Men's Soccer Season About to Kick-Off

By Ron Smith

January 24, 2021

(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) The 2020-21 Westmont Men's Soccer season, finally about to get underway, will do so with a lot of new faces. The Warriors return just 14 players from last year's team while adding 11 newcomers. In addition, KC Smith will rejoin the team after sitting out last season.

"If you put our team into the context of a math formula, there is no doubt on paper, and as an equation, that it is a transitional year," said Westmont head coach Dave Wolf.

Add the challenge of a delayed season and accommodations for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the year looks unlike anything the veteran coach has ever seen before. Wolf (341-162-54) is entering his 30th season at Westmont.

"You think of the impact on the incoming players," reflected Wolf. "You think of not only the challenges they face under normal circumstances – adapting to a new environment and a new team and a new coach – but they are coming off a spring semester where the whole thing unraveled for them. This opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning in the fall of 2020 obviously did not materialize in the way that any of us would have hoped back in March. The stability you would want to offer a new group of players, we just haven't been able to offer to them."

Wolf provided some insight into the challenges of developing a team in the midst of a pandemic.

"The biggest implication is that you have a large variance in your roster, top to bottom, relative to fitness levels, sharpness, competitive opportunities," explained the coach. "I feel like the roster is all over the place. For example, if a player ends up in quarantine for any period of time, their training rhythm gets interrupted and you end up with all of these different iterations of college athletes. Getting the whole team on the same page, which is always part of what you are trying to do, seems almost impossible. The old adage that you take one day at a time seems very apropos," offered Wolf.

ROSTER

Goalkeepers

One of the challenges facing the Warriors is finding a new goalkeeper to follow NAIA All-American Lalo Delgado. 

"We have three brand new, young goalkeepers," reported Wolf. "One of them gets the honor of replacing one of the best guys who has ever played at Westmont. Right now we are trying to get them comfortable with the vocabulary, with the tactics and with the game model."

Måns Ingvarson from Malmö, Sweden, Abraham Arteaga of Oxnard and Isaac Swanson of Waynesville, Missouri are competing for the starting role.

"Måns is definitely the most experienced and seasoned of the three. He is also young – only one year of college experience – but he has significant international experience as a goalkeeper. That gives him the initial advantage in the competition with Abraham and Isaac dueling for that back-up role."

Defenders

The defensive core will look to adjust to the graduation of NAIA All-American and Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Tim Heiduk.

"Zach Godeck is the starting point of that back row," said Wolf about his defensive corp. "He was a consistent first-11 player last year and an All-GSAC player. He was in a great situation, playing next to Tim and in front of Lalo. The challenge for him is the challenge of becoming the alpha dog of that back row. To be fair to him, the way it all comes together doesn't have to look like it did last year.

"Michael Palmer had a very good first year in college soccer. He has an advantage in that he is a left-footed player. He was the most consistent left back that we played last year. He is also a very good leader and is a candidate to play inside with Zach, as is K.C. Smith.

"K.C. was not with the team last year, but we have been very impressed with him upon his return. He brings a stability and a maturity to our back row. He possesses those very valuable commodities.

"Justin Nakaoka and Wyatt Babineau both played a lot of minutes last year. The step for them is to clearly claim one of the starting positions. Last year they were a little more rotational players, so the question is can they get themselves to the level that they are automatic selections.

"Mason Ginni and Josh Phillips are both vying for that right center back position."

Midfielders

"Nick Ruiz was probably the most consistent player in the midfield," assessed Wolf. "Nick got a lot of minutes in that role. Isaiah Bolton is the other player that we will be looking at to provide some stability and leadership. 

"They are different kinds of players and I think there are different ways to play that position. Nick is more of a physical presence, very verbal and a good leader. Isaiah is a good passer of the ball. He very rarely coughs up unnecessary possession. He can help with the cadence and rhythm of the team. That gives us a couple of different choices and options and there is a good possibility that the two of them will play together a good bit.

"If I had to pick one player whom we need to make the biggest move, it is Jona Romero. When you think about Lucky Puengrod moving on and Pancho Castro moving on, we need to know who that creator is going to be. Who is that attacking, creative player that will get us into the right parts of the field? We need to identify that guy and Jona has all the attributes to do the role. He is a subtle, nuanced player. 

