The 2024 Men’s Soccer season is here, and this could be an important year for Quinnipiac as the team looks to keep the program heading in the right direction. After a difficult 2023 season, the Bobcats are back with some fresh faces to take another go at the MAAC.
This time last year things felt quite different in the QU Men’s Soccer program as they were fresh off a conference championship and were just voted preseason favorites to repeat. The season that followed was far from the success they had hoped for, as the Bobcats finished the season with a 3-9-5 record overall and 1-5-4 in the MAAC. The team ultimately missed the playoffs and did not retain their conference title.
This season offers an opportunity for this group of players to prove that they deserved the grand expectations last year, however, it will not be easy as the team will be tasked with replacing the production of their two top goal scorers Tomas Svecula and Brage Aasen.
Eric Da Costa and his staff added a few new options in the forward position to help them with this task; first years William Holum from Norway and Andrew Monteserin from South Windsor, CT, and some more experienced options in Benjamin Telle and Joey Saputo Jr.
With Aasen and Svecula both gone that leaves a question about who will be the main man for this team up top. All these forwards and some returners like Simon Bakken and Ramesh Delsouz will be keen to show that they are the ones for the job.
The addition of first-year Norwegian midfielders Sivert Ryssdalsnes and Fredrick Moen will help the Bobcats get service to their forwards as they will be useful in maintaining possession. The main question is where the goals will come from. The team has a good mix of experience and potential with a knowledgeable coach, yet they still have to replace their top two goal-scorers.
The 2024 preseason polls have Quinnipiac finishing sixth in the MAAC and it’s hard to disagree. The Bobcats have a strong roster with good options around the pitch and many will agree that it would be shocking to have a repeat of last year. Until we see one of these forward options take over and start finding the back of the net, it is hard to see this team doing much better than sixth.
There is still uncertainty surrounding Quinnipiac soccer after the 2023 season, however, this team has already made significant strides in the right direction.
