2022 Men's Soccer Season Review
The hard work the Faith men's soccer team put in during the preseason running up the Saylorville Dam, pushing the schools' shuttle buses around campus, and carrying the heavy soccer goals paid off in 2022. The Eagles won the programs first Midwest Christian College Conference (MCCC) tournament championship and were the first men's soccer team to win both the conference championship and sportsmanship award in the same season.
The Faith men were able to keep games close throughout the season through a combination of great team defending and stellar goalkeeping. As a team, the Eagles ended the season ranked third in the nation in goals against per game. First team all-conference goalkeeper Sam Carstensen led the NCCAA in save percentage and was in the top three for goals against and shutouts per game. The Eagles were led in scoring by team captains James Busenitz (7 goals, 6 assists), Josh Forgie (7 goals, 2 assists) and Carson Odle (4 goals, 1 assist) on way to the second consecutive 10-win season.
Faith started the season with a tough loss to #5 Providence before going on to win five straight games including a 3-1 victory over then-ranked Barclay College and 2-1 win over perennial MCCC champions, Manhattan Christian. After that the Eagles struggled to score as they went on a five-game winless streak, tying winnable non-conference games as well as losing in the final seconds on the road at conference rival Manhattan Christian.
The Eagles were able to right the ship as Jon Crossman had a Senior Day no one will forget. Crossman scored a hat-trick and led the team to a decisive win over Union College. The victory started the second, and most important winning streak of the season which led into the Midwest Christian College Conference tournament in Kansas City. Faith won their MCCC semifinal against Emmaus 3-1, but would be matched up in the final against a motivated Manhattan Christian who were coming off an 11-0 win in the semifinals.
The championship started with even possession for both teams, but midway through the half Faith started to dominate possession and create scoring chances. In the 35th minute the Eagles were able to take the lead into halftime. Manhattan was able to level the match in the 50th minute after earning their 4th penalty kick of the season against Faith. Conference MVP James Busenitz had a goal called back midway through the half for offsides, but a few minutes later was able to execute a perfect pass to Carson Odle who sailed the ball past the goalkeeper for the game-winning goal.
Faith earned the #2 seed in the North Region tournament which led to a rematch against Trinity Bible College, who they had previously tied 0-0 at home. Faith dominated the game, leading 4-0 at halftime and cruising to a 5-1 win. Unfortunately the Eagles ran into one of the top teams in the Nation and fell to the eventual region champions, Crown College in the region semifinals.
NCCAA DII National Awards
Scholar Athletes: Jon Crossman, Seth Elliot, Cody Hargis, Caleb Neumann, Carson Odle
MCCC Conference Awards
1st Team All-Conference: Moses Amani, Sam Carstensen, James BUsenitz
2nd Team All-Conference: Grant Brower and Josh Forgie
MVP: James Busenitz
FBBC Team Award Winners
Offensive MVP: James Busenitz
Defensive MVP: Moses Amani
Coaches Award: Josh Forgie
Most Improved Player: Cade Sanders
