After coming off an impressive Final Four run in the NCAA DII Tournament, the men’s soccer team is looking to dominate this fall. In 2023, the team finished 13-4-6 overall and 9-2-2 in conference play. In the GLVC Tournament, the team beat Rockhurst 4-0, before losing to Indianapolis in a penalty shootout. The Flyers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament as the No. 7 seed. In their Cinderella run, they beat Purdue Northwest, Illinois-Springfield, Indianapolis, and Maryville, before losing in the Final Four to Franklin Pierce University.
This season, the Flyers were highly ranked in two preseason polls. The team was voted to finish first in the GLVC preseason poll, receiving five first place votes. The votes are placed by GLVC coaches, who are not permitted to vote for their own team. In the United Soccer Coaches Preseason DII poll, the team was ranked fourth. Franklin Pierce University, last season’s national champion, was ranked first, followed by Colorado State University-Pueblo, Florida Tech and then Lewis. GLVC teams ranked in the poll include Maryville, Indianapolis, Illinois-Springfield, and McKendree.
With the team’s recent success, head coach Evan Fiffles is looking forward to seeing more fans in the seats. It is not always easy to do that, but he had one simple thing to say when asked about how to get more fans at Lewis Stadium. “I tell my guys all the time, to receive love, you have to get love”, Coach Fiffles said. He reiterated that the team needs to reach out to friends, family, and the Lewis community to get more fans in the seats. “You gotta put time into it and build those relationships. So [that fans] are going to want to come and be part of your journey, through your 4 years.”
The Flyers lost two big players that contributed to their Final Four run for the 2024 season. One of those players, Joram Bogers led the team with 9 goals. With his transfer to Barry University in Miami, the Flyers need someone to fill his shoes. Coach Fiffles believes there are a few who can get on the score sheet frequently for the Flyers. He will be looking toward Godwin Asore, Mikey Revell, Max Widlund, Cristian Perez, and Arturs Gorodnickis to lead the way in scoring this season. However, he admitted that it depends on the “time of the year and who has the confidence”.
The men’s soccer team began their season at home against Purdue Northwest on Sept. 5. In the 27th minute, Purdue Northwest scored. Neither side scored after that, leaving the game at a 1-0 victory for the Pride. Purdue Northwest had more shots and shots on goal than Lewis. Unfortunately, The Flyers failed to beat Purdue Northwest in the regular season opener for the second year in a row, with last season’s result ending in a 0-0 tie.
In their game against Wisconsin-Parkside on Sept. 8, the Flyers gave up another early goal with the Rangers scoring in the 20th minute. Late in the second half, Arturs Gorodnickis was fouled in the box and the Flyers converted. Gorodnickis got his first goal of the season and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. The team’s record has now improved to 0-1-1.
The Flyers will look to find their first win this season with trips to Northern Michigan on Sept. 12 and Quincy on Sept. 15. They will return home to Lewis Stadium to face Upper Iowa on Sept. 20 at 7:30 pm.
Photo Credits: Grant Dorsey
