by Ben Lewis

One month into the season, the Macalester men’s soccer team is already back to climbing the national rankings, and is sitting at the top of the North regional rankings. This is all part of the plan, according to senior forward Danny Baumann ’18. “The goals for the season are to win a conference and make a deep run in the NCAA tournament,” Baumann said. This kind of success is not something new; the Scots were nationally ranked as high as sixth last year and have won the MIAC title as recently as 2015.

How has the team been so successful over the last few years? Junior goalkeeper Colton Wenig ’19 attributed the team’s success to “…how close we are as a team. We can rely on each other no matter what. . . and in practice and games we are able to push the people around us to a whole different level,” Wenig said.

The closeness of this team is easy to see, even from the stands in a game. The team always seems to be on the same page, and are able to effortlessly move the ball around the pitch. Baumann also noted this, saying “our relationships with one another off the field . . . really help us gel and stay creative on the field.”

Robert Tomecek ’18 and the rest of the Scots have been chomping at the bit to get back to playing. “It’s just been getting back on the field with these guys,” Tomecek said in response to a question about what he was most excited about this season. Clayton Smith ’19 echoed Tomecek’s thoughts: “I am most excited for being with the teammates again and having fun at games with everyone,” he said.

This season, like every season in the MIAC, promises to be a challenging one. But the Scots are built for competition. They bring back quite a few upperclasmen, namely Jake Burke ’18, who was team MVP last season and has already totaled 10 points through nine games. This experience, combined with a strong incoming class of first years, has put this team in the position to have a successful season.

The year is already off to a strong start. Men’s soccer currently boasts a record of 6-2-1, and has notched impressive wins over no. 13 Wartburg and no. 25 Wisconsin Whitewater.

The Scots will return to action this Saturday when they host no. 10 St Thomas at 1 pm in a game that promises to massive implications for national ranking and MIAC standings.