Season Preview: Men's Soccer
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -The Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) men's soccer team is gearing up for another successful fall season as this year marks a pivotal moment in the program's trajectory.
The Lakers are coming off a down year as head coach David Wright transitioned into the role in his first season at the helm and in the collegiate scene. Despite a rocky start, the Lakers ended the season on a high note with back-to-back shutouts against Niagara County and Erie Community College(s).
In their matchup with Niagara County Community College, they would earn a 2-0 clean sheet against their regional opponent. The Lakers would then wrap up the season at home with a finale against Erie Community College who would suffer a lopsided 8-0 defeat. The program's strong finish sets the stage for what is a highly anticipated 2023 season for the men's soccer program at FLCC. The Lakers will be led by head coach David Wright and assistant coach Anthony Cardilli. The duo enters the 2023 season with a year under their belt.
Returning for the Lakers are two sophomores Thomas Caine (Ontario, N.Y./ Wayne) who earned 11 starts on the attack and defenseman Gabriel Correia (Queiroz, Brazil) who earned 10 starts and fortified the Lakers' defense. Caine and Correia will be joined by the most culturally diverse recruiting class in FLCC Athletics history. Wright's freshman class consists of 17 international student-athletes from 13 different countries, along with 6 local players that will look to make an immediate impact in 2023.
For Wright and his staff, it was more than just finding the best athletes, "The staff and I have done a global search not to just find the right profile of a player that meets our on-field expectations, but more importantly the right individual that will pave the way for success, even beyond their 2-year developmental career with us at FLCC", stated Wright.
With the official first day of practice for fall sports beginning on August 1st, Wright took little time bringing his group in to begin their preseason preparations. Phase I of their preseason period will place an emphasis on the "technical, physical, and psychological development of our athletes", stated Wright who went on to add, "after that we will continue into Phase II where we will shift our focus to team tactical principles".
The 2023 Lakers men's soccer program has taken on a new mantra for the season, EVOLVE. Wright explained, "Our primary focus here is to increase the 'market value' of our student-athletes both on and off the field. Using our 2-year development cycle, our student-athletes know what the standards are and the resources they can take advantage of to evolve as a person first, and a player second".
Visit flccathletics.com for all your scores, stories, highlights, and more. Follow the Lakers on social media @flccathletics on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and @flcclakers on Instagram.