MOBILE, Ala. – Spring Hill College (SHC) men's soccer head coach Steve Wieczorek begins his third season at the helm of the Badgers with a new group of talented youngsters. "The key to this year will be how well we can jell together as a team," he says. "There was a great deal of turnover this year and as coaches we have to be conscious of that fact, but the boys are really getting along on and off the field. We have scheduled more team outings and we've been playing bigger numbers at practice with that goal in mind. They are really becoming a close knit group given the perimeters of our situation."
 
While still a believer that defense is where the Badger future lies, Wieczorek looks for the SHC offense to be more high-powered in 2017. "In sophomore Donte Oliver (New Orleans, La.), we have the best returning freshman in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) if you look at his production in 2016," he says. "We also return our leading goal scorer in senior Ibrahima Ndaw (Mobile, Ala.), so if you add in junior Alaye Brito (Minas Gerais, Brazil) it makes for a very nice front line that becomes even more formidable when you consider that we have freshman Timo Schabetsberger (Gurten, Austria) who is an explosive player joining us from the Under-18 Austrian national team."
 
The Badgers will feature a new midfield line-up this year as Viktor Kvarnlof of Norrtalje, Sweden and junior Tilman Schober of Schriesheim, Germany, move to the outside while sophomore transfer Alexander Lipinski of Krefeld, Germany, joins freshman Callum Porter from Cardiff, Wales, graduate student Morgan Gauthier of Paris, France, and the surprising freshman Matthew Moreno of Northplainfield, N.J., to bring a stabilizing presence to the center. "We are very excited about our midfield play this year," Wieczorek says. "With the experience and ability we have added to the depth of freshman Zach Witt (Kitchener, Ontario) and the personality that Michael Ness (Fife, Scotland) brings to the team, we have a very strong transition game." Freshman Oscar Hellberg carries many seasons of international experience while freshman Gabe Louis from New Orleans, La., will contribute to the weapons from which Wieczorek will have to choose.
 
On the back line, the SHC defense will be led by junior Jack LaForge of New Orleans who has proven himself to be a reliable defender on numerous occasions. Pablo Delgado of Valencia, Spain, will combine with LaForge and freshman Benedikt Kraemling of Ergolding, Germany, along with freshman Eirikur Eiriksson of Reykjavik, Iceland, freshman Vassil Kokali of Rome, Italy, and junior Haukur Bjornsson of Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, to form a solid defensive wall. The quiet workhorse of Tapfuma Dimairo from Wellington, New Zealand, as well as experienced senior Andres Alfonso of Miami, Fla., will team together with freshmen John Putnam and Jackson Bell both from Dallas, Texas, to make an already stalwart defense that much stronger.
 
At the center of it all, sophomore Geraldo Bina of Paris appears to have won the starting goalkeeping position during a spirited preseason competition. "We had the most returners at keeper of any position," said Wieczorek. "It was a tough fight for the job this year and Bina has it for now." Sophomore Otto Candies of River Ridge, La., Barou Ndaw of Mobile and Jackson Hoesley of Dallas will all be eagerly awaiting their opportunities.
 
Wieczorek knows that his new crop of faces will be tested early with Flagler College and 8th-ranked University of Tampa visiting Library Field to open the year followed by a trip to Florida Southern College and Rollins. "If you combine those games with the 11 GSC contests and the unknown factors of Louisiana College and Pensacola Christian College, it's going to be a battle every match this year."
 
"Overall, we are seeing the subtle differences between our first, second and third seasons that build an exciting program," said Wieczorek. "The long term vision of this plan is starting to pay off. This program is a journey and the first steps are behind us."
 
The Badgers will open 2017 versus the Flagler College Saints at home on Library Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.