Zachary Mastrich, one of the Scots' two captains, is one of three senior returnees in the midfield, a position that projects to be one of the big strengths of the team heading into the season.

The College of Wooster men's soccer team seeks to turn the corner this season, utilizing the cultural foundation second-year head coach Andy Zidron laid out during his inaugural campaign as the Fighting Scots' mentor.

"I think the biggest thing for us is we've been very intentional about the culture we're trying to develop," explained Zidron. "We've established a blue-collar, hard-working mentality with foundations in family, encouragement, optimism, and positivity."

"The first thing we did this preseason was sit down and review the core values the student-athletes came up with last year," continued Zidron. "We established those as our DNA and how we're going to go through every day. We think if we follow this that the results and success will follow suit."

Wooster could rely heavily on its midfield, especially in the early parts of the season, as that is where a bulk of the veteran experience lies.

"Our midfield group is going to be one of our strengths whether we play a two-midfield or a three-midfield system," said Zidron. "We also have some quality players on the spine. We're not committed to anything yet (in terms of personnel,) and are still piecing the things together that will put us in the best position to succeed."

Seniors Kieffer Hessler, Zachary Mastrich, and Marco Sapien will look to lead the way as the elder statesmen of the midfield. Hessler and Sapien turned in solid bounce-back seasons in 2015, and aim to build on those performances in their final season. Last year, the duo combined for five goals and an assist. Mastrich, one of the captains, has the versatility to play anywhere on the field, and he entered into 17 matches last year, while logging nine starts and an assist.

Those looking to complement the senior trio include rising sophomores Alex Montalbano and Austin Russell. Montalbano, more of a box-to-box transition specialist, showed the versatility to contribute on both ends of the field, while Russell provided a lot of offensive firepower with a team-high five goals to couple with a pair of helpers en route to an all-conference freshman campaign.

Junior Maxwell Clement and sophomore Andrew Klein add additional experience at midfielder, and both logged substantial reserve minutes last year. Wooster could get an added boost from the return of junior John McCall, who was slowed by injuries last year after earning a starting role as a freshman.

At defender, the Scots return all-conference honoree Matthew Kelly, a multidimensional student-athlete, who will serve as the anchor of the backline, and continue to be prominently featured on the offensive end with his heading ability on corner kicks.

"We really want to connect and have a solid back-four, and want that to be one of strengths this upcoming season," added Zidron. "We don't want to give up silly goals, and want to stay disciplined for the entire match, and not switch off. We have some guys in new roles there and guys that have to step up."

Sophomore Ousmane Sy, often one of the first reserves to enter matches last year, could slide into the right-back role, and provides another layer of versatility in terms of where he can contribute on the field. Additionally, junior Bob Beall and sophomore Kevin Beck add depth to the defender unit, and are looking for breakthrough seasons. Both were regular contributors a year ago, and saw stretches as starters, experience they will look to put forth to bigger roles in 2016. Fellow sophomore Austin McEathron gives Zidron plenty of depth among the returnees.

Behind the backline, junior Scot Stacho is back in the fold as the final line of defense in goal. Stacho split time as the starter last year, and turned in a 3-5-0 mark in the cage while sporting in a .725 save percentage. Two freshmen will push Stacho at goalkeeper, while competing for time.

At the other end of the field, Wooster will seek an uptick in production from its forwards.

"We have to score some goals," stated Zidron. "We brought in a pretty talented group of first-year players, who will be complemented by (senior) Aleksi Pelkonen, who's had a phenomenal preseason. He's grown into a leader. He's going to be our experience up there, and will do a good job of leading those guys."

Other returners on the front line include junior Mouhamet Ndiaye, sophomore Adam Richert, and senior Arthur Williams.

In addition to the two freshmen goalkeepers, eight other first-years dot Wooster's roster.

"We are very excited about our first year group," said Zidron. "They are a quality bunch of players, but most importantly great young men. They believe in what we're trying to do and we're confident they will improve our competitiveness and help enhance our culture. The group consists of 10 young men – Manny Burton, Will Collis, Dan Dorman, Benjamin Freije, Connor Hawkins, Paulo Nunes, Brent Pederson, Max Rochester, Addison Wanner, and Will Yakubik – that are going to contribute in a variety of ways."

Wooster opens its season with a 2 p.m. clash with Berry College at the Transylvania Soccer Showcase at Lexington, Ky. on Saturday, Sept. 3. Wooster's first home match takes place against Earlham College on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 2 p.m. at Carl Dale Field.

"We have a lot of great work to do and this group is up for the challenge," summarized Zidron. "Each player brings something special to our soccer family, and we're going to embrace the journey and opportunities that this season presents. We believe that as we continue to face adversity and challenges, we'll love what those challenges produce.  It's going to be a fun year."