The Carleton Ravens men’s soccer team has already started preparing for the upcoming 2015 season.
The team finished fourth in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) finals in the 2014 season.
Head coach Sandy Mackie said he is focusing on recruiting new players and is eager to see what they can bring to the field.
Mackie also hosted open tryouts in April for any male students attending Carleton in the fall. This included technical sessions for the players and games against local teams.
“There are lots of players not coming back,” Mackie said. “We are looking forward to the upcoming season. Right now we are very active in recruiting new players.”
The team spent April and May conducting recruiting weekends in hopes of replacing the departing team members.
“I’m really looking forward to see what the new players can bring to the field,” said Michael Calof, a veteran defender and 2014 OUA all-star. “We are heading into the season with good freshmen.”
Many of the new recruits are from the Ottawa area. Mackie said he is expecting good results from them.
“There are a lot of local players who look like really good prospects,” Mackie said.
The core of the team will be returning this year, which will make it a good year, according to Calof.
He added that the team works well together, which will make it easier for the new additions.
“Last year really wasn’t a good year for us,” Calof said. “We were really disappointed in our performance.”
The Ravens finished the regular season with a 9-4-3 record.
The Ravens lost their final game of the season to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Ridgebacks by a score of 1-0.
The Ravens faced the Ridgebacks in the first round of the playoffs where they once again fell short with a final score of 1-0.
Calof said he hopes to bounce back and make nationals in his final year at Carleton.
Mackie said he likes to keep their style simple and he will not change that this year, since he has always managed to find success with this game plan.
“Some people say we just kick it and run, but we just play long ball,” Calof said. “Sandy always says [to] play it simple and keep the game simple and we will get a good result.”
Despite a disappointing finish to the 2014 season the Ravens have had several successful previous seasons.
They made it to the OUA Final Four in 2013, where they lost in the bronze medal match to the Windsor Lancers.
The last time the Ravens made it to nationals was in 2012 where the Ravens finished sixth in the nation.
In order to return to their previous levels of success the team is expected to bring certain players into leadership roles.
For example, Daud Dahir and defenseman Julian Piccioli will step it up in terms of leadership, according to Calof.
“We will see how it goes,” Calof said. “Daud has some of the best feet in the OUA, so we really want to use him more.”
Dahir and Calof represented the Ravens at the OUA all-star game.
They hope the training received at this event will help them in the upcoming season.
