2021 Men’s Soccer Season Preview
By Alex Loding
MEQUON, Wis. - It has been a total of 491 days since their last match, but men's soccer is finally returning to Fitting field.
The CUW men's soccer team last played on Nov. 2, 2019, when they faced MSOE in the NACC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Blue and White open their 2020-2021 campaign on Wednesday night, March 17, when they travel to take on the Sabres of Marian for a NACC conference match.
This 2021 men's soccer team boasts a roster of 38 players coming by way of nine freshmen, 10 sophomores, 10 juniors and seven seniors. Players to watch for this spring include sophomore Gilberto Gomez (Zion, Ill.), sophomore Miguel Garcia (Batavia, Ill.), junior Sam Runyan (Muskego, Wis.), senior Aser Kedjebe (Phoenix, Ariz.), senior Giampaolo Lassila (Green Bay, Wis.), and junior Goalkeeper, Matthew Klug (Plymouth, WIS.).
Head coach John Saleska enters his second season at the helm. Saleska replaced his father, Tom Saleska, after being the lead assistant for the Men's soccer team from 2015-2018. Before becoming the lead assistant coach for the men's soccer program, Saleska was a graduate assistant coach after playing four years at Concordia. In his first season as head coach, Saleska posted a 13-5-1 overall record and led his squad to a 7-3-1 conference record, which was good enough for 5th place in the NACC and a berth in the NACC conference tournament.
Saleska and his squad are anxious to get back on the pitch for the 2021 season. The Blue and White will begin their season on the road for a pair of games against Marian and Edgewood before returning home on March 24 to take on rivals, MSOE, for a Wednesday night, NACC conference clash.
