The UNC Wilmington men’s soccer team is looking to build off the success and struggles they faced last season.

In 2013, the Seahawks grabbed some impressive wins on the road against Ohio State, Duke, and North Carolina, all while surrendering some tough losses and ties at home.     

The Seahawks still found consistent success within the conference, as they finished a 4-2-1 conference record on their way to a third-place CAA finish.

This season the Seahawks will have to navigate another grueling schedule that features nonconference games against Ohio State, South Carolina, Old Dominion, Duke, and North Carolina. 

While these matchups give his team a chance to improve their NCAA tournament resume, Coach Aidan Heaney is keeping his focus set on the conference schedule.

“The conference is the key part of the schedule for us,” Heaney said. “We’ve got to perform in those games and be consistent in those games.  But we’ll be well battle tested by the time we start the conference slate of games.”

The Seahawks will have plenty of veterans on the squad this season as they return 10 starters from last season.  Highlighting this group are preseason All-CAA players Colin Bonner, David Sizemore, and Jacob VanCompernolle. 

The team has begun to gain a buzz around the rest of the league, as well, having been predicted to finish fifth in the CAA by fellow conference coaches.

“Ultimately, we’ve got a lot of seniors on the team and some underclassmen who have played a lot of minutes,” Heaney said. “That’s got to stand for something during a critical moment in a game, having the experience of being in those situations before.” 

Coach Heaney also brought in four talented freshmen this season to expand the team’s depth. 

Midfielder Kalvin Kromer and defender Brayden Smith saw significant minutes in the preseason. Goalkeeper Ryan Cretens also gained some valuable experience and should be able to step in and play if his name is called.

The Seahawks will rely on their veterans to take the team another step forward after narrowly missing the NCAA tournament last season, having lost to William & Mary in the conference semifinals 6-3.

This season they’ll be looking to take the next step and win their first CAA championship since 2009.

“My expectation this season is to hopefully win a championship,” Heaney said. “A lot of things have to fall in to place, but we were close last year.  We want to take a step further and have a ring on our finger at the end of the season. 

“That’s the goal.”