In 2013, the Hamline men's soccer team started strong – winning their first three games of the season – and ended strong with a second three-game win skein before losing the season finale to regular season champ Gustavus Adolphus.
It was the stride in the right direction that head coach Alex Morawiecki was seeking.  As Morawiecki begins his second season at the helm, he finds himself looking to blend a baker's dozen worth of new faces with a veteran crew that liked the taste of success they encountered last year.

The Pipers get a first look at how the mix of the old and the new will work this weekend when they face Bethany Lutheran (August 30) and Buena Vista (August 31) in games that will be played in Storm Lake, Iowa. The Pipers have never faced BLU before. They defeated Buena Vista, 3-2, at Paterson Field in 2012. 

"The core of the returnees have played a lot of soccer the last two years," he said. "That's a good thing. We have a good mix of freshmen coming in who will compete and fill roles. Last year, the goal was to be relevant. We did that. Now we want to move and prove ourselves to be more capable this year."

HU was 6-10-1 a year ago. Included in that win total was a school record 11-0 win over Presentation as well as conference triumphs over Bethel and St. Mary's. As good as this was, HU was on the verge of much more. The Pipers dropped five one-goal games, including 1-0 games to St. Olaf, Augsburg and Macalester – all of whom were .500 or better teams.

The Pipers return eight players from the 2013 team. Gilbert Ghong (pictured) had four goals last year. Abbai Habte was hampered with a sports hernia injury that cut into his playing time. If healthy, Morawiecki feels he will produce more than the one he had last year.

The biggest area of returnees is in the middle of the field. Tyler Tallaksen and Michael Ramirez logged 2,000 minutes between them last year. Connor Benson, who started five games last year, also was a solid presence in the middle. The trio's official stat totals of four goals and four assists doesn't tell the story of how steady their play actually was. Tallaksen often dropped back on defense and may do so again. Mark Kapuska started four games last year on the back wall. When he slid up front, Kapuska was able to find the net twice.

The preseason roster had seven fresh faces listed as potential midfielders. "There will be some teaching down early," Morawiecki  admitted. "The tempo is higher than high school and it's mentally more raining. The college game is also more physical."
Accordingly, the Piper coaching staff paid closer attention than usual to the midfield play during the scrimmages prior to the season opener August 30 against Bethany Lutheran in Storm Lake, Iowa. "We may have to do some mixing and matching early," the second year head coach said. One of the potential new faces knows his way around the HU campus already. He is Victor Lara, a native of Brazil who is one of the school's top swimmers.

Fortunately for Morawiecki, this is not the issue at the back end of the field. Derrick Mora, who recorded a pair of shutouts and a 1.16 goals-against average in 2013, returns for a third season.  "Derrick has really grown into the role. He finished strong last year," Morawiecki said. "He's very consistent and has really matured back there." Also back is senior Joey Matesi, who had a 1.27 goals-against average in 10 games.

The Pipers have a half-dozen rugged matches to get ready for the conference opener September 17 at St. John's.  They open with a pair of games in Iowa, face Marian and Augustana (IL) in back-to-back home games and then head west to tangle with two very good programs in Washington State – Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran.

That figures to get the Pipers tested enough to take on the very competitive MIAC. This is the first year of an expanded soccer format.  Six teams will advance to the postseason this year.  "Our goal is to make that top six," Morawiecki said. "That's reasonable."

To achieve their postseason spot since 2006, HU will be looking to get off to another good start and improve their record away from Paterson Field.  (The first three MIAC games are on the road.) "This might be the most competitive year ever in our conference," Morawiecki said. "There are a lot of very good teams but nobody sticks out."

Despite the high number of new faces on the 2014 roster, the second year head coach feels good about his veteran leaders. Referring to his eight returnees, Morawiecki said, "They want to leave the program in a better spot than they found it."