New Season, Fresh Start For The UMPI Mens Soccer Team

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - Soccer is well underway in much of the county, including at the college level, where the UMPI Owls Mens Soccer team will use their mix of experience and up and coming players to build on the positives of last year into the 2022 Fall Season.

Coach Alan Gordon and his squad are excited for the 2022 fall season. With all the returning and new players they are bringing into the fold, tey are hoping this season will be a different story then last year.

Alan Gordon- " Were really pleased from our progression from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, we won two of our last three games last year, two conferences games in excellent fashion. 5-0 over Lyndon was a good way to finish the conference season and the guys learned a lot from that and I think they are ready to build on that going into this season”.

The owls have a lot of solid players and great chemistry with each other.

Nyden Reed-” I think we have a lot of strong players this year, people that can take the ball off other players and make good passes and outrun the other team”.

Reece Carter- " I feel like our brotherhood that were building here. It’s only been a week that most of the guys have been here, but we already feel so close to each other and that we already know each other on such a personal level so, i really feel like that helps us over other teams”.

And in addition to chemistry, each team member has to have skill to do their specific job on the field well.

Xavier McAtee- " As a keeper like you see the whole field like you’re supposed to; you see the whole field obviously so like in my position I just got to be vocal and work on like talking my whole back along with like the midfield as well and telling them where everyone is and like drop or the kick up and Also be there for like an option if they need to pass back so I can distribute it”.

Coach Gordon, while happy with his teams progress, sees one big area this team needs to improve on ...

Alan Gordon- " we need to put the ball into the back of the net. Last few years, we struggled a little bit to score, when we did win those two conference games at the end of last year, we scored five and four goals. So that’s what we need, so we need that mindset of attacking aggressively and defending to get to our attack and that will be a key to this year’s program”.

The UMPI Owls are not expected by many to be a top tier team this year, after placing 5th in the NAC Preseason Poll in the East. While that may leave some discouraged, this team is more than ready to prove they belong.

Nyden Reed- " This year we can really bounce back on a lot of those teams that think they can take us easy and just get a easy win, but i really think we’re going to show them up and it really motivates us to beat those teams”.

Xavier McAtee- " I love that, I love being the underdog like it’s like the best position cause the odds of; most teams are going to be overlooking us so if we just go out there playing every game, giving it our all and no matter what the outcome is as long as we gave our best like i think that’s good. And i think for sure this season we’ll be changing a lot of other team’s minds over the UMPI Owls”.

The Battle to the top of the NAC may be uphill for now , but Coach Gordon thinks his squad has the work ethic and determination to be one of the best in their conference.

Jonathon Eigenmann newssource sports.

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