Fall sports are about to get started, and while we’re all about football at Building the Dam, that’s not the only game in town. Soccer is going to get started soon, and there’s a lot to be excited about this season. Let’s take a look.

This is going to be a very interesting season for the Men’s Team. Scott Barnes, who had been the head coach for 9 years, was let go midway through the season. In his place, former Beaver Assistant Coach and Philomath native Terry Boss has taken over. Boss helped get the team to the NCAA Tournament during his time with the program, so if anyone can get this team back up to that level, he’s a good candidate.

Departures

Jordan Jones - Forward: Oregon State’s leading goalscorer, with 6 goals in 2017, and 29 in his OSU career. Jones was drafted earlier this year by Los Angeles FC, and ultimately elected to sign with USL team Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.

Timmy Mueller - Forward: Mueller was another big piece of the Beavers’ offense. He had 1 goal and 3 assists in his last season, which was shortened by injury. His career stats are 23 goals and 10 assists. He was drafted by the Portland Timbers earlier this year.

Jalen Markey - Defender: Markey was an All Pac 12 Honorable Mention in his final season, and started every game for the Beavers for the last two seasons.

Gage Rogers - Goalkeeper: Rogers, who started in 7 games this season where he made 25 saves, decided to leave Oregon State and transferred to Cal Baptist.

Returning

Don Tchilao - Forward: Oregon State’s top returning Forward. Tchilao had 4 goals and an assist last year.

Hassani Dotson - Midfielder: An All Pac-12 Honorable Mention, Dotson scored 3 goals in his 16 starts last season.

Erik Diaz - Defender: Diaz moved into a starting role in 2017, starting in 17 games.

Ryan Vincent - Goalkeeper: Vincent split time with Rogers as the starting Goalkeeper last year, and came up with 23 saves.

New Faces

For a thorough breakdown of all the new talent coming to the team, check out Oregon State’s Official Announcement, but here are a few players I’d like to highlight.

James Carvell - Midfielder/Forward: Hails from England, as part of Derby County’s development system. Looks to be great at creating and capitalizing on scoring chances.

Johnny Rodas-Hills - Midfielder/Forward: A local recruit, Rodas-Hills played for the Timbers Academy and PDX FC. Rodas-Hills has been an All-American and Oregon Player of the Year selection.

Nikkye DePoint - Defender: A center back who transferred to Oregon State after spending two years at Villanova. He was a regular starter as a Wildcat and will bring a lot of experience to the team.

Adrian Fernandez - Goalkeeper: Fernandez spent 10 years as part of Real Madrid’s development system before deciding to come to OSU.

The Men’s Soccer team’s first game is August 24th, at home, against Syracuse. The Pac-12 schedule starts on September 29th, with a home game against Washington. You can check out the full schedule here. Be sure to catch a game or two if you’re in town.

Playing in the Pac 12 means you’re going to have to go up against Stanford, who just won their third national championship in a row. Oregon State is not too far behind the rest of the conference though, and if the new players perform well, it should be a very exciting season.