Raiders hope to pick up where they left off in men’s soccer

FAIRBORN — Every motivational ploy Jake Slemker tried last season only seemed to drive his team deeper into its funk.The Wright State men’s soccer coach could do no wrong the previous year, leading the program to new heights with a 13-3-3 record and a Top 25 ranking. But the burden of expectations appeared to be too much for the preseason Horizon League favorites.“We had some big struggles — internally and in the locker room — and were trying to figure out stuff. The guys were frustrated, and we were frustrated,” Slemker said.“Then it all came together and everything started clicking. After that, it was kind of like a fairy tale for a bit. We just went on a spree and were playing pretty good soccer for about three or four weeks. It was pretty awesome.”The Raiders hit their peak at the optimum time and created some memories they’ll savor for a lifetime.Seeded fifth in the league tourney, they swept three games to earn their first championship and then headed to the NCAA tourney as newbies.They stunned Notre Dame, 3-2, and played Michigan to a 0-0 game in the second round, only to fall on penalty kicks, 5-4.The NCAA victory was the first for the league since Oakland beat Kentucky in 2014 and only the second in the last 11 years.“Going to ND and getting that win was a pretty special feeling,” said Slemker, who was in his second year. “It was a special night. For the guys, the staff and the university, it was an unbelievable experience.”It was no fluke, though. The Raiders have won two of the last four regular-season conference crowns after being blanked for their first 22 years in the league.“When we were playing at our best last season, we were very good,” Slemker said. “Against Michigan, that was our sixth road game in three weeks. It was a crazy spell with being in Chicago four days (for the HL tourney). It was insane.“Credit to Michigan. They beat us in PKs. But we were pretty run down in terms in being our top physical selves.”The Raiders are hoping for another crack at top programs in the NCAAs this year — the 2020 fall season was postponed until this month because of COVID-19 — but returning to that stage won’t be easy after so many graduation losses.The team’s top three scorers from 2019 — Deri Corfe (14 goals, eight assists), Stefan Rokvic (nine and five) and Jackson Dietrich (six and seven) — will have to be replaced.Those three were all-conference picks that season. And Slemker also will have to find a new goalkeeper after losing Joel Sundell, who made the 2019 all-tourney team.Junior forward Ids Hannema, who also was an all-tourney pick, will provide some scoring punch after notching seven goals as a sophomore. But senior midfielder Brayden McNitt is the only other returning multiple goal-scorer, having finished with two.Even with a shortage of experience, though, the passion in the program was sustained over a 14-month hiatus without games.“We trained in the fall for a couple weeks. A week before Thanksgiving, we were shut down, and everyone was on their own until (mid-January). To their credit, the guys came back fit. They did what they needed to do to prepare for this season,” Slemker said.“But with 16 new guys on the roster, we have so much to cram in and will need to get some things gelled pretty quickly.”The Raiders, who began their 10-match, conference-only schedule with a 1-0 home loss to UIC on Thursday, picked up some veteran help with transfers Presten Manthey, a junior forward from Santa Clara, and Joe Kouadio, a junior forward from Valparaiso.Others have been in the heat of battle, too.Senior defender Alex Hummel and junior forward Zion Beaton scored goals against Notre Dame.“We always talk about how you build a team down the spine, the middle of the field. Hummel will be a big part of our back four. And we’ll have our entire midfield back,” said Slemker, referring to senior Harvey Slade, McNitt and Hannema.The Raiders have three quality candidates for goal-keeper, but they’re still fighting it out.“We want to see them in live competition — to see how they do with the pressure, how they command the team. It’s anyone’s job at this point,” the coach said.The league tourney dates haven’t been announced yet, but NCAA selections will be made April 18.The event will start April 30 with a reduced field of 36 teams, down from the usual 48.Another twist this season will be handling the cold. Matches normally start in August and end in November.“We’ll just have to deal with it,” Slemker said of the frigid temperatures. “At this point, we’ll take anything we can get.”