The Harper College men’s soccer team experienced a good deal of success in head coach Dan Klaus’ first season. The Hawks finished with an 8-6-2 record and finished above .500 in conference play.
After knocking off #2 seed Triton College in the Region IV Semifinals, the Hawks fell 2-1 in the Region IV Championship to Rock Valley College.
This year’s team is ready and hungry for more in 2015, as they open their season today at 5 PM at College of DuPage. Klaus is eager for his squad to take to the pitch.
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“We’re excited about this season, and I have a year under my belt, the returning players have a year under their belt. Last year there was a bigger learning curve, and we know what to expect now,” Klaus said. “We’re excited and we think we should be a very competitive team along the lines of last year, hopefully even a little better.”
Klaus, who has been coaching high school soccer in the Mid Suburban League since 1995, said the biggest thing he learned in his first year with the Hawks was getting his eye back for what a good 18 to 22-year-old player is on the men’s side. He also said he took note of the subtle, little, meaningful things that happen in a game that are the difference between winning and losing. Last year, the Hawks played six games decided by one goal and also had two ties.
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The Hawks had about 40 players come out for the team this year, and Klaus likes what he sees from the newcomers as well as returners.
Harper returns seven players from last year’s team, including 2014 Second Team All-Conference midfielder Juan Hernandez (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling), midfielder Jaime Quintana (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley), defender Matt Kitsis (Huntley, Ill./Huntley), defender Amir Dajani (Huntley, Ill./Huntley), midfielder/defender Alex Ramirez (Carpentersville, Ill./Dundee-Crown), midfielder Tyler Block (/Conant), and goalkeeper Marco Gomez (Rolling Meadows, Ill. /Rolling Meadows). Midfielders Luis Vargas (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Michael Rodriguez (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) also return to the squad after playing in 2013.
Klaus also likes what he has in the incoming freshman, including a good group from the Mid Suburban League. He also has a solid group from the Fox Valley Conference coming in.
“They’ll push the returning players and support them. Hopefully our returning players can show those newer players what it’s all about and the level of play that they’re going to encounter here,” Klaus said.
New forwards include Niko Mihalopoulos (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley), Raul Alcala (/Schaumburg), Angel Sarti (/Hoffman Estates), Jakub Gonda (/Schaumburg), Fabian Tovar (Palatine, Ill/Palatine), and Demarcus Woods (/Batavia). Klaus’ squad will feature plenty of depth at midfield as well with newcomers Misa Vargas (Austin, Texas/Belton), Victor Sanchez (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Schaumburg), and Colin O’Meara (Palatine, Ill/Palatine). Harper will also have depth defensively with freshmen Kurt Rettke (Hoffman Estates, Ill. /Fremd), Manny Menjivar (/Huntley), Enrique Avellaneda (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows), Fredy Diaz (Wheeling, Ill/Wheeling), and Griffin Wooley (Schaumburg, Ill. /Conant).
Klaus and assistant coach Tom Wang will also have competition at goalkeeper, with Jacob Goldstein (Buffalo Grove, Ill. /Stevenson ), Javier Ocampo (/Wheeling), and Gomez all in the mix.
Schedule
After opening on the road, Harper opens its home schedule on Thursday at 4:30 PM against College of Lake County. The Hawks open North Central Community College Conference (N4C) play at home against Madison College Sept. 2. Harper plays 10 conference games and will also mix in two more nonconference games at Waubonsee Community College (Sept. 19), at home against Aurora University JV (Oct. 6) and at Prairie State College (Oct. 9)
Postseason play starts Oct. 17 with the Region IV Quarterfinals and resumes Oct. 21 with the Region IV Semifinals. The Region IV Championship will be played Oct. 24, with the winner advancing to the District C Championship Oct. 31. If a Region IV team were to win that, they’ll advance to the 2015 NJCAA DIII Men’s Soccer Championship, held 13-16 in Herkimer, N.Y.
Scouting Their Conference Opponents
The conference appears to be strong once again in 2015. In 2014, Joliet Junior College took the conference crown with a 7-2-1 mark and finished 10-6-1 overall. They edged second place Triton, who finished 7-3 in N4C play and 10-7 overall. The Hawks were 5-4-1 in the N4C and 8-6-2 overall, followed by Madison College (6-8-2, 5-4-1 N4C in 2014), Rock Valley College (8-10-2, 4-5-1 N4C in 2014), and Milwaukee Area Technical College (1-14, 0-10 N4C in 2014).
