WICHITA, Kan. — Three years of resurgence has gifted the Newman men's soccer team with an entire roster that only knows the Jets as perennial contenders in the Heartland Conference.
Three straight seasons of double-digit victories and conference postseason berths culminated in the program's first home playoff game as a member of NCAA Division II in 2016, a game the Jets would win to move to a third consecutive semifinal appearance.
That — plus a spirited preseason training program — has Newman coach Cliff Brown looking forward to his 30th year in charge of the Jet program.
"Our goals are always to win games," Brown said. "Finish as high up as we can in the region and the conference. I think the team has looked pretty good in the preseason, probably the most pleased with a preseason I've been in a long time.
"I think we're a lot deeper this year. Last year we relied a lot on Luca [Anelli] and Marian [Saar], but this year we're a much more balanced team. I think we'll get to use the bench a lot more. That will help us from fatiguing at the end of the season, and we can finish a lot stronger."
The Jets open their season with a trip to Grand Junction, Colorado this weekend, facing off against South Dakota Mines at 5 p.m. central time on Friday, and wrapping up with a tough one at preseason No. 16 Colorado Mesa at 3:30 p.m. central time on Sunday.
Newman makes its Wilkins Field debut on Sept. 8, hosting Tabor.
Season Breakdown (2016 Statistics in Parentheses)
Goalkeepers
Returners: None
Newcomers: Chase Bowman, Fr.
Coach Speak: "We have a young goalkeeper. He's learning his trade, gaining confidence, and he's had some good moments in games. He looks to be doing well as the season progresses."
Defenders
Returners: Rich Wincer, Sr. (18 GP, 16 GS, 1322 min., 1 G, 1 A, 7 shots, 1 GWG); Fernando Rubio Garcia, Jr. (19 GP, 11 GS, 1117 min., 2 G, 5 shots); Jonatas Esgolmin, Sr. (16 GP, 3 GS, 641 min., 2 shots); Jamie Barkway, Sr. (19 GP, 16 GS, 1613 min., 2 G, 1 A, 15 shots, first-team all-Heartland, all-region); Andreas Agrell, So. (18 GP, 13 GS, 1262 min., 3 shots); Kieran Laking, Jr. (13 GP, 13 GS, 1028 min., 4 shots); Gbonju Odukale, Sr. (18 GP, 12 GS, 975 min., 1 A, 2 shots); Francklin Dallien, Sr. (did not play); Nick Smith, Jr. (redshirted)
Newcomers: Enzo Nalis, Fr.
Coach Speak: "Defense is really, really strong. We'll have to plug some holes on the first weekend, as we have a couple of key players out serving suspensions for red cards last year, but once that gets settled, we have good coverage at all positions in the back, and it's probably one of our most experienced areas on our team."
Midfielders
Returners: Adam Sawyer, Jr. (16 GP, 4 GS, 584 min., 1 A, 3 shots); Vitor Okamoto, Sr. (17 GP, 6 GS, 673 min., 2 G, 14 shots, 1 GWG); Vince Couto, Jr., (19 GP, 18 GS, 1249 min., 1 G, 1 A, 13 shots, 1 GWG); Tommy Fiszel, Jr. (20 GP, 19 GS, 1373, 4 G, 1 A, 24 shots, 2 GWG); Ed Jabbari, So. (20 GP, 15 GS, 1412 min., 1 G, 2 A, 39 shots, 1 GWG); Connor Rackley, So. (19 GP, 423 min., 5 shots)
Newcomers: Taylor White, Jr.; Jared Rangel, Sr.; Fernando Robles, Jr.
Coach Speak: "I think we're strong across the midfield. Several players can play that attacking role, several that can play on the wing. The quality that's there, the ability to possess the ball and movement off the ball has been very, very strong throughout the preseason, and we hope it carries over."
Forwards
Returners: Carlos Rubio Garcia, Jr. (20 GP, 19 GS, 1479 min., 5 G, 4 A, 42 shots, 1 GWG); Daniel Steigerwald, So. (2 GP, 17 min.)
Newcomers: Hani Berchiche, Fr.
Coach Speak: "We're returning Carlos, who was a top forward for us last year. We brought in Hani Berchiche. That's two really strong forwards Taylor White looked quite comfortable up there in the preseason, and Eddie Jabbari can bring a different type of energy. That might depend on what the opponent gives to us, but we have more options available this year."
