Oxford first-year coach Jim Champlin had the opportunity to coach against Greene and its leading scorer Alex Driscoll for the first time this season. In the second meeting between the two schools, Champlin had nothing but praise for the Trojans senior.
“What I like the most about Driscoll is his patience.  You can tell his brain is firing whenever he has the ball,” Champlin said.
Patience wasn’t always Driscoll’s strong suit, who always seemed a step ahead of everyone on the field. Now as one of the team’s leaders, he is not only the most prolific scorer, but also a consummate teammate. “He’s done a pretty good job mentoring the younger guys and helping them take pride in Greene soccer and what it represents,” said Greene head coach, Rick Tallman.
Driscoll entered his senior season with 74 goals, and considering how much attention defenses pay toward him, reaching the 100-goal mark for his career seemed like quite a challenge. Driscoll, with ample help from his teammates, reached the 100 career goals without much trouble. He scored his 100th goal early last week, and blasted by the school record of 101 goals (set by Jordan McMullen in 1999) with a four-goal performance against Champlin’s Blackhawks last weekend. He has a career-best 30 goals this season with more games yet to play, and he is our choice today as Smith Ford Supercenter/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
Tallman knew that opponents in the Midstate Athletic Conference would likely double- and triple-team Driscoll this season. That defensvie strategy has not only failed, it’s allowed Driscoll and his teammates to actually flourish. “(Alex) is just a difficult kid to deny, and he can read defenses really well,” Tallman said. “He sees the back-door seams well, and he has developed a nice connection this year with Corey (Dietrich) and Alex (Leone). When he finds and seam and gets a foot on the ball, he’s pretty close to automatic.”
What is almost as automatic is the success Greene has had during Driscoll’s five-year stay on varsity. At the start of his career, he was just a small eighth-grader looking up to team leader Mike Porter. By the time he was a sophomore, Driscoll was his team’s most dangerous offensive player. With Driscoll leading the way, the Trojans recently captured their third straight MAC championship. “He’s been a huge part of our team’s success, and his personal success speaks for itself,” Tallman said. “Even as an eighth-grader, he contributed a lot to our success then. His desire to get better and fine-tune his craft has spread amongst the rest of his teammates.”
When Tallman came to Greene, he learned more about the team’s history of winning, and he also noted the school record for goals. “I thought Jordan McMullen’s record (of 101 goals) would last forever,” Tallman said. “Alex’s 104 goals, that just seems amazing to comprehend. I think (Alex’s record) will stand for a long time. It’s takes a unique situation and a unique individual to rise in a program so quickly. And he has to be able to finish and to do so consistently throughout his career.”
Tallman thought McMullen’s record would last a long, long time. Turns out, a long time meant until Alex Driscoll arrived.