The Mountaineers men's soccer team will have a far different look when they hit the field on September, 18th for the OCAA season opener against Sheridan.
In 2019-2020, the team went 2-5-2 and scored just 12 goals in those nine games. Since then, the Mountaineers have announced a new head coach, Jordan Brown, and they don't return a single player from that team either.
There's a new feel and energy surrounding the men's soccer program as Brown enters his first OCAA season and although he was tasked with replacing the entire 2019-2020 roster, he says they still have goals to make the postseason.
"It's a bit of a strange year coming out of the covid pause and trying to get a squad together from scratch. We know we need to rebuild the program and really establish ourselves as a solid OCAA program on and off the field," says Brown. "That being said, with the guys we've got on our squad, I'm looking for us to make the playoffs, absolutely, ideally in the top two spots."
Despite the lack of experience at the OCAA level on the team, they are filled with players who have found success at the club/academy level and even have some League1 experience as well.
With so many young freshmen entering the program, Brown says they'll lean on the older players on the roster to help guide their youth. While Brown turns to some of their older, more experienced players for guidance, he says they have several incoming freshman who will lead with their play and athleticism as well.
"I think you always lean on the guys with some experience. Michael Gavrilos, Aleksa Markovic, Christian Kpobi are older guys with good playing experience around the world. We also have a couple younger guys who will lead by example in their play."
There are no returning athletes from 2019-2020, but Epiphane Ahouo was with the program during the 2020-2021 season although there were no games or training. All of the players and staff are eagerly awaiting the season opener next Saturday, but more so for Ahouo who's been waiting 12 months for this moment.
Ahouo, a Brampton native, says he's grateful to finally have the opportunity to suit up for the Mountaineers.
"I'm grateful for everyone that was involved in bringing sports back into student life," says Ahouo. "The anticipation within the team has been great so far. I've made a lot of friends from this group already and everyone on the team is excited and looking forward to the upcoming season."
The men's soccer team has already hit the field, dropping an exhibition match to Humber last Thursday. Despite the lopsided score, it was a great early test for such a young team as they took on a national championship contender in the Hawks.
Brown says it's essential to take the positives from their first match as a group as they begin looking ahead to the OCAA season.
"I think the match was important to remember where we're at in sense of preparation. We have only had a few sessions and we just played against a national champion contender, so it's a very tough task for a team that hasn't done a lot of work so far," says Brown. "We can get more fit and we can put in more work. It is essential to take the positives from it and look forward."
With the youthfulness of the team, Brown is working to compete for a postseason birth this year but more importantly, setting the culture for the program going forward. While it's a young team right now, it will be a veteran laden squad over the next couple years.
Their OCAA season gets underway a week from a week from Saturday as they travel to Sheridan for a 2:00 PM kickoff and their exhibition schedule concludes this Saturday against St. Clair.
