Friday Features: Perez sets tone for nationally-ranked Lee
By Maurice Patton
The bad news for
Lee University is that despite their No. 15 national ranking, the Flames are third in the Gulf South Conference standings, behind league-leading Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama.
The good news is that Lee boasts the GSC’s points leader in junior forward
David Perez – recently named the league’s player of the week for the fourth time this season.
With an assist in the Flames’ 1-1 tie against visiting West Alabama on Oct. 9 and two goals in a 5-1 win over UAH Sunday, Perez has a GSC-best 11 goals to go along with four assists, giving him 26 points through his team’s 8-2-2 start.
Perez received GSC Player of the Week honors for the second time in as many weeks, after previously being recognized Sept. 8 and Sept. 22.
“At the beginning of the year, you look to a certain few guys and say ‘you’re going to have to lead us, be a game-changer, be an impact player,” Lee fifth-year coach
Paul Furey said. “David was willing to take that responsibility. He’s come through for us in a terrific way. It doesn’t surprise me.”
As a sophomore, Perez scored 10 goals with three assists, including a pair of two-goal efforts. He had three goals with nine assists as a freshman.
“I’ve always been offensive-minded,” Perez said. “The coaches have had that confidence in me. I knew what the coaches expected of me. I had my mind ready to make the right plays for this team – the right passes, the little things. Right now, the goals are coming, and that’s a credit to my teammates for finding me.
“Indidvidual success is fine, but as long as the team keeps winning, it doesn’t matter who gets the accolades, the glory. It was a great win Sunday and it was great to jump up in the rankings. It’s good that the team is being noticed.”
Lee’s status in the GSC standings is more a function of its schedule than its play. Both UAH (5-1) and West Alabama (4-1-1) have played two more games than the Flames (3-0-1).
“The conference schedule is spread out over a seven-week period,” Furey said. “We had our bye week earlier. We’ve got five games remaining, and the one thing we know in this conference is you can’t take any game for granted. We’ve still got a lot to prove in the next 2½ weeks.”
The Flames face Delta State and Mississippi College this weekend, then close out their league slate with Christian Brothers, Union and Shorter all coming to Cleveland, Tenn.
Perez will be a focal point for all five opponents.
“It gets more and more difficult every week,” Furey said. As more and more teams in the conference know about him, they try to put the lid on him. Not many have been successful.”
The objective, Perez said, is for him and his teammates to continue doing what they do.
“I try to play my game, play to my strengths,” he said. “We don’t try to focus on what the other teams are trying to do. We focus on what we need to do."
“We’re a good enough team to let teams try to figure us out, rather than the other way around. I know the other guys are going to step up, too.”
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2015-16 GSC Friday Features
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9/18/2015 - Mississippi College Looks to Sustain Quick Start.
9/25/2015 - UAH's Winslow Races Way Back to Top After Injury.
10/2/2015 - Union's Morris Not Ready for Rocking Chair.
10/9/2015 - UWA's Mark Grant Learning Lessons From Both His College Sports.