By Kevin White
High expectations can be tough; just ask the men’s soccer team. Despite strong talent and hard work, it would still take a miracle for the team to capture a Northwest Conference title. Instead, the team will spend its final three games in a fight with Pacific University (Oregon) and Pacific Lutheran University to finish second in the conference.
The Northwest Conference takes a unique approach when it comes to determining its soccer titles, at least among Division III conferences. There are no conference playoffs and the winner is determined by the table (similar to the English Premier League). This means no Cinderella runs to the title, and for the Loggers, who are in 4th place—9 points behind Whitworth—a nearly nonexistent shot at the title this year.
The team came into the season with aspirations to win the conference titles. The team possesses the talent, and has played well for most of the season. The team played its best in the first half against Whitworth, according to sophomore Brandon Gonzales (Denver, Colo.): “everything was clicking [against them].” Junior Vincent Von Luehrte (Los Gatos, Calif.) agrees: “we had a game plan and we executed it.”
The team also had the game plan to win, and the coaching staff set the team up for success. Junior Ezra Kraus (Harvard, Mass.), the team’s leading goal scorer, attributed his success to the game plan: “The coaching staff has given me situations in the preseason and in practice to perform like I’m in a game.” According to Kraus, the coaches plan for every game differently, adjusting the strategy to be attacking or defensive depending on the opponent.
The issue for the team was the lack of a championship drive. When the talent and the plan is there, it becomes about execution. Nobody regrets missing opportunities (e.g. close losses and ties in overtime) more than the team. According to Von Luehrte, “it doesn’t feel like these teams are beating us, we’re beating ourselves.”
With the season winding down, attention will turn to next year. The team will need to replace some important pieces, with starting goalkeeper Jacob Palmer, starting backs Tristan Stevenson and Nolan Haver, and starting forward Josh Sonico all finishing their last year of eligibility. The team does return Kraus, leading assist man Luke Murdock, as well as important pieces in Von Luehrte, Zac Lokay, and Brandon Gonzalez. Sophomore goalie Wren Norwood played six games in goal for the team, and had an impressive 1.35 goals against average (GAA).
Next year, the team will once again look to capture a conference title for the first time since 2006. The team sees the work in the coming offseason as incredibly important to their success. Sophomore Sam Gonzalez (Boise, Idaho) identified mental strength as an important key to success next year. If the new starters can step up and the returners can set the pace, a championship mentality could form, and the Loggers could once again return to the top of the table.