Men's soccer records start strong

The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s soccer team looks to build off of last year’s success, which saw the Cougars land in middle of the Crossroads League standings and finish with an overall 8-7-5 record.

Coach Andrew Belleman said this year’s team plans to build a strong culture that can set the tone for the men’s soccer program for the years to come.

“We are looking forward to building a new identity on the field and building a good foundation for the next few years,” Belleman said.

A big part of that will be settting the right priorities, Belleman said.

“If we can learn to care about each other and others on campus more than ourselves, we will see plenty of success on the field,” he said.

MVNU welcomes eight freshmen to the squad this year. The recruits come from El Salvador, Germany, Ghana and across Ohio. The Cougar freshmen are goalkeeper Brady Thompson, defenders Gerardo Rivas and Matt Rolden, along with forwards Tim Kasparek and Evans Yeboah and midfielders Ethan Statzer, Connor Davis and Brandon Mount.

“Rivas and Roldan will be pillars in the back for us and Mount will be an important player in the midfield, while Davis and Kasparek will contribute up top early on,” Belleman said.

The Cougars will be led by a diverse group of seniors. Tent Chivatanaporn comes from Thailand, Daniel Rodriguez hails from Spain, Enrique Salazar and Dennis Taylor call Honduras home and Taylor Dyson is a local player from Dublin, Ohio.

The Cougars are currently 4-1 in their first five games, picking up wins against Cornerstone University, Rochester College and Siena Heights and Ohio Christian University.

MVNU will be at the Spring Arbor Invitational this weekend. The next home game is Wednesday at 4 p.m.