The men's soccer team hopes to cap its first season in the NCAC with a happier ending. After going 14-2-2 last season (8-1-2 in SCAC play) the players were shocked and confused to learn they had not received an at-large bid to the NCAA Div. III playoffs.
"We had a really bitter taste in our mouths, so that's kind of the feeling we leave in the back of our minds," said senior goalkeeper Nate Sprenkel. "We kept it in our minds in the offseason so we don't have to go through that again and make sure we get that automatic bid instead of the at-large bid."
The team may have their chance this season as the winner of the NCAC championship tournament at the end of the season receives an automatic bid to the playoffs. Sprenkel, the SCAC defender of the year last season, will anchor a talented Tiger defense that surrendered just eight goals in 18 games.
"We have a couple of goalkeepers who are professional prospects," said head coach Brad Hauter. "So that allows us to be comfortable in the back. A combination of goalkeeping and high level defending has been a trait at DePauw for a number of years, and I don't expect that to change."
In front of Sprenkel stands a tough defensive line led by fifth-year senior Andrew Johnson, who sat out last season with an ACL tear.
"It's mostly mentality as a defensive unit," Sprenkel said. "Our goal was to shut down the other team and not give any goals. And if we gave up a goal it was a letdown, and we were letting the team down and not doing our jobs correctly."
Hauter enters his fourth year of coaching at DePauw this season and has compiled a 31-11-9 record in his time here. Every player on the team has now been brought up in his system, which he says should produce better practices and flow on the field.
Senior midfielder Ryan Keefe will likely play a prominent role in the Tiger offense, as he led the team with nine goals last year. Senior Sam Meyer and junior Dean Weaver will also be centerpieces in the offense at the forward and midfield positions.
Hauter is excited for the offensive contributions of his new players too.
"We have a couple of players who have a scorer's mindset," Hauter said. "And you can't coach that. They either have it or they don't. And we have a guy coming in that has that scorer's mindset."
Scoring will be critical to complementing DePauw's strong defense when competition with NCAC teams begins. The top-two teams of the conference last season were Ohio Wesleyan University (19-2-2, 7-0-1 NCAC) and Kenyon College (15-3-2, 6-1-1 NCAC). Ohio Wesleyan received the automatic bid by winning the conference championship while Kenyon received an at-large bid.
Still, Hauter has his sights set on winning it all, regardless of the conference.
"Our goal is to win a national championship for DePauw University, and to be in that conversation you have to be able to beat the other teams in the country," Hauter said. "So whoever you put in front of us, it doesn't matter who they are. We have to beat them to win a title."
The Tigers' first game will be an exhibition match on Aug. 28 against Illinois Wesleyan University. NCAC play begins with an away game against Denison University on Sept. 17.
"We're excited to show the whole conference what we're made of and what we can do," Sprenkel said.