Season Preview: 2023 Men's Soccer

DURANGO, Colo. – After an unfavorable ending to last season the Fort Lewis College men's soccer team has added a plethora of depth and talent in preparation for its return to a storied Dirks Field for the 2023 campaign. Take a look back at 2022, the latest Skyhawks to join the roster, and players to watch ahead of the season opener against Lubbock Christian University on Thursday, Aug. 31 at home. 

Looking Back

The Skyhawks battled injury and depth en route to a 4-11-2 mark last season including a 3-7 record through Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. FLC fought through a challenging conference schedule that even featured a 3-1 loss at then seventh-ranked Colorado State University Pueblo, who later fell 2-0 to one-seeded Franklin Pierce University in the NCAA Division II national championship. 

Fort Lewis captured all four wins at home across the year, most notably defending the home pitch against Colorado Mesa University who previously held a 3-0-3 record over the Skyhawks on Dirks Field dating back to 2012. The road presented its share of troubles, holding FLC to an 0-6-2 record alongside an 0-2 record at neutral sites. 

Four Skyhawks were recognized for their efforts following the season. Sophomore Gabriel Legendre, Fort Lewis' leading scorer with eight goals and five assists, led the charge with a Second Team All-RMAC nod. Three more captured Honorable Mention All-RMAC including Isaac Garro (four goals, four assists), Loic Jean-Baptiste (six goals, two assists), and Maximillian Meier (three goals). 

The Schedule

Charging into a daunting schedule in 2023, Fort Lewis will once again open its season with contests against talented Lone Star Conference opponents; this time at home on Dirks Field. Head coach David Oberholtzer and the Skyhawks will welcome Lubbock Christian University on Aug. 31, Eastern New Mexico University on Sept. 2, and West Texas A&M University on Sept. 9. The trio combined for an 18-20-15 overall record, the LSC Forward of the Year in Kenny Brown from West Texas, and 11 additional All-LSC honorees. 

Following the home series, Fort Lewis will make its first trip north of the border in program history as the Skyhawks take on Simon Fraser University on the road and Montana State University Billings in a neutral site contest in Burnaby, British Columbia. FLC will take on the Red Leafs on Sept. 14 followed by the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 16. Both matches will be streamed for free on the Red Leafs YouTube channel. 

Once returning to Durango, the Skyhawks have a pair of non-conference matches slated at home against Adams State University on Sept. 22 and on the road at Metropolitan State University of Denver on Sept. 24. RMAC play will begin on the road at Adams State on Sept. 27 followed by Fort Lewis' conference home-opener against Colorado Christian University on Oct. 1. Including all four non-conference matchups, fans can enjoy nine home games at Dirks Field. Additional home contests include the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Oct. 12, United Soccer Coaches preseason No. 2 CSU Pueblo on Oct. 15, USC preseason No. 21 Colorado School of Mines on Oct. 20, and MSU Denver for senior day on Oct. 22. 

On the road, Fort Lewis will take on South Dakota Mines on Oct. 6, Regis University on Oct. 8, Westminster University on Oct. 27, and Colorado Mesa on Oct. 29. All games will be streamed for free on the RMAC Network. 

In addition, the Skyhawks will host a pair of preseason exhibitions against New Mexico United Academy on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 2:00 p.m. MST and Trinidad State Junior College on Sunday, Aug. 20, at 7:00 p.m. MST. No live broadcast or statistics will be provided for either exhibition.

Know the Newcomers

Oberholtzer had a busy offseason signing 17 new student-athletes to expand his roster to 30. Comprising the incoming lineup of new Skyhawks are 10 freshmen, two sophomores, and five juniors. Fort Lewis has added talented depth to this year's roster including an NCAA Division I transfer from Presbyterian College in David Citron, an NJCAA First Team All-American from Mesa Community College in Adnan Elaqad, and five additional talented junior college transfers in Aidan Hartman, Jakob Larson, Thomas Kirkham, Hugo Champalloux, and Andres Monge. 

