Corban’s men’s soccer team, current champions of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, is looking to bolster its squad with the addition of 8 to 10 new players next season.
New Head Soccer Coach Aaron Lewis, named 2013 CCC Coach of the Year for his achievements, made the announcement earlier this year. The team currently only has 26 players on its roster and will lose one senior next season.
Lewis is an alumni of Corban University (then Western Baptist) and was a part of the championship squad that last won the CCC title in 1997.
“A large part of why we are doing what we do [adding players] is because of the large graduating class after next fall,” Lewis said. “We need to replace players.”
The team is coming off an all-time high from this last season, not only because of the CCC conference and tournament championship, but also due to breaking a large majority of previous records. These records include least goals against percentage in the nation and most clean sheets recorded in the university’s history.
With statistics like these, it is no wonder why this Corban team is attracting talent from both near and far.
Coach Lewis made it clear that fans could look forward to seeing international faces among the recruits on the roster for next season.
Sophomore Kellen Luey is one of three captains on the team. He embraces the idea of adding numbers next season.
“It will be good,” he said. “It is a great opportunity for the new guys on the team to work harder.”
On the other hand, concerns are growing from current players who haven’t been seeing much time on the field. One player, freshman Kyle Ellison said the addition of new players may cause him to feel the need to “step up his game,” so to speak.
“I feel as if I’m playing good soccer now, and believe that I will be getting more playing time next season,” Ellison said. “The recruits I’ve seen so far are really good, so the situation at the moment is a little frustrating for me. However, the competition motivates me more to play better soccer.”