Men's soccer starts season hot

MVNU men's soccer is off to a hot start this season.

Head coach Zach Ganzburg has entered his third season with the Cougars, leading them to an early 4-1 record. Ganzburg said the great start is due to the “good foundations in place, both in terms of our style, system of play and our culture.” These foundations, although important, were not the only reason the Cougars have started so well. Senior captain Conner Davis said, “The group we have this year is really eager to learn and build off of each other every training session and game. It’s a tight knit group that wants to win.”

The Cougars lost their first game of the season 1-0 to 4th ranked Madonna out of Michigan. Since that first loss the Cougars have won four straight games. The four consecutive wins has expectations running high for the rest of the season, especially as Crossroads League play begins at the end of the month.

Ganzberg said, “The ceiling for this team is high... as we head into Crossroads League play, my hope is that we will continue to get closer to our maximum potential.” That potential can be tough to reach with a team so diverse, but Ganzburg hopes that “soccer styles and personalities blend together” as the season continues.

Last season, the Cougars finished 3-3-3 in the Crossroads League, finishing in third, with those wins coming against Grace, Huntington and Goshen. The Cougars hope to change that .500 record in the Crossroads league. “It’s going to be important to fine tune little things,” Davis said. “If we can be at least 1% better every day, I believe we have a great rest of the season.”

The men start Crossroads League play on September 25th, on the road against the Indiana Wesleyan University Wildcats.