WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- One year after his men's soccer team struggled through a long season that included six losses by a single goal, Whitman College coach Mike Washington hopes that a roster full of returning players translates into more victories this fall.
"This is by far the most returning talent I've had in my time here," Washington says. "This was the first year where it was necessary to ease up a bit on recruiting. We're still a fairly young team with just a few seniors on the roster, but we're much more experienced than we've been in the past."
Slowed by a sluggish offense, the Missionaries managed just three victories and four ties against 12 defeats last season. That record included a 2-10-2 mark in the Northwest Conference.
"Last year was very frustrating," Washington says. "But despite what the record shows, we were very competitive in virtually all of our games. That was our goal the past few years -- to be more competitive in our conference, and we've done that. Now, we want to go a step further and win more games."
Beginning his fifth season, Washington fields a roster that features 17 returning players, including a quartet of All-NWC players. Juniors Niels Larson and Jeff Waggoner made the second team last season, while senior Travis Exstrom and junior Tyler Chisholm earned honorable mention.
Exstrom, Whitman's goalkeeper, led the NWC in saves in each of the past two seasons, earning honorable mention kudos both times.
"Travis is definitely one of the keys to our team," Washington says. "His teammates know that he can shut down any offense. His standards and expectations for himself, and for his team, are very high. He gives all that he has every time he steps onto the field."
Larson, a skilled 6-foot-2 midfielder, led the Missionaries in scoring two seasons ago as a freshman, booting nine goals while earning first-team all-conference recognition. Last fall, with opposing teams focusing much of their defensive energy in his direction, Larson managed just two goals and three assists.
"Other teams marked Niels much tighter last season, and he struggled with it," Washington says. "We think Niels is ready to return to the form he showed as a freshman. We need our midfield in general to be more productive, and Niels is one of the big keys there."
Playing as a forward, Waggoner was Whitman's second-leading scorer last fall with four goals and three assists. This fall, however, Washington is moving Waggoner and senior Nate Hoffman from the front to the back of his line-up. "We think that Jeff and Nate will give us better pace and technical skill at the back."
Waggoner and Hoffman join a defense anchored by Chisholm, who, at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, is one of Whitman's strongest varsity athletes. Junior Pat Flanagan is another returning starter on defense, and sophomore Brian Stater is expected to bounce back from a freshman season cut short by injury.
At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, Will Hallifax was another fixture defensively last season for the Missionaries. This fall, however, Hallifax moves to the midfield to play in a somewhat different system the Missionaries will be using.
Other veterans returning to play in the midfield include senior Charlie Schneider, juniors Vico Rust and Brian Logan, and sophomore Brad Bowen.
"We're still looking at different combinations at the forward spot," Washington says. The possibilities include Rust and sophomores Jon Stebbins and Adam Yadon.
"Scoring was a problem last year," Washington admits. "We need more production, and we have the players returning who can step to the front and contribute. It could be that we'll need to win some games playing ugly. We may have to grind out a few games and play with more intelligence than our opponents."
Unfortunately for the Missionaries, forward Calder Hughes is not returning for his senior season after leading Whitman in scoring last year with eight goals and an assist. Hughes has transferred to New York's Columbia University as part of a cooperative engineering program between the two schools.
Others missing from last year's roster are starters Scott Burns in the midfield and Joss Weissman on defense. Both players graduated last spring after serving as team captains in the fall.
Also missing is senior Ross Good, who suffered serious head and neck injuries during a robbery last month in England. The incident marred a team trip that included several soccer games over a three-week period in Great Britain, Washington's homeland. Good is recovering from his injuries but unable to play soccer this fall.
A forward, Good missed his junior season because of a knee injury. He was Whitman's leading scorer as a freshman. Others on this fall's long list of returning players are seniors Nathan Davis and Matt Butts and sophomores Harris Esarey and Bryce Andrews. Davis is the primary back-up for Exstrom at goalkeeper.
Nick Davis, a junior academically, is playing his first year of varsity soccer. The freshmen class includes Peter Avriett and Cody Fierro, two players poised to make an immediate impact, according to Washington.
Avriett, a midfielder or forward, has a "tremendous work ethic," Washington says. "He works extremely hard without the ball."
Fierro, who might see time at midfield or on defense, is "both quick and strong," Washington says.
Other freshmen include Ryan Porter, a 6-foot, 180-pound defender, and Ludguier Montejo, a native of Guatamala who graduated from Belmont High School in Los Angeles. "Ryan is physically very strong," Washington says. "Ludguier is not very big, but he's very athletic, and I think he'll learn a lot from our two senior goalkeepers."
Also playing as freshmen are Andy Altepeter, Zach Steel and Devon Schwartz.
Whitman opens its season at home with a 7 p.m. game against Montana State-Billings, an NCAA Div. II school. The Missionaries then fly to Colorado College to play games Sept. 7 & 8 against both the host school and Minnesota's Bethel College.
The Missionaries play their first three NWC games on the road, starting with defending champion Whitworth on Sept. 25.