"Memo Mendoza is coming back after a fairly long injury lay-off. He brings a lot of intensity, a lot of work ethic and a lot of ground covering.

"Aldo Becerril is a new player from Dos Pueblos High School. He is a gifted central midfielder. There are a couple of new field players who I think have an opportunity to impact us right away, and he is one of them."

Forwards

"When you talk about the attacking group, there are three guys that return with a profile of minutes played and results produced," noted Wolf. "Tyler Young was our number nine last year and had a really solid, productive year for us. Sam Tuscano and Owen Bates were two of our wingers who played an important role for our team. 

"I think we have some talent up front, but we don't have a lot of experienced talent. Owen, Sam and Tyler are the three with experience. Athletically, that is a lively group of players. They also have some interesting individual abilities. Tyler, especially in the aerial game; Sam and Owen as dribblers who can create for themselves a little bit."

Young, who was an All-GSAC selection, led the Warriors in scoring last season with nine goals and two assists. Tuscano added five goals and two assists while Bates tallied three goals and two assists.

"Jack Worth is a transfer who comes to us from Liberty University. He is a junior center forward. He has a mature game and I like him as a player. It will be interesting to see what he can do for us. We may also explore using him in a couple of other places to see if we can find ways to get him on the field.

"Braeden Pryor is the other new player who may bring some impact. He is big, he runs well and he has some flair and unpredictability. It is yet to be seen what year one will look like for him. We think he has got something and we are excited about trying to develop him as a player.

"I've been impressed with Micah Nelson. I think he has made a big jump from year one to year two. His confidence level has grown. He is physically stronger and more powerful. I think there will be some opportunities for him in our team this year."

SCHEDULE

When Westmont takes the field on Saturday, February 6 against Providence Christian, it will be the first countable game played by the Warriors in more than 14 months. 

Before that happens, however, the Warriors will engage in a couple of scrimmages this week with Biola and Loyola Marymount and then travel to Los Angeles for an exhibition with UCLA.

After the game with Providence Christian, Westmont will host Point Loma and travel to Fresno Pacific for two non-conference games with NCAA Division II opponents. Westmont is scheduled to wrap up its pre-conference season at UC Santa Barbara on February 20.

"If we can survive the non-conference phase of the season, we should be plenty ready for GSAC," noted Wolf. "If we are able to play a reasonable percentage of those games, there are some opportunities there. However, I have always really respected the level of play in the conference. You have to be very good to be successful in our league."

The GSAC will look a bit odd this season. The conference has been divided into two pods based on an institutional willingness to test their athletes according to state guidelines. Westmont is in the testing pod with Vanguard, Hope International and San Diego Christian. The Warriors will play each of those teams at home and away, making for a six-game GSAC season.

"There are three clear categories of opponents in our pod," said Wolf. "Vanguard has been, over the past five years, arguably, as good as anybody if you look at cumulative record, championships won and national championship appearances. If you asked, 'Who's the one team that is consistently knocking at the door?' it is Hope International. San Diego Christian has struggled a bit, but they have a good plan moving forward and a real desire to work their way into the mix. 

"So, it is three layers, but the consistency between the layers is that there is a strong motivational component. For Vanguard, the motivation is, 'Let's stay on top of the mountain'. For Hope the motivation is, 'Let's break through to a national tournament'. For San Diego Christian, the motivation is, 'Let's better the profile.' I respect all those programs.

Once GSAC regular-season play concludes, the top team in each pod will advance to the GSAC Championship Game, scheduled for April 17. That game will determine the conference's automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship

The National Championship is scheduled to begin on April 22 with 10, four-team opening round sites on college campus. The winners of the opening round semifinals will play each other on April 24 to determine who advances to the final site.

The final site was originally slated to be hosted by the GSAC at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. However, the change in dates made the venue unavailable. Instead, the 10 teams will head to Evans, Georgia to determine a national champion.

OUTLOOK

Regardless of the challenges of a pandemic, the relocating of the season from fall to spring, the adjustment to the conference schedule or the relocation of the National Championship, the Warriors are excited for the opportunity to play soccer.

In a year when nothing seems certain, the key to success may be in the ability to adapt, adjust and endure. While it might be foolish to try to predict results in such an uncertain environment, what is not in question is the opportunity these challenges offer to both test and develop resolve in Warrior teams and athletes. 

The Warriors are eager for the challenge.