Photo by John Joyner.
Junior defender Clement Simonin passes the ball during soccer match against new Davidson at Dail Soccer Field Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. The Wolfpack defeated the Wildcats 2-0.
In his first year on the men’s soccer team, junior defender Clement Simonin has already become one of N.C. State’s most important players.
Simonin, a native of Lorient, France, has been a rock in central defense for the Wolfpack since transferring from Lander University after the 2012 season.
Head coach Kelly Findley said that the junior is among the core group of Wolfpack players he depends on to start each game.
“It’s cliché to say defending wins championships but it’s true,” Findley said. “You build from the back on any team. Clement is one of the first guys on the team sheet, along with several others.”
At Lander, Simonin was a second team Division-II All-American in 2012, chosen by the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America. He also competed in the Premier Development League, the top developmental men’s league in North America.
Simonin’s play at Lander and in the PDL grabbed the attention of Findley and his coaching staff. But Findley said the Frenchman’s attitude during the transfer process was as important as his on-field talent.
“We knew he was a quality player,” Findley said. “But he also had a great attitude when we interviewed him.”
Findley said that the program is trying to win its first ACC Championship since 1990, a year in which the Pack also made a semifinal appearance at the year-end NCAA Tournament.
“We’re trying to do something special at N.C. State, something that hasn’t been done for 20 years and it’s only been done once,” Findley said. “We’re giving recruits the chance to write history and create something special.”
“We know it’s not going to be easy, and we want our players to be mentally tough enough to handle that. We know that we all have to be extraordinary to achieve this goal. I think the right guys rise up to the challenge and choose to join us, while the guys who aren’t up for that maybe choose an easier route … Clement is one of those guys who wanted to test himself and see how good he could be.”
Simonin said he could sense Findley’s enthusiasm about the Wolfpack soccer program during the transfer process, even though they weren’t meeting in person.
“I spoke with coach Findley a lot on the phone and on email,” Simonin said. “Just talking to him, I could feel his excitement about this program. He gave me a lot of motivation and got me excited about coming to play for State.”
After arriving in Raleigh, Simonin quickly struck up a partnership with junior defender Moss Jackson-Atogi in central defense.
“Moss and I work together well,” Simonin said. “He has a lot of pace and he’s very tough, and I’m more of a technical player. So it was easy for us to work together and create chemistry.”
Whenever he’s not playing on the pitch, Simonin is still sharpening his skills while playing FIFA.
“My favorite thing to do off the field is play FIFA with one of my roommates,” Simonin said. “I always use Paris Saint-Germain. They’ve been my favorite team since I was a kid.”