The seconds, minutes and hours tick forward for David Walters, a slow march until the Penn State men's soccer team takes the field tomorrow night vs. UCLA.
Nine p.m. morphs into 10 p.m. as he sits in his apartment Tuesday night, but those are the only numbers changing.
0-3-1. Until Friday, these numbers -- Penn State's record -- can't change, so all Walters can do is bide his time doing schoolwork and preparing mentally. Walters isn't too familiar with being in a losing situation, so there's only one thing to do.
"We gotta win," Walters said.
Walters could be categorized as a lifelong winner, having been named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas High School All-American in 2000 and 2001, the same year he was named the runner-up National Player of the Year.
In 2002, his first year at Penn State, the team won the Big Ten Championship. And despite the fact that in 2003, the team got off to an awkward 0-2 start, this year is different. It will be his final year in a Lions uniform.
"I don't want to go out having a losing record, I want to win," Walters said. "This year, I definitely feel a lot of pressure with our current record. I'm just trying to stay on top of it."
That this year is his last marks not only Walters' final chance to go out on top, but as a captain, it's his job to get the team there. Penn State men's soccer coach Barry Gorman said Walters has always been a talented soccer player, a composed player who works hard for all 90 minutes.
This year, Walters had to go through a transition to not only think about what he has to do personally but for his teammates.
"It's up to him as a leader on the team to make sure that things are turned around. You can't always be the nice guy," Gorman said. "Guys like David have to say, 'This is my last chance.' "
Walters is evolving and taking on this responsibility, and if he does end up driving the Lions to a postseason paradise, part of that will be due to his extremely high goals. He will tell you, with every bit of seriousness, that he wants his last game in college to be the national championship game. From 0-3-1 to 2005 national champs -- that would be one heck of a story.
"If you don't have that as an aspiration, you're just selling yourself short," Walters said. "[For anyone], setting their goals high is the only way they're going to achieve greatness in anything."
Since the Lions have only played non-conference games, they could still make a run with their Big Ten schedule. After all, it's Penn State's Big Ten record and performance in the conference tournament, not overall record, which will determine how far the team goes.
"You don't want to let it get out of control with ties and losing. We haven't even played a Big Ten team yet," Walters said.
Based solely on its performance to date, it appears unlikely given the quality of the conference -- the 2004 national champion was Indiana. And while losing is a part of playing the game, it's just got to stop.
"I guess you could say it builds character," Walters said. "I'd rather build character winning."
Walters sees Penn State's first home game, in which he foresees some calls potentially going the Lions' way and all the little things working in their favor, as a potential turning point. And to the player who aspires to hoist the championship trophy at N.C. State, site of the 2005 men's College Cup, it's a prelude to glory.
"I'm trying to leave it all out there and have no regrets in the end. I don't want to have any regrets when I'm done with soccer," Walters said. "When it comes to soccer, that's the sport I love, and I'll do anything to win."
