“Last year’s team was the first team I’ve had [that] I felt could play everybody straight up in the country. We beat a top 10 team,” head coach Simon Tobin said. “In the tournament, we had a virus where I couldn’t be there . . . I’m not making excuses, but it was just a sad way to end the season with a very, very good team. So yeah, does that motivate us? I think so.”
One player looking to have a pivotal role this season is fifth year midfielder Finlay Wood. The long-tenured Spartan totaled 1482 minutes of on-field action and scored eight goals in his 2021 campaign.
“It’s a bit of a bitter feeling from last season and we definitely want to rectify that,” Wood said. “I know that I and the rest of the team are more than motivated to try and win this conference this season.”
Kasper Poulsgaard, the lone preseason All-WAC selection, is looking to play a key role in the success of the Spartans with the conclusion of last year’s season being a driving force for the team.
Poulsgaard’s 2021 season consists of 18 starts, 1660 minutes of playing time and seven scores including a game-winner against #10 Grand Canyon University.
The men’s soccer team hopes to extend its tournament-appearance streak starting in the 2017 season.
Wood said the team’s collective goal is to always win the WAC conference with desires for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament bid.
Fans can expect to see many new faces on the Spartan Soccer Complex as a result of the many departures from last year’s team because of graduation and professional signings.
Throughout the offseason, the team has been working on building its chemistry on the pitch.
“We lost a lot of players last season, but I think so far the new players coming in are looking really good,” Poulsgaard said. “It’s going to take some time for them to get used to it and feel comfortable playing with us . . . But I think it’s going to be a great season with the new team.”
A point of emphasis on the team is to maintain a strong mentality for the upcoming season.
“Having that brute mentality of this is the way we’re trying to gain that chemistry between each other,” Wood said. “We’re all hungry and we’re ready to get to work this season.”
The Spartans have a notable Bay Area rivalry game where they face a historically great Stanford program in Palo Alto this Sunday. WAC play kicks off on Sept. 22 when the Spartans host the University of Pacific.
