August 28

AC Men's Soccer wants to turn heads
By: Ed Patino, Sports Information Assistant

There are plenty of signs that the rebuilding process is over for the Adrian College men’s soccer team.

Changes are plenty as the Bulldogs look to become a contender in the MIAA this season.
From 2001-03, Adrian won a total of three games and was often hurt by low numbers. After making strides the past two seasons, including last year’s 4-15-1, 2-12 MIAA finish, the Bulldogs are excited to kick off this fall.

The Bulldogs welcome new coach Evan Himes to the sidelines this year. Himes was a three-year letterwinner for the Hiram College men’s soccer team, and spent the last two seasons coaching the women’s team at Washington & Jefferson. Under his leadership, the Presidents finished second in the PAC, their highest finish ever, and had 11 All-Conference selections, one regional All-American honorable mention and one CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District selection.

Himes is excited to bring the same success to Adrian College.

“So far it’s been a great experience,” Himes said. “Everyone has been very welcoming to me, and I think the direction around the team, and the college has taken a fantastic turn. I’m glad to be here and I’m looking forward to great things.”

Changes are also taking place off the field, most notably the new $6.5 million performance stadium in which the Bulldogs will play their home games. The stadium features, among others, a synthetic grass playing surface, a new Daktronics scoreboard and seating for 3,000.

“The stadium is top notch and one of the best in the nation,” Himes said. “The guys love the playing surface and are excited for the opportunity to play on it. It also helps in recruiting.”

The Bulldogs will feature a young team, loaded with sophomores and freshmen. However, many of the young returners gained experience last year, while several freshmen come from strong prep soccer programs.

Leading the offense will be sophomore forward Eric Drake (Chesterfield/L’Anse Cruese North). As a freshman, Drake led the Bulldogs with 11 goals and three assists and was named All-MIAA honorable mention.

Joining Drake up front are senior midfielder Tom Maxwell (Oscoda/Oscoda), who sat out last season with an injury, junior forward Dusty Kendall (Adrian/Adrian) and freshman midfield/forward Sean Dillon (Canton/Plymouth).

“Sean is a good striker who can score from anywhere,” Himes said. “Tom has taken a big leadership role and we’ll count on him in the midfield.”

Adrian’s defense is solidified with juniors Steve Popkie (Clinton Twp./Fraser) and Collin Harpst (Blissfield/Emmanual Baptist). Sophomore Justyn Bensett (Chesterfield/Notre Dame) and junior Ryan Bastien (Adrian/Lenawee Christian) could also rotate in on defense.

The freshmen class features several talented players who will compete for playing time. Along with Dillon, Matt Evans (Hilliard, OH/Hilliard Darby) will be counted on in the midfield and provided added leadership. Thomas Kampuller (Tecumseh/Tecumseh) is another first-year forward who could see playing time.

“I don’t believe in the excuse of being a freshman,” Himes said. “It helps to have competition among 31 guys, and the freshmen come from good programs and are hungry. The returners are looking forward to helping out the younger guys.

The Bulldogs will open the regular season Sept. 1-2 at the Tri-State Tournament. Adrian will open its new stadium Sept. 9 against Baldwin-Wallace, then open MIAA play Sept. 20 against Kalamazoo.

“The guys have come together and are excited to get started,” Himes said. “We have to start believing in ourselves and use the last couple of years as a stepping stone. We’re looking to turn some heads and take a big step overall and in the conference.”