EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – It’s that time of year again on the soccer field. The NCAA soccer season is upon us and teams have been holding friendly matches to prepare for the season. That includes the USI men’s soccer team, which held its first tryout last Saturday.
The Eagles played to a 1-1 draw with Campbellsville, and head coach Mat Santoro tells us he was pleased with much of what he saw. As USI Athletics enters the third year of its transition to Division 1, Santoro hopes his team will improve in 2024. The Eagles men have gone exactly 2-12-3 each of the last two seasons, but he believes they have a great chance to make a jump this year.
“It’s still a little bumpy, as it should be, but a lot of good performances. The guys came in fit and I think we were really encouraged to get going. We have a lot of new guys. Up to 31 guys on the roster, 15 of them have never played a game for USI. Some of them are transfer players, so there are some guys with college experience, but it’s a really new group,” said Mat Santoro, head coach of the USI men’s soccer team. “They mesh well, but obviously it’s going to take some time. What we really need to do is keep doing what we’ve always done. What we did when we were a winning team in the GLVC, I think we know what kind of culture we want, we know what it takes to win, and with this new group we’ll find our way.”
“Obviously the last few seasons haven’t been great, so now it’s really just about getting to .500 and getting better every game,” said Sam McConnell, a sophomore at USI and Castle graduate. “We have to set goals. So we just have to stay healthy and motivated, keep working as a group, get to know each other better and take better care of the ball. It’s definitely going to get better and better.”
USI men’s soccer hosts Bradley in another friendly match on Saturday, August 17, at 7 p.m.
All rights reserved.
