’s a couple of sophomores that stand out right now but if one of the freshmen comes through, I wouldn’t be opposed to naming a freshman as captain.”

Soccer is suggested to be the most popular sport in the world, and that has much to do with it being played in every corner and crevice of the planet. Kewley understands that, and has plenty of international talent stocked on his 2019. Though, he’s very proud to give the kids of the United States a chance to play at the collegiate level, especially those in his adopted home.

“One of things that we do that a lot of the schools in the conference don’t do, we give American kids a chance,” Kewley said. I think we have eight or nine American kids on our team, and eight or so are Kansas kids. No other (KJCCC) school does that.

“I was told that you can’t win with kids only from Kansas and that’s a load of baloney, because we have a banner to prove that.”

Athletic Director Tim Swartzendruber has made it known that an upgrade to the school’s athletic facilities is high on his list of things to accomplish. The first upgrade to come is a brand-new complex that will house both the soccer and track & field programs at Pratt, scheduled to be completed later this winter. With Kewley soon to benefit, he couldn’t be happier with the direction the program is headed.

“It’s just amazing,” he said. “It really is awesome. When I first came here when the program started to now, it’s just amazing. Seeing that field and seeing the facility will help everybody.”