2021 Men's Soccer Notebook (Week 1)

COMING UP: at George Fox, Friday, 5 p.m. (PT); at Linfield, Sunday, 1 p.m. (PT)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
VIDEO / STAT LINKS: Live Video and Live Stats will be available for both games in Oregon for fans unable to make the trip. Friday night, Live Video will be available through the Northwest Conference Network, while Live Stats will be available through GFU's SIDEARM Sports Portal. Sunday afternoon, Live Video will be available through the Linfield Sports Network, with Live Stats through Linfield's SIDEARM Sports Portal.
 
SEASON OPENERS: The Coyotes open their 38th season of intercollegiate soccer on Friday, looking to end a 4-game winless streak in season openers. Since the program began in 1984, the Yotes are 16-18-3 in their season openers – including last year's wild 5-4 overtime loss to Northwest Nazarene. It is the 27th time C of I has started a season on the road, posting a 9-14-3 record. The Coyotes last won their season opener in 2016 a 1-0 decision at Embry-Riddle in Arizona.
 
AGAINST THE NORTHWEST CONFERENCE / DIVISION III: The opening trip has the Yotes heading to Oregon for match-ups against Division III squads Linfield and George Fox – a rematch of a trip C of I took in 2019, where the squad swept the two foes. The Coyotes have played 15 previous matches against Division III teams, posting a 7-5-3 all-time record against the division. C of I has played matches against all nine current members of the Northwest Conference, recording a collective 43-33-8 record against those squads (George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Pacific, Pacific Lutheran, Puget Sound, Whitman, Whitworth, Willamette).
 
OPPONENT PREVEW – GEORGE FOX: The season opens in Newberg against George Fox, as the Bruins are coming off a 3-5 spring season – competing against only the Oregon schools in the NWC. GFU has an interim coach this fall, as Paul Karver has replaced former head coach Biniam Afenegus – who resigned last month. Karver will have two of the Bruins scoring leaders from 2019 back – as forwards Jackson Keller (6 goals, 2 assists in 2019) and Solek Ashkinos (3 goals in 2019) return, while midfielder Alan Rincon (4 assists) was the top playmaker for the team this spring. Keeper Cole Benton (1.38 GAA, .824 save pct) is a 2-year starter. GFU will be playing the match as an exhibition, while it will be a countable game for C of I.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – LINFIELD: Sunday, the Yotes meet Linfield, as the Wildcats look to rebound after a 3-5 spring season. Second-year head coach Adam Duvall returns his top scorer from the 2019 season in Cesar Cruz-Espindola (5 goals, 2 assists), while the combination of Seamus Miller (2 goals) and Ryan Kister (1 goal, 1 assist) combined for three of the five goals the Cats scored in the 8-game spring campaign. Also back for Linfield is keeper Julian Inches (1.90 GAA, .636 GAA). The Wildcats will be playing the match as an exhibition, while it will be a countable game for C of I.
 
YOTES DROP EXHIBITION AT GONAZGA: C of I opened their season last Friday with an exhibition match at Gonzaga in Spokane – losing the match, 3-0, despite having a 15-13 edge in total shots. It marked the first-ever match-up for the Coyotes against a Division I squad in either a counting game or exhibition – as C of I played GU in 1987 and 1989 when they competed at the Division II level, while playing current D-I team Seattle and Cal Baptist a combined five times when they were members of the NAIA.
 
C OF I PICKED 11TH: A year after the Cascade Conference split into divisions due to COVID-19, the league has returned to their single round-robin, 13-game schedule for 2021. The Yotes were picked 11th of 14 teams in the preseason poll, coming off a season in which the team opted out of competition after two matches. Corban was the preseason favorite to win the league, followed by Rocky Mountain and Warner Pacific.
 
DIVERSE TEAM: The squad will feature 12 returning players and 15 newcomers, with eight different countries represented on the roster - a new record for the program. The 2021 Yotes will have players from Brazil (4 players), England (3 players), Scotland, Spain, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the United States.
 
