The men's soccer team is looking to build on last year's successful campaign and is set for the season opener against Fitchburg State University on Saturday. According to head coach Michael Coven, now entering his 38th year at the helm, the team is looking for a higher-profile finish than last season. Though the Judges boasted a 12-7-1 record at season's end, it wasn't enough to propel them to a NCAA tournament berth.

"We finished very nicely last year winning [the Eastern College Athletic Conference]," said Coven. "But this year, our first goal is to do well in the UAA, where we haven't fared well in 3 years. We want to do well in the conference and then jump up to the NCAA tournament. If we do well in the UAA, we should get [a] bid to NCAAs."

The Judges managed to dismantle most regional teams without too much trouble last season, but were dismal in UAA play, compiling a weak 1-5-1 record. And with just two UAA teams qualifying for NCAAs, the Judges will need to rack up positive results against each of their conference foes. Last season, the Judges were competitive in each of their matches against UAA teams despite winning just once.

But this season, the Judges are bringing in a core of talented rookies, plus a handful of players who missed chunks of last season due to injury. Midfielder/forward Luke Teece '12 had the second-most number of goals on the team last season but missed the end of the season due to injury. In addition, forward Sam Ocel '13 was sidelined for the entirety of the season because of leg injuries.

"We have a very good group coming back. I'm keeping [my] fingers crossed that we'll do well," Coven said. "We lost some good players, and we lost some leaders. On paper we look pretty good, but we have got to see how it all works out."

Coven mentioned the losses of graduating seniors Taylor Bracken and Kyle Gross. Gross was one of the team's leaders and served as captain while Bracken had a sterling senior year between the goalposts. But Coven believes that his returning squad and the incoming first-years will step up.

Two of Coven's biggest additions are Robbie Lynch '15 and Tyler Savonen '15, two local standouts who both earned All-State New England honors. But the despite the addition of solid young talent, the biggest question mark at present for Coven is in goal, especially after losing Bracken.

"We have [Blake] Minchoff, who is a junior who's been our backup and really hasn't played much. He's untested. We also have two freshmen, Stephen Lopes and Joe Graffy. So goalkeeping is tenuous right now."

With the exception of the goalkeeper selection, Coven knows what kind of a team to put on the field ahead of the opener on Sept. 3. The Judges will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, which will give the fullbacks a chance to come out of defense and overlap the midfield on the wings.