Men’s soccer kicks off fall season 10-0

The men’s soccer team remains undefeated as they head into October with a 10-0 record. With only one opponent scoring against them so far, the V-Hawks have proved they are unstoppable. 

The team started their season with eight clean sheets. On September 21, Hamline University broke Viterbo’s streak, scoring against them during the first half of the game. Despite Hamline’s attempts, Viterbo pushed back and remained undefeated.  

The team’s success does not come as a surprise. Last season, the V-Hawks managed to finish with a 16-1-1 record and gave up only 6 goals all season. They outscored their opponents 82-6 over the span of the season and had their most successful season in over 20 years.  

Despite their success, the V-Hawks are not satisfied. Junior defender Benian Yao describes the team’s drive, saying “Some of the factors to our early success is hunger and desire. We had a lot of graduates and freshmen join the team this year and the competition within the squad is higher than it’s ever been.” 

 “Instead of things becoming hostile, this competition has led us to push each other and keep each other sharp,” Yao said. There is a strong drive amongst their team that has helped them excel. Yao also credits the team’s success to factors on the sideline. “Another key to our success is the belief that Coach Dunn has in the team. From pre-season till now, Coach Dunn has always emphasized how good we can be and how far we can go this season,” said Yao. “He has never let us settle for less than excellent.” 

 The sense of unity created by the coaches has been passed down to the players. This has been a key factor in the team’s success this season and will need to stick around for them in order to achieve their goals. “We have a point to prove as a team and this October is the time to do it,” said Yao. “The goal for October is to remain undefeated.” 

As the V-Hawks enter October, they will be challenged harder than they have been. On October 14, they are scheduled to play against Georgia Gwinnett. Gwinnett is the 10th ranked team in the nation. The V-Hawks acknowledge this upcoming challenge, but they are taking it one game at a time. “Going forward we do have tough games like Georgia Gwinnett and Bellevue who are high quality teams,” shared Yao. “However, as a team the most important game of the season is whoever we play next. One thing that we emphasize is focusing solely on who we play next. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves and write off teams to focus on the ‘big games.’”  

The V-Hawks have no more home games this season and have completed a milestone of going undefeated on their own turf. Ultimately, this is a team that is doing exciting things and has the chance to make more history as the postseason approaches. 

The men’s soccer team plays next at Concordia Moorehead on October 9. Be sure to catch the V-Hawks in action before their historical season wraps up.