The sweat and the grind dominating the long summer days left the Cal men’s soccer team feeling more fit than ever before. Heading into offseason workouts, it was the team’s goal to forget the memory of the disappointing 2012 season, in which the Bears finished fourth in the Pac-12 and missed the postseason for the second straight year.
“These past two seasons have been a little bit of a letdown for us,” said senior defender Ryan Neil. “We all know that we’re more than capable of making it to the postseason and even farther. It’s definitely been eating at us, so we’re going to do everything we can to make it there this year.”
At the conclusion of summer, it was time for the Cal men’s soccer team to see if a grueling offseason workout program had paid off. The individual testing, similar to what one sees at the NFL combine, would provide the tangible evidence to justify their hard work.
On the tests, the Bears athletes rated higher than they ever have.
All the extra training may pay off this season, as the 2013 edition of the Bears is regaining its elite form from years past.
One of the strengths of the team this year will be its defense, shored up by the return of senior Steve Birnbaum. The defender was a preseason All-American last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Birnbaum reasserted himself in the first two games, scoring two goals and using his height to create opportunities on corner kicks. He has also solidified the back line, which has a new leader in junior Christian Dean, who is adapting to his new role as a center back.
“You can’t even describe it,” junior midfielder Connor Hallisey said. “That kid — he’ll come on and change a game just by himself. He’s the type of individual who can change a season.”
Offensively, the Bears return two of the top three scorers in midfielder Seth Casiple and forward Stefano Bonomo. Bonomo scored five goals last year, and Casiple recorded a team-high seven assists.
With the team having solid players all across the pitch, Cal flew out of the gates to start its season. Cal upset No. 2 Maryland and and No. 3 Georgetown in the season’s first weekend, shocking the soccer world. The two semifinalists from the 2012 NCAA Tournament were the highest ranked teams on the Bears’ schedule this year, but Cal still has a difficult schedule to worry about.
The Bears will play a home and away match against both No. 9 UCLA and No. 23 Washington and will host No. 16 San Diego on Oct. 25. Furthermore, the Bears have three straight away games to conclude the season, finishing up at Stanford on Nov. 13. It is then that the squad’s NCAA fate will be determined.
The coaches picked the Bears to finish fourth out of six teams in the Pac-12 preseason poll. Soccer analysts expected Cal to be blown away by the Terrapins and the Hoyas. And Cal was nowhere to be seen in the first release of the NSCAA soccer rankings. The lack of a ranking may have been justified based on the Bears’ poor performance in 2012. Regardless, the team was severely overlooked.
One week into the season, Cal has once again reasserted itself into the national spotlight. From unranked to 10th in the poll, the Bears’ jump is a testament to all those who overlooked them.
While nobody outside the organization was able to see the results from Cal’s hard work, the Bears are ready to prove everybody wrong.
“These guys are hungry,” Grimes said.
Contact Austin Crochetiere at [email protected].