POSITION PREVIEW – FORWARDS: Baker is excited for first-year Coyote, Ben Garrick from Scotland – who starred for the St. John's School Football Club before heading to the United States. "We are replacing one Ben for another," Baker said, as Ben Bechor, the Yotes 2-time All-CCC forward, has graduated. "Ben Garrick is a proven goal scorer and though he is a freshman, comes from a proven program – he is one of those kids that is massively competitive and he does his best to back it up." Also at the striker spot is Kristian Quiros, who returns to the pitch for the first time since 2018 – having redshirted seasons at both Yavapai CC and last year at C of I. As a senior at Rocky Mountain High, he scored 21 goals and led his team to the 5A state title. Two other freshmen are squarely in the mix up top – J.J. Osuna of Vallivue High and Mario Ruiz from Spain. Osuna was a 2-time All-Southern Idaho Conference pick, scoring 16 goals as a senior in leading his team to the 4A state title. Ruiz, from the Basque Country, was one of the top scorers for the American School of Bilbao.
 
POSITION PREVIEW – MIDFIELDERS: In the midfield, the Yotes return senior Lucas Thorne, who has been squarely in the rotation for the past three seasons – playing in 33 matches and recording two goals and four assists. C of I will look to score from their attacking midfielders – as three newcomers look to make an immediate impact. Joao Bastos scored eight goals as a freshman at Division III Bethany College before seeing his season last year wiped out at Eastern New Mexico. Both Alexius Westlund (Sweden) and Bernardo Zanatta (Brazil) will make their collegiate debut this season, but provide creativity needed to put the ball in the net. Three returners – Zach Flannery, Jack O'Leary and Ryan Gamboa will push the newcomers in the attacking midfield. O'Leary scored six goals during the 2019 season, while both Flannery and Gamboa look for extended minutes after the shortened spring season. In the central midfield, the Yotes return their top distributor from the 2-game spring season, Vitor Matos. The transfer assisted on two of the five goals C of I scored in the two games and is a vocal leader.  Newcomers will bolster the position – including transfers Caio Pereira and Liam Kelly. Pereira was a starter at Division II Eastern New Mexico before their program was cut, while Kelly, originally from England, transferred to C of I after spending last season at Division I Farleigh Dickinson. "Fans are going to like both Caio and Liam," Baker said. "Caio is like a Swiss army knife, he can play all over the field and is so steady – he will play a ton of minutes. Liam has an extremely high ceiling and will definitely be a factor in what we are doing this year." Two other newcomers will be key in the defensive midfield – as both Marek Kadlec and Baylor Eller provide big frames to allow the Yotes to keep possession. Kadlec was a 2020 recruit from the Czech Republic who was unable to join the team due to foreign COVID restrictions, while Eller was part of the Vallivue state title team.
 
POSITION PREVIEW – DEFENDERS: Multi-year starters Andy Sanchez and Andrew Lauritzen both return, providing needed experience on a roster that features 15 newcomers. Sanchez is a 2-time All-Cascade Conference selection as a centerback, but will move to the outside this season. Lauritzen has been a mainstay on the outside – starting 33 games in his career – but is working to return from an injury that sidelined him in the spring.  Also back is Kaleb Lee, who played every minute of the spring season in a centerback role. He gives the Yotes a presence in their back line with his 6-foot-3 frame. Three other returners are in the mix – sophomore Dylan Bowes, junior Kyler Terashima and senior Thomas Bartlett. Bartlett has the most experience of the group, having played in 24 matches. "We have some fellas in the back that will be extremely physical," Baker said. "I like the players we have and I know we will be much improved from the spring." The Coyote skipper points towards his recruiting class as immediate impact players for the upcoming season. Headlining the group is Emil Powles, who transferred from Division II Eastern New Mexico, where he was a starter as a true freshman. Joining him is Frank DeBry, a Utah native who redshirted last season at Division I Eastern Illinois. He was a 2-time All-Region 18 selection at Utah State-Eastern – where he scored a combined 21 goals. Transfer Jeremy Guimbretiere won a junior college national championship this spring at Southeastern CC in Iowa, where he earned All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference honors. The lone freshman defender is local product, Koyote Zimmerman of Capital High. The 3-time All-Southern Idaho Conference pick played all over the pitch both in high school and for the Boise Timbers FC.
 
POSITION PREVIEW – GOALKEEPERS: The Yotes return their top keeper, as Zac Dean has recovered from an injury that kept him out during the 2021 spring season. The 6-foot-4 senior has recorded a 1.45 career goals against average in 700 minutes of play. "Zac has bounced back from an injury – he is a captain of this crew," Baker said. "He is so big and long and so courageous, he will be very good this year, especially with that defense in front of him." Two other keepers will push for playing time, returner Drew Morris and freshman Joey Umpleby. Morris played every minute of the spring season in goal and earned key experience, while Umpleby joins the squad from Kendal Towne FC in England.