MIDWAY, Ky. -- With the new season about to open, the Midway men's soccer team has a lot of new faces looking to impress head coach Tim Wolz. Out of the 44 players on the roster, 18 of them will be playing their first season with the Eagles.
The Eagles will open their season on Friday when they kick off with NCAA Division II foe Kentucky Wesleyan. The home opener at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6 against Union (Ky.) will be the first of 10 home matches for Midway this campaign.
The Eagles are coming off a 2021 season where they recorded a 7-8 record overall and went 3-6 in River States Conference play.
Carter Shelton, Jacob Smith, and Will Sidebottom will serve as the captains this season. Shelton, a senior from Linwood, Ky., is in his fourth year with the program appeared in 12 games last season while making six starts for the Blue and Gold. Smith, a junior hailing from Frankfort, Kentucky is in his third season with the Eagles. Sidebottom, out of Bardstown, Kentucky is only a sophomore but is also extremely familiar with the program as his brother played for the Eagles before graduating last spring.
"Carter and Jacob each know the system really well and have been here a while," said Wolz. "Will is also very familiar with program thanks to his experience last season and his brother's years with the team."
In between the pipes, the top two slots belong to sophomores Tyler Glass and Bryson Lynch. Glass has been named the starter for the season opener and hails from Louisville, Kentucky. Last season he put up 2.23 goals against average in seven appearances. Lynch, a native of Evansville, Indiana will start the season as the reserve goalie but is expected to compete for minutes throughout the year.
On the offensive side of the field, Jacob Pollak and Karl Shand will be looked at to provide the offensive punch. Pollock, a sophomore from Buckner, Kentucky came on strong late last season and recorded a goal in seven appearances while primarily playing on the backline. Shand, a sophomore transfer from Kentucky Wesleyan who comes from the Turks and Caicos Islands, will also be expected to provide some offensive fireworks this season.
Other key newcomers will include Connor O'Brien and Tom Ramsay-Lopez. O'Brien is a 6'4 center back from Sneem, County Kerry, Ireland while Ramsay-Lopez is a midfielder hailing from Coventry, England and both will be expected to be significant contributors to the Eagles this year.
In the annual RSC Pre-Season Coaches Poll, the Eagles were predicted to come in eighth place in the conference. While there are a lot of unknowns, there is also a cause for optimism with the young squad.
"If the guys play hard, play smart, pick up some things and come together as a team we can be better, but we had some key components not return," said Wolz. "This is the most unpredictable season I've ever coached but that makes it fun to coach. Fitness is going to be key for the year and we must stay healthy."
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