Barbadian Helps USAO to Third Title

CHICKASHA – Many new faces helped the University of Science and Arts’ men’s soccer team make history this season.

Terry Adamson, a freshman from St. Michael, Barbados, was one of eight freshmen who played a significant amount of time as the Drovers won the school’s third straight Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title and appeared in the national rankings for the first time.

As a full-time starter in his first season on campus, Adamson was an important part of a defense that only surrendered two goals in its final five games. One goal came late in a 6-1 blowout at St. Gregory’s University while the other came in the NAIA Region VI Tournament and ended USAO’s season 1-0.

With 15 foreign players, Adamson was as surprised as anyone of the team’s success this season. “I expected the team to take a full year to gel,” he said. “It really only took about four or five games for us to start to play really well together. This is the fastest I’ve ever seen a team gel with strangers.”

For Adamson, leaving home and his son, Nazario, wasn’t just to chase the dream of playing soccer. He wanted an education. USAO was the perfect place to do both.

“This is a great place to get an education. There are no distractions,” he said. “The teachers are helpful. The facilities are very good for studying, and the coaching staff is tremendous.”

He might be a little bias about the USAO coaches. He has been a part of what seems to happen every season. Like clockwork, Head Coach Jimmy Hampton molds a young, talented group of individuals into a championship caliber team. And championships in the toughest conference in America are hard to come by.

“Coach Hampton has to be a genius,” Adamson said. “It’s just amazing to have all these guys at the beginning of camp and be able to put them in the best place. He sees the game really well. He reminds me of Ricardo Williams.”

Adamson played for Williams in Barbados, and he says he owes his coach and Dale Rudder a lot for developing his skills while playing for the Deacons Farm Football Club. Truth is, it takes a lot to get from Barbados to Chickasha, and Adamson can run out of cell phone minutes thanking everyone who had a hand in helping him come to America.

Specifically, he acknowledges the efforts of Young Street Parlor Supermarket, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Niles, Black Rock Masters, Al Harp, New Fashions and the Adamson family. The 25-year-old plans to pay back those who helped him and his community by earning his degree and returning to Barbados to teach children about sports as a physical education master.

Adamson is the son of Maggret Adamson and former Pinelands Soccer Club legend Terry Hall. He showed the perfect blend of size and speed shutting down any attacker. Adamson has great offensive skills as well with one assist on the year.

It was Adamson’s attempt from 30 yards in the Region VI Tournament that was just a fraction away from giving USAO an early 1-0 lead.

The whole stadium was in silent disbelief as his blast sailed right over the diving goalkeeper, hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced straight down. The goalie covered the ball directly under the crossbar, and USAO would later lose 0-1.

The team finished 14-4-1 overall and ranked No. 22 in the country. With all but two returning to next year’s squad including the team’s leading scorer, the conference Defensive MVP and perhaps the most talented goalkeeper in the conference, Adamson and his teammates hope to earn a bid to the 2006 NAIA National Tournament and make history again.

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