Check out THIS STORY to learn more about the incoming Skyhawks who previously signed National Letters of Intent and or financial aid agreements to Fort Lewis College previously this year. 

Roster Breakdown by Position

Total Players: 30 | Freshman: 10 | Sophomore: 5 | Junior: 11 | Senior: 4

Defenders: 6 | Midfielders: 11 | Forwards: 8 | Goalkeepers: 5

Defenders

One seasoned sophomore returns to the backline and is joined by an NJCAA All-American, NJCAA First Team All-Region honoree, and a trio of incoming freshmen.

Kaden Schufft (Sophomore, 6-4, Rio Rancho, N.M.)

Adnan Elaqad (Junior, 6-4, Mesa, Ariz. / Mesa Community College)

Jakob Larson (Junior, 6-2, Missoula, Mont. / Yavapai College)
 

Spent three seasons at Yvapai College... started and played in 44 games... First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region as a freshman... guided Yavapai to a Region 1 Championship in 2020 with three goals scored... First Team All-Region and Second Team All-Conference honors in 2022... four-year letterwinner at Sentinel High School... three-time All-State honoree. 

Cole Lobitz (Freshman, 6-1, Albuquerque, N.M.)

Lobitz comes to FLC as a two-time letter winner at Valley High School...played for the New Mexico United Academy team as a junior and senior...maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.

Anton Hjalmarsson (Freshman, Smålandsstenar, Sweden)

Born April 24, 2004...son of Fredrik and Katarina Hjalmarsson...has two siblings, Victor and Maja...intends on majoring in Economics at FLC.

Luke Pope 

Midfielders

Seven Skyhawks veterans return with added strength from an NCAA Division I transfer, and three NJCAA transfers.

Isaac Garro (Junior, 5-7, San Jose, Costa Rica / Monroe College)

Loic Jean-Baptiste (Redshirt Senior, 5-11, Martinique, France)

Michael Wissman (Sophomore, 5-11, Santa Fe, N.M.)

Ciaran Feeney (Senior, 6-3, Westchester, Calif.)

Aymaro Vargas (Senior, 5-10, Denver, Colo. / Regis University)

Quinn Bosanko (Junior, 6-3, Salida, Colo.)

Jakob Maurek (Junior, 6-0, Broomfield, Colo.)

David Citron (Sophomore, 5-8, Toulouse, France / Presbyterian College)

Thomas Kirkham (Junior, 5-8, Kamas, Utah / Utah State University Eastern)

Andres Monge (Junior, 6-0, Albuquerque, N.M. / Trinidad State Junior College)

Hugo Champalloux (Junior, 5-10, Châtellerault, France / Snow College)

Forwards

The Skyhawks leading scorer looks to lead the charge once more with assistance from two FLC veterans and five freshmen in reserves. 

Gabriel Legendre (Junior, 5-7, Rio Rancho, N.M.)

Tomas Duenes (Junior, 5-11, Torreon, Mexico)

Matt Baldridge (Senior, 6-0, Missoula, Mont.)

Jalen Vannice (Freshman, 5-10, Fort Collins, Colo.)

Vannice comes to FLC as a two-year letter winner for Rocky Mountain High School...played for MLS Next as a senior...First Team All-Conference and All-State honoree... led the squad in both goals and assists his junior season...All-Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore...member of the All-State Orchestra team as a sophomore...member of the National Honors Society, Tri-M Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, and a Student Council Representative.

Jeremiah Davis (Freshman, 5-10, Broomfield, Colo.)

Davis comes to FLC as a three-year letterwinner at Jefferson Academy...tabbed with First Team BOCO All-Region...First Team All-Conference...Second Team All-State honors...led his team to a second-place finish at the State Championship his junior season...scored a career-high four goals against Kent Denver.

Emmett Layman (Freshman, 5-11, Clinton, Wash.)

Layman comes to FLC as a two-year letterwinner at South Whidbey High School...First Team All-Conference honoree as a junior and Second Team All-Conference honoree as a sophomore...owns the school record for the most goals in a single season (28)...member of the National Honors Society and Associated Student Body.

