By Jacob Norling
August 19, 2022
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) When the Westmont Men's Soccer team opens their season on Saturday night in Santa Barbara, the clock will wind down as usual. Forty-five minutes in the first half, and another 45 in the second. A much larger clock, however, will also begin winding down when the opening whistle blows.
 
That much larger clock will be winding down on the 32nd and final year of Dave Wolf's tenure as the leader of Westmont Men's Soccer.
 
"It's been a great ride," began the head coach whose first season saw the Warriors collect 16 wins in 1991. In the 30 seasons that have followed the Warriors have tacked on another 337 to give him 353 in total, by far the most in program history.
 
"My starting mindset for this season is that it has been a great ride," continued Wolf, "and I think that's going to be the ending place as well. I couldn't be any more grateful for what I've had the chance to experience, and now I feel like things have run their course."
 
The course run by Wolf has seen the Warriors win nine Golden State Athletic Conference regular season titles, seven GSAC Tournament Championships, and has also seen the club make 10 trips to the NAIA National Tournament. The most decorated coach in Westmont Men's Soccer history is now gearing up for one last chance to add to his resume.
 
"It's the right time," said Wolf. "I'm excited for this season, and I'm excited for the future of the program. I'm also excited for the next chapter in my own journey, but before we get to that point, we have a job to do this season."
 
Last season saw the Warriors go 5-8-1 with an abundance of youth on the roster. That roster battled through a 3-4-1 record in GSAC play while wearing many punches during their 2021 campaign. In 2022, Wolf expects the Warriors to learn from those hits, and throw a few punches of their own this fall.
 
"Growing pains lead to experience," reflected Wolf, "and last season these guys suffered through a lot of growing pains. What we have right now, is a relatively young roster that is also experienced. Oftentimes when you lead with the word 'young', a lot of people go 'uh oh', but that isn't the case with this group.
 
"The young players we have in the program have minutes behind them, and while those minutes came with a lot of lessons to be learned, they can now demonstrate what they learned and move forward."
 
Westmont's roster consists of 27 players, made up of only three seniors, and seven juniors. Seventeen underclassmen on the roster includes 10 sophomores from last season, many of which were thrown into the fire immediately, and many of whom are expected to take great leaps in 2022.
 
Starting inside of the six-yard box, one of those sophomores is 6"4 goalkeeper Brady Highfill, who is expected to get the first look at being Westmont's starter.
 
"Brady Highfill has certainly put himself out in front during training camp," said Wolf. "We liked what we saw from him last season, and we also really liked what we saw in the spring. With that, we like to keep people on their toes.
 
"Abraham Arteaga, a junior, has been very competitive. He doesn't back down and he doesn't have any intention of being number-two. The keeper job is going to be very competitive this season."
 
During the Warriors' most recent run of success, defense has been the team's greatest strength led by a strong back-four. In the last three seasons the Warriors have graduated three All-GSAC center backs who also served as captains: Tim Heiduk, Nick Ruiz, and most recently, Zach Godeck. Now, it is Wolf's job to decide who is next in line to lead the club's defense.
 
"In some ways, this is going to be the opposite of what you would normally see from me," said Wolf in regards to the club's make-up. "Normally, there's a very strong identity in our back four, and on the other end, we do enough to win low-scoring games. This team has a chance to do the opposite.
 
"There are some question marks in the back this season, but in terms of chemistry and personnel, I think we're on the right track. That back four has to be the strongest fraternity on your team if you're going to be successful."
 
Westmont's two captains, Michael Palmer and Landon Amaral, will be the foundation of the club's defense this fall. Palmer, one of the club's three seniors, and Amaral, a junior, fit nicely into the familiar Warrior equation of defensive mindedness and leadership.
 
"It's unusual to have such a small number of upperclassmen," began Wolf, "but it is really nice to have a few of those upperclassmen in our back row. Maturity wise, Michael Palmer has been 22 years old since he stepped foot on campus. Michael is a great example of character lining up with reputation.
 
"With both Michael and Landon, you like your chances with two of your captains holding down your back row."
 
