Men's Soccer Season Preview

Ankeny, IA-- The opening match of the season will be a good test for Faith. Providence reached the NCCAA North Region Championship game a year ago.

Faith's roster is one of the largest in recent years, with a total of 32 athletes making up this year's team. Eyeing a trip to the NCCAA II National Tournament in Florida, coaches Backous and Young are determined and committed to giving each student-athlete all that they have to make their experience a great one.

This season the men's team will focus on the theme "competitiveness". After just one week of training with the athletes, coach Backous can tell that his team has a lot of potential. "We have a great mix of youth and experience on this team," noted coach Backous. Spending previous seasons nailing down the skills needed on the field, the goal of this season will be to challenge the athletes to put those skills to good use as they compete for a chance at the region championship.

The Eagles have 16 returning players including All-Conference selections from last year Grant Brower, Moses Amani, Sam Carstenson, and James Busenitz (Conference MVP). Busenitz will be the team captain this fall. James is coming off of multiple All-Region and All-Conference seasons and is poised to lead the team to another successful year.

"Newcomers Alan Mascosa, Chris Barnette, and Parker Lundberg have all found their way into the starting eleven," noted Backous. "We also have an exceptional recruiting class this year including seven freshman... It may take a little time for them to learn our system, but all of them will contribute this fall."

The Eagles will play 15 games during their regular season with their first two at home against two strong regional opponents in Providence University College (8/31) and North Central University (9/9).

View the full 2023 men's soccer schedule here.