Men's soccer opens the 2017 campaign next week
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team is one week away from kicking off the 2017 season against Macalester College on the road next Friday. The Stags open the new year with a two-match road trip to Minnesota with games against Macalester College on Sept. 1 (5:30 p.m. PDT) and No. 3 St. Thomas on Sunday (10:00 a.m. PDT) before returning home to start SCIAC play.
See below for a preview of the upcoming season:
A Look Back
The Stags will look to build off the momentum they started last season when they finished the year with an 11-7-1 overall record (9-6-1 SCIAC record). A year ago the Stags opened the season with seven wins in their first eight matches including five-straight wins at home to start the year. Overall on the season the Stags defended their home turf with a 7-3-0 record on Pritzlaff Field.
Despite the hot start, CMS had to win back-to-back 1-0 matches over Cal Lutheran and Whitter in their final two games to land a spot in the SCIAC Tournament. The Stags earned the four-seed and faced top seeded Redlands in the SCIAC Semifinals, but fell by a 2-0 final.
A trio of seniors were named All-SCIAC for their play in the 2016 season. Mehron Abdi (CMC), Michael Crowley (CMC), and Cole Mora (CMC) were all named Second Team All-SCIAC. Joining the seniors with conference honors was freshman Patrick Burke (CMC), who earned Newcomer of the Year after scoring six goals and assisting on another. In addtion to the All-SCIAC honor, Abdi and junior defender Jacob Skoll (CMC) were also named Third Team All-West Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches).
CMS did graduate nine seniors from last year's squad but a crop of six freshmen will look to fill the void left both on the pitch and in leadership off the field from the Class of 2017.
From Back to Front
Starting between the pipes, the Stags welcome back three goalies from last year's roster including Daniel Cui (CUC). Cui appeared in 15 games for the Stags, starting 13 on the season. He earned a 7-4-0 record with a 1.33 goals against average (GAA) while making 39 saves on the year.
In front of Cui is a youthful group of field players. On their back line the Stags will look to senior Jacob Skoll to anchor their defensive efforts. Sophomores Luke Scanlan (CMC) and Adam Singer (CMC) also return to the defensive line with 22 starts between them last season.
In the midfield the Stags will miss four senior starters from a year ago with the graduation of Cole Mora (CMC), Michael Crowley (CMC), William Cresap (CMC), and Ryan Karle (CMC). However, look for the sophomore class to emerge as the key cogs in the center of the field. Sophomores Isaiah Alba (CMC) and Cole Smith (CMC) along with junior Yusuke Kobayashi (CMC) will all look to build off strong 2016 campaigns. A year ago, Smith was a spark off the bench, finishing as the third leading scorer on the team (three goals) despite not starting a game.
The Stags return five goal scorers from a year ago, a group that accounted for 12 of the Stags' 30 goals (40.0%). CMS will miss the scoring prowess of last season's leading scorer Mehron Abdi. Abdi notched seven goals and added three helpers for a total of 17 points on the season, however the Stags do return rising sophomore Patrick Burke (CMC). Last season Burke finished second on the team with six goals and added one assist playing primarily as the target for the offense. Expect Burke to slot into a similar role again this season. Along with Burke, Smith (three goals in 2016) is the only other returning Stag to have scored multiple goals in their career.
The majority of this year's team will come from Claremont McKenna, however the roster will feature five student-athletes from Harvey Mudd, their most in recent memory.
What to Watch For
As mentioned the Stags open the 2017 season next Friday with a trip to Minnesota and a date with the Macalester Scots at 5:30 p.m. PDT. CMS will take the pitch at home for the first time on Wednesday Sept. 6 at 7:00 p.m. in their SCIAC opener against La Verne.
A quick glance down the schedule shows three teams receiving preseason love from the rest of the country. The Stags will face an early test with a match against No. 3 St. Thomas in their second contest of the season on Sept. 3. In the SCIAC, Chapman received votes and Redlands was picked seventh in the NCAA Division III by the United Soccer Coaches. The Stags will host the Panthers (Sept. 16) and Bulldogs (Sept. 20) in back-to-back games in mid-September, before squaring off in a pair of road tilts against the foes later in October.
The Stags will honor their seniors prior to their last home match of the year on Oct. 21, when they host the Whittier Poets at 7:00 p.m. CMS will close out the regular season a week later, on Oct. 28, when they travel to La Verne to take on the Leopards.
On the Bench
Head coach Matt Edwards enters his third season at the helm for the Stags. In his two seasons Edwards has compiled an overall record of 17-15-5. From his first to second year the Stags improved by five wins and reached the SCIAC playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season.
For the most up-to-date information, stats, news, schedules, highlights, and more visit CMSathletics.org throughout the season and follow the Stags and Athenas on social media.