While last season, Palmer played alongside Godeck in the middle, this year, Palmer will shift out to the left, where he was when the club won consecutive league titles. Amaral will be tasked will being the club's eldest-center back, while a sophomore will have the opportunity to play alongside him
 
"Jackson Wolf is going to get a crack at one of those center back roles," said Wolf of his youngest son. "It won't be handed to him, and there will be competition, but he has developed really well.
 
"We've played some scrimmages during training camp against top-tier talent, and he's put up some strong performances. He can handle the big occasion, and that's an ability that has made us take notice."
 
While Wolf's defense has only a pair of returners cemented in the equation, his midfield features a trio of athletes that give the club comfort.
 
"We had a really good central midfield by the time we concluded our spring season," said Wolf. "The success we had during the spring was with a combination of Donovan Howat, Daniel Tuscano, and Aldo Becerril. That's a foundation we feel confident in.
 
"We can depend on those three, but we've got some other guys who are very hungry to get on the field. Specifically, Matthew Morgan, Martin Anguiano, Miguel Alvarado, and Erik Guerrero are four guys that are really pressing to get in the starting 11. If they do crack the first-11, the team would look and feel very different. If I just went off of the first 10 days of camp, those men could justifiably already be on the field."
 
Up top, Wolf's attacking depth is far deeper than in years past, and the coach believes the team's identity of low-scoring success could be completely flipped in 2022.
 
"I'm not sure how excited I am about winning games 5-4," chuckled Wolf, "but I am excited to see us attack not only more often, but from a lot of different angles."
 
Headlining the club's forwards is the trio of Owen Bates, Braeden Pryor, and Spencer Crithfield. Bates returns to the club for a fifth year, having been inactive during his true-senior campaign due to an injury that took place in training camp last August.
 
Bates scored six goals for the Warriors during his first three seasons from 2018-2020.
 
"Everyone's got a journey on this team, and the journey that most jumps out to you is Owen's," said Wolf. "It's still to be determined what exactly his role is, but what an example of determination and perseverance."
 
Pryor, a junior, spent much of the season in 2021 rehabilitating an off-season injury. Still, Pryor was on the field enough to collect three goals and a pair of assists. Crithfield, a sophomore, led the Warriors with five goals last season.
 
"The guy that looks the best right now is Braeden Pryor," stated Wolf. "He is in a completely different place than he was when he arrived last fall. He's big, strong, fast, and a handful to deal with right now. He looks like the real deal.
 
"Spencer Crithfield, Michael Stull, and Connor Lynch are some younger guys who have minutes under their belt. Graeme Jorden is also someone who has looked really good in training. There's a lot of guys who I could see making an impact this season from a scoring standpoint."
 
On Saturday night, Westmont begins their season with their annual exhibition against UCSB at Harder Stadium. Another highlight of the pre-conference schedule is the weekend of September 16-17, when the Warriors host Fresno Pacific during 'Dave Wolf Celebration Weekend'. Then, after six non-conference matches, the Warriors open GSAC play with their Arizona road trip on September 29 in Surprise.
 
The Warriors are home against Hope International for homecoming on October 15, and end their regular season schedule with home games on October 27 and October 29 against William Jessup and Menlo.
 
The GSAC Tournament begins with the quarterfinals on November 5, and ends with the title game on November 12. Then, on November 17, the NAIA Opening Round is scheduled to begin, and that is the date that Wolf has his eye on.
 
"There's two things that are part of my main outlook on this season," shared Wolf. "The first is for our team, and that's the goal of getting to the national tournament. I'm a believer that this program should always be aiming for that. Some years, you're on the leaner side of the equation, but this year, we have a group that can legitimately aim for that.
 
"Then, in regards to my own journey, I want to hand over a healthy culture and healthy program for the next coach."
 
Wolf is well aware that his farewell tour will be a constant discussion around his team this season. For the coach however, while he understands and appreciates the sentiment, his plan is to stay focused on the men on the pitch.
 
"I gave the team permission to talk about this being my final year twice," said Wolf. "The first time was during our opening meeting, and the second time is when the season is over. Otherwise, we're not talking about it."
 
The first of those chances has come and gone. Now, it is up to Wolf's 32nd and final team to delay the second opportunity for as long as possible.