Keegan Monnheimer (Freshman, 5-10, Albuquerque, N.M.)

Monnheimer comes to FLC as a four-year letterwinner at Volcano Vista High School...earned 2022 District 1 5A First Team honors...named District 1 5A Player of the Year...District 1 5A Second Team honors as a junior...District 1 5A honorable mention as a sophomore...named the District 1 5A Freshman of the Year...participated in the New Mexico All-Star Game...holds a high school career record of 41-16-5...ranks second all-time in school history in career goals (33)...also participated in basketball.

Teodor Hamilton (Freshman, 5-9, Uppland, Sweden)

Born December 30, 2003...son of Tobias and Anna-Karin Hamilton...enjoys spending time with friends outside of soccer...intends on majoring in Business Administration and Economics at FLC.

Goalkeepers

Fort Lewis bolsters its two returning Skyhawks with an NJCAA transfer and a pair of freshmen.

Evan Kowalski (Sophomore, 5-11, Albuquerque, N.M.)

Ismael Hernandez (Junior, 5-10, Chandler, Ariz.)

Aidan Hartman (Sophomore, 6-2, Broomfield, Colo. / Centre College)

Lucas Martin (Freshman, 6-3, Middlesbrough, England)

Born November 30, 2002...son of Ian and Delia Martin... has two siblings, Liam and Hayley...enjoys going to the gym and spending time with friends outside of soccer...undecided on a major at FLC.

Wesley Smith (Freshman, 6-3, Tulsa, Okla.)

Lettered in soccer at Booker T. Washington High School... earned All-State Honorable Mention... tabbed as a College Board National Indigenous Recognition Program Scholar... earned Outstanding Indian Achievement honors... nabbed a career-high 12 saves in a single game... owned a record that featured three-consecutive shutouts in goal.

RMAC Preseason Rankings and Players to Watch

Fort Lewis closed out last season with its 4-11-2 overall record and 3-7 conference mark to take ninth place in the RMAC standings. In this year's 2023 RMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll, the Skyhawks have been tabbed once more for a ninth-place finish. FLC garnered 31 points, finishing six points behind eighth-place Colorado Christian University (37 points) and above Adams State (22 points) and South Dakota Mines (10 points) in the tenth and eleventh slots. 

After an appearance in the NCAA Division II national championship last season, CSU Pueblo maintains its status quo coming in first place with 97 points: including seven first-place votes. Colorado School of Mines (86 points, two first-place votes) is slated to finish in second followed by UCCS (83 points, one first-place vote) in third, Colorado Mesa (64 points) in fourth, Regis (62 points, one first-place vote) in fifth, Westminster (Utah) (59 points) in sixth, and MSU Denver (54 points) in seventh. 

Junior Gabriel Legendre headlines FLC's group of players to watch this season. The 2022 Second Team All-RMAC honoree led the Skyhawks last season, scoring seven goals on 16 shots on goal while also adding five assists; Legendre also ranked second on the roster in total minutes with 1,373. Additionally, Legendre First Team Academic All-RMAC honoree last season. 

Loic Jean-Baptiste, a 2022 All-RMAC Honorable Mention, looks to continue his momentum into the new year. Jean-Baptiste was second on the Fort Lewis roster with six goals, scoring all six across the final four games of the season. Jean-Baptiste was a sharpshooter for FLC, scoring six goals on just eight shots on goal and fifteen total shots. All told, Jean-Baptiste totaled 1,089 minutes and owned one of the Skyhawks' four game-winning goals. 

Tomas Duenes rounds out Fort Lewis' trio to watch for this season. A native of Torreon, Mexico, Duenes posted just one goal last season but led the Skyhawks with seven assists. Duenes totaled 1,200 minutes while starting in all 17 games for FLC. Tabbed as the RMAC Freshman of the Year alongside a Second Team All-RMAC nod in 2021, Duenes rounds out Fort Lewis' pool of offensive options on the front line.