LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates men's soccer interim head coach Noah Riskind '16 made his mark as a player on the defensive side of the field. If all goes well for the Bobcats, this year's team will reflect their coach's mindset and make their way up the standings of the fiercely competitive NESCAC. Bates opens its 2022 season Tuesday night with a 7:30pm match at Maine Maritime Academy.

"Our primary objective this year is to concede fewer goals," Riskind said. "We think we have the players to create enough chances to win games, and so the key is going to be being defensively compact and organized, and if we can do that, we're really confident about our chances."

Considering the strong emphasis on defense, it's little wonder that four of the five Bates captains have been stalwarts on that side of the pitch during their careers. Senior captain Alex Kovacs (Hopkinton, Mass.) has anchored the back line since he was a first-year. He's played more than 2,300 minutes of soccer for Bates and is joined by fellow senior captain Max McKersie (Arlington, Mass.), who chipped in a bit offensively as well last year with a pair of assists. He too has been a consistent presence on defense since his rookie season. Senior captain Jacob Iwowo (London, England) is an aggressive defensive midfielder and the tallest player on the team at six-feet, six-inches. Junior Seba Niehenke (Morristown, N.J.) rounds out the group of captains on defense. Niehenke played a lot as a rookie in 2021 and will handle the right back position this season.

Among the goalkeepers, sophomore Bruce David (Pittsburgh, Pa.) has the most experience, having burst onto the scene last year at Bowdoin, making eight saves in a 1-0 win for the Bobcats. Riskind also singled out first-year Nico Hessel (Brattleboro, Vt.) as a talented keeper who should compete for playing time right away. 

"We have all these different leaders throughout the back line, who are really effective communicators," Riskind said. "That's going to be really key to maintaining our shape and maintaining our defensive organization." 

Offensively, the Bobcats are led by senior captain Alec Szwarcewicz (Newton, Mass.), who finished second on the team in points last year with 11, scoring five goals and dishing out one assist. 

"Alec is a special player and we're going to rely on Alec to create chances, but also to pull the strings and kind of direct the other attackers, who are mostly younger guys," Riskind said. "But some of our younger attackers are some of the most cerebral footballers that we have, and those kids have an understanding of spacing and timing that is really hard to teach." 

Sophomore Tife Agunloye (Monroe, Conn.), sophomore Rawson Welch (Denver, Colo.), first-year Tomas Alberola (Denver, Colo.), and first-year Cesar Hoover (San Diego, Calif.) headline a young group of attackers who Riskind says fans should keep an eye on in 2022. 

Team chemistry is very important in soccer and Riskind has been working hard to develop it within his squad of 32 footballers. 

"The biggest focus this year has been the team environment, and the vibes around the team," Riskind said. "We went to the Bates-Morse Mountain conservation area, which is a really, special, beautiful place. And the boys had a great time being together off the field and enjoying some of the beauty of Maine." 

For Bates, the talent is there to move up in the standings. In 2019, Bates went 5-4-1 in NESCAC play, matching the most conference wins in one season in program history. After the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season, the Bobcats slipped to three NESCAC wins last year. But the seniors remember what's possible and Riskind points out that it's important to focus on how the team reacts to losses.

"I'm excited to see our response when things don't go our way, which is going to happen," Riskind said. "We're a really talented, capable team, and the attitudes are really good at the moment. So I think that's going to lead to us having a lot of positive results, but it's inevitable that we're going to face adversity. So, I really want to see what the response is when we face those challenges."