LEWISTON, Maine -- Actual game action is actually almost here for the Bates men's soccer team, and anticipation and excitement is high to not only play again, but to win a lot of games, too.

The Bobcats will host Maine Maritime Academy at Russell Street Field on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 3:30pm in their first game since the 2019 season concluded. Their opening opponent is a familiar one. 

Bates last hosted Maine Maritime Academy on a Tuesday night at Garcelon Field, Oct. 15, 2019, riding as high as the team had in years, despite being down some key players to injury, including former captain Peder Bakken. Bates was two days removed from a 1-0 win over Wesleyan, the team's third straight victory and its third straight shutout victory against a NESCAC opponent. The win had propelled the Bobcats to an 8-2-1 record and the No. 4 ranking among New England Division III teams, and the prospect of an appearance in the national rankings seemed within reach.

But the Mariners, an annual non-conference in-state opponent of the Bobcats, entered the game at 8-3-1 and proved to be readier to earn their ninth win than the hosts. Bates outshot MMA 26-9 but fell 2-1. One-goal losses to NESCAC giants Williams and Amherst ensued as Bates finished the season with a 9-6-1 record, its best record in over a decade but one that still felt unsatisfactory to the team.

Nearly two calendar years later, the Bobcats return over a dozen of the key players from the promising 2019 season, even though half of their roster today were in high school at the time. With an expected added fusion of talent from the first-year and sophomore classes of newcomers to the team, the Bobcats are brimming with excitement about the season ahead.

With the coaching leadership of fourth-year head coach Tyler Sheikh and newly arrived assistant coach (and former team captain) Noah Riskind '16, the team's three captains represent one each of the defense, midfield and attack.

Defender James Peter (York, Maine) leads a back line brimming with talent and experience, which may be needed in front of an inexperienced goalkeeping corps. Only junior Ryan Manning (Belchertown, Mass.), who has played in two college games, has varsity playing experience among the keepers, who also include sophomore Luca Antolini (Yarmouth, Maine), first-year Bruce David (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and first-year Matthew Leonard (Davidson, N.C.). But Peter, along with senior Freddy Hohmann (Bonn, Germany), junior Alex Kovacs (Hopkinton, Mass.), junior Max McKersie (Arlington, Mass.), and senior Joost Sheehan (Larchmont, N.Y.) comprise a large part of what might be the team's best overall position group. 

"We've got some huge shoes to fill, losing some important players in the back line over the past couple of years," noted Peter in this week's Bates Bobcast podcast. "But some of the young guys who really have a lot of trust in, and the goalkeepers are coming along great. I think we'll be able to work really well together this season."

The captain from Bates' midfield is Owen Keleher (Corrales, N.M.), who as a first-year played at Knox College in Illinois, Sheikh's former post, but now is Sheikh's established, rock-solid veteran with the Bobcats. Keleher and fellow senior Ciaran Bardong (Manhasset, N.Y.) are Bates' two leading returning scorers: Bardong tallied a team-high 10 points in 2019 and Keleher added seven points. Senior Luke Protti (Amherst, Mass.) and juniors Bobby Dall (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), Charlie Pappas (Harvard, Mass.) and Justin Phillips (Old Saybrook, Conn.) make Bates' midfield another area where playing time will be hard earned.

"We have a lot of depth in the midfield," said Keleher, "from returning seniors who have seen a lot of minutes there, to freshmen who have been on campus for a week. And I think that's really important in the NESCAC where you have so many games and they're so competitive and intense, in such a short period of time. Being able to come off (the field) and have somebody replace you, whatever their background may be and whatever experience they might have, being able to trust them and trust in the fact that they're going to put in a good performance."

Senior captain Alec Szwarcewicz (Newton, Mass.) heads a crew of forwards also featuring a trio of additional proven scoring threats in junior Myles Guerrier (Canton, Mass.), junior Jacob Iwowo (London, England), senior Charlie Cronin (South Portland, Maine), as well as junior Max Elsasser (Bow, N.H.) and four newcomers to watch from the first-year and sophomore classes. 

"It's a really strong group of forwards this year, especially some of the younger guys are extremely talented," said Szwarcewicz. "Obviously with last year being a wash due to COVID, there's a lot less experience in the forward group. So I think kind of some of the impetus is on me to make sure they get up to speed quickly, because those are guys who are going to be extremely impactful for us this year."

Bates will receive its first test Tuesday afternoon against Maine Maritime, before hosting its first NESCAC game on Saturday, Sept. 11 against Hamilton. The Bobcats have reason to hope it will be the start of a very memorable 2021 campaign.

"I think one thing that drew a lot of people to Bates, especially in the recent years since Tyler got here, is the ability for us to make history," said Keleher. "Bates has never made the NCAA tournament. And I think everybody on the team knows that there's an opportunity for us to be the first there, and not just to make the NCAA tournament, but to make a deep run."