Men's Soccer Ready For Year Two In D1
8/28/2019 9:27:00 AM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Head Coach Coe Michaelson is excited about the progression of his team as they gear up for year two in NCAA Division I action.
"We have a lot of familiar faces this year with the majority of our team returning," said Michaelson. "With the addition of eight new players, our team has some quality depth that will help us get better every day."
The Lancers return 17 players to the 2019 season after graduating four players in 2018. The narrative will remain the same for the Lancers, who will lean on four seniors again throughout the season.
"We have four very talented seniors in Victor Aguirre, Sebastian Wiesböck, Albert Escuin, and Linus Månsson," added Michaelson. "Our two captains will be Victor and Sebastian, but all four of our seniors are tremendous leaders on this team. This group brings a lot of energy, maturity, and are big contributors to our culture on and off the field."
The rest of the upperclassmen class is made up of five juniors, while the team itself is young with 16 underclassmen on the roster.
Although the roster looks young, Michaelson is excited about the experience and eagerness of the group.
"We have a lot of options to make changes on the field without feeling like we are missing a piece of the puzzle," he added. "With a younger group of guys, practices have been really competitive and a lot of fun to watch. We have guys who want to get after it and meet the high standards we have set for the season."
When it comes to high standards, the Lancers will be tested early with two road games to start the season. CBU kicks off the season at IUPUI on Friday at 1 p.m. (PST) and follows that game up with a match against Purdue – Fort Wayne on Sunday at 10 a.m. (PST).
CBU will play six additional non-conference games after the opening road weekend before kicking off Western Athletic Conference play.
Conference play will start with a road game in Seattle on Sept. 28, and then the Lancers will come back home for the home-opener in conference against Grand Canyon on Oct. 4 at 3:30 p.m.
"We want to improve upon last year when it comes to winning percentage and where we finished in conference," Michaelson added. "If we can find consistency, we will find ourselves in an exciting place at the end of the year."
Michaelson finished with, "Our number one thing because of our depth his having 11 guys on the field who are committed to giving everything they have. We have too many options and too much talent to accept any less. Defensively, we will demand that every individual is committed to working hard for the team, while offensively, we have good technical players in every position which will help us be a very good passing team. We aim to play a high octane, entertaining version of the game."
Season ticket holders will receive exclusive benefits, a signed team poster, free parking, and the ability to transfer or reprint tickets at no additional cost. Season tickets can be ordered online HERE or by calling 877-456-LANCER.
