Wildcats have plenty of new players
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The NMU men’s soccer team has been selected to finish tied for sixth in the GLIAC ahead of the 2024 campaign, as voted on by the coaches.
With 17 new faces, 12 total returners, and five returning upperclassmen, the Wildcats will look completely different from the team that went 2-10-4 the year prior.
“Preseason rankings are always based on last season’s results, and for us, this is a completely new team,” says head coach Alex Fatovic, who now enters his third season as head coach for the Wildcats. “We’ve got a really diverse incoming class of players, from true freshman and transfers, and athletes from Michigan to Albania and everywhere in between. I think we’re going to be better, we will have more depth at some positions we were weaker at last year, and I think this group is hungry to succeed.”
Though there is a large incoming class of fresh faces, the Wildcats still boast quality in returning players. All-GLIAC Second Team selection Jan Hoffmann returns after leading the team in assists, points, and shots in 2023, reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year Jaziel Sainz de Vilmorin returns after finishing fourth in points on the Wildcat roster, and captain Tommaso Lami is back and healthy after suffering a season-ending injury four games into the 2023 campaign.
“We are getting together and becoming a family,” says Lami, who was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year just two seasons ago. “There’s a lot of new faces, and the feeling is completely different. We can’t waste what we have right now, these new players are giving us more energy and enthusiasm, and that’s something we didn’t have last year.”
Joining Fatovic ahead of the 2024 campaign are three new faces to the coaching staff, those being Chance Vang, Bryce Beckley, and Keegan Schmidt.
Vang takes the reins as assistant coach for the ‘Cats after spending the 2023 season at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS), where the program had an overall record of 10-6-5 with an appearance in the NCAA National Tournament. The Mountain Lions were ranked as high as No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA DII National Polls. Prior to UCCS, Vang served as the Head Coach at Northeastern Junior College where he led the program to a record of 24-7-3 over two years (2021-2023).
Two former NMU student-athletes, Beckley and Schmidt, round out the coaching additions for 2024. Beckley will serve as goalkeeper coach after he took over the Wildcat net halfway through the 2023 campaign, starting in six matches, recording 30 saves, posting two shutouts, and a 1.50 GAA in those matches. A heartbeat for the Wildcats in his time at NMU, Schmidt is the program record holder in career games played, was a driving force on the back end, and was named GLIAC Honorable Mention this past season after recording 1,259 minutes played as a starter in 15 of 16 matches.
Though the regular season doesn’t start until the first week of September, the Wildcats are on the road for three preseason games, starting with Madonna in Petoskey at the end of this week followed by a double-header the following Tuesday. When asked about season preparation, Fatovic said these games will be a good set-up for what’s to come.
“That’s what the first week of preseason is… can we get these guys ready to play in this first match? We had practice on Monday and we’ll be on the bus heading for a match in Petoskey on Friday. We’ve got work to do, but I couldn’t be more excited to be with the group I’m working with.”
