Coach Joe Hunter believes that this year’s men’s soccer team will be just that: a team.

At the end of last season, Hunter expressed dismay over some of the members of the team who he claimed were “selfish players who only care about how they do personally.”

Last year’s team ended with a record of 6-13-1, finishing slightly better than the year before but far from their intended goal of the post-season.

But Hunter that this is a new season with fresh faces and they are eyeing the playoffs.

“We have a new group but a very talented group,” Hunter said of this year’s team. “They’re a very young team but I think they’re going to do well. They’re very eager to prove themselves.”

The team will definitely seem to have had a facelift since only about five to six players from last year will be on the starting squad this season. One of the major losses from last year was the graduation of team-scoring-leader Whitney Johnson who had six goals; one-fourth of the total goals scored by the whole team.

However, Hunter expects to see a few players make up for the loss, including senior Mark Cipolla who “should get the lion’s share of goals,” Hunter said. The coach also hopes that transfer Brett Boysen, who has shown great play in practice, and Wallid Saad, who broke his leg last year and was out all season, will fill the void left from Johnson’s departure.

This year’s team will most likely consist of about five new starters, which is a mix of freshman and transfer students. The roster will be extremely young, with about eight to 10 freshman players filling out the team. Hunter has said these newcomers have created a “positive note” in practice and have shown themselves to be a strong group of players.

Hunter said he understands that the coaches must also come with a positive approach to give a good example to the players.

“These are new guys and they’re fresh,” Hunter said. “They’re naïve to the tough losses and are starting off on a clean slate. We have yet to see what happens if we get into a rough patch.”

Hunter said players on the team will be chosen for a starting position based on three tests:
the merit they show in practice, the competition the players set on themselves, and how they compete against their competition for a position.

“(The players) recognize that soccer is a game where you compete on many different levels,” Hunter said. “We are not going to put players out there that haven’t earned it.”

“As soon a coach picks the starting eleven, he has twelve enemies,” Hunter admitted about the dynamics of picking the starting squad.

Whoever makes the first-team will see their initial test on Friday, August 26 at 1 p.m. when they host Bryant University at Cox Stadium. Hunter is staying positive but admitted that their schedule throws them into a “dogfight” for a playoff spot.

“Winning is a great deodorant,” Hunter said, “losing stinks.”