With an injection of youth along with five returning starters, the SF State men’s soccer team looks to kick off their season just as they did last year, winning four out of their first five games.

The Gators open up the 2008 campaign with a road game Thursday against Dominican University.

Head coach Joe Hunter said his team’s youth can be an advantage because they can just go out and play without any baggage and they can work on building good habits early in the season.

“Sometimes when you have young guys they don’t know no better,” head coach Joe Hunter said. “(The assistant) coach and I will be scratching our heads sometime and other times we’re going to be like ‘put that in the bank’. That’s what makes (this year) exciting.”

Picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll, captain Wesley Whitt agrees with his coach’s assessment that their youth will be beneficial.

“With a young squad comes a new excitement. Everyone wants to fight for each other and fight for a spot,” said Whitt. “Everybody is playing for each other, so I can already see the team chemistry.”

Along with youth comes unpredictability, which Whitt believes will also be a big factor in the conference as teams don’t know what to expect from a team with so many new players.

One new recruit that has caught the attention of the coaches and his fellow players is center midfielder Mario Hernandez, a junior college transfer from Rio Hondo Community College.

“He offers something we haven’t had in a couple of years, that central player almost like a quarterback. Very good technically, ” Hunter said. “Nothing but upside with him.”

“The only difference (from community college) is it’s more physical, but otherwise it’s the same game,” Hernandez said.

The Gators finished last year with 7-11-2 overall, 4-9-1 CCAA for fourth place in the North Division.

The purple and gold will return both of last year’s All-Conference team members, midfielder Whitt and forward Dylan Glass.

Despite both players missing the last six games of the season, Glass led the team in goals and points while recording four game-winning goals and Whitt led the team with five assists and ranked third in the conference in assists per game.

“Dominican is no slouch. It’s a tough place to play. A little bit smaller pitch and their going to be excited,” Hunter said. “I think we’re a better team, but you still got to go out and play the game.”

The home opener will be against Seattle Pacific University on September 9th at 5 pm.