Your future, our focus
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
Just a year ago the Northwest College men’s soccer team endured a season of highs and lows, but found some momentum at the tail end of a 4-11-1 campaign. That team now returns 18 players to the roster this season.
“We had four returning sophomores last year and only one of them was really starting for us,” coach Rob Hill said. “The talent was there, but there was naivety that thought talent would be enough.”
Heading into this season, Hill said that he believes the players returning from last year have learned what it takes to lead the team and will bring massive experience into the season regarding what it will take to be successful.
“I am impressed with the first week,” Hill said.
He said the team has brought in additional talent with over 30 players on the team, which will create added competition and result in players being left home on road trips in the future.
“The reality is going to set in, and they are either going to work or come up with excuses,” Hill said. “I am impressed with the mentality of this group. How fast they have bonded and have gotten chemistry. There is a real serious approach to what they are doing. As people I really like them.”
He said that the team returns experience in each level of the field, with expected depth at each position being two or three players.
Another addition to the team this year will be additional height, something Hill said the team lacked with several players bringing height at each level of the field.
“We have got a little bit of size after we were kind of small last year,” Hill said. “I am super pleased with what we have with freshmen.”
GILLETTE RETURNS
An addition to Region IX this year is Gillette College, which returns after several years after sports programs were cut due to COVID-19 era concerns over funding.
Hill expects the new addition to be competitive, having a strong recruiting class coming in.
That will bring more added expectations to Region IX, with the top six teams making the postseason in a split conference after the entire conference had eight postseason spots in previous years.
That will give a bye to the top two seeds in the north and south regions, with the 3-6 seeds playing play-in games.
SCRIMMAGES BEGIN YEAR
Northwest will not have to wait long to get on the pitch for action, heading north to Montana for a pair of scrimmages this week.
“This weekend it is going to be a big shock for the guys, and that is what we want,” Hill said.
The team will head to Billings to take on Rocky Mountain College on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will return to Billings on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. scrimmage against MSU Billings.
Northwest will host its first games of the season starting next Thursday against Utah State University-Eastern at 2 p.m. and against Truckee Meadows Community College at 11 a.m. next Saturday.