With a new coach, new players, and a new vision, the Linfield men’s soccer team is prepping for a fresh start next season.

For the past five seasons, the team has been led by coach Ian Lefebvre.

Following this past season, a new head coach, Chuck Bechtol was hired.

Bechtol has spent the last four years coaching boys soccer at McMinnville High School, where he led the boys to Pacific Conference titles for the past three seasons.

He has been honored as Pacific Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Bechtol, a Linfield alum, was a four-year soccer letter-winner from 1988 until 1991. He was a first team all-conference midfielder as a senior in 1991 and received All-Conference honorable mention in 1989.

For this new season Bechtol plans to take the team in a new direction. He looks forward to seeing the team improve every day and beginning to build a new program. He hopes to see improvements in all areas of play.

Senior Kyle Brouse has played with the team since transferring to Linfield his sophomore year.

Despite a frustrating season this past year, Brouse has enjoyed playing with Wildcats.

”The highlight for me was being able to travel with the team, as well as, get to meet people from all over,” he said.

Brouse said he’s enjoyed  the close community that Linfield has to offer both on campus and in sports.

“It made each athlete feel a part of one big team in the athletic department and on campus,” Brouse said.

Freshman Emerson North looks forward to returning next season.

Bechtol has already had the chance to work with the team in spring training.

North is impressed so far with Bechtol’s coaching style.

“He’s a really good coach. He knows how to talk to us during practice, and he’s good at talking to us individually,” North said.

Bechtol’s coaching style is different from former coach Lefebvre, but North said the team has already begun to see improvements.

Personally, North hopes to improve with his left foot, and overall play.

He said he’s greatly enjoyed his time with the Wildcats.

“Even though we had a rough season last year, it’s been a great experience so far,” North said.

The team finished with spring training this past Friday. It will be returning to the field for pre-season training in late August.

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Caleb Goad/Staff writer
Caleb Goad can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

After a disappointing season, the men’s soccer team received a new coach this year, Chuck Bechtol, who has been coaching for 17 years at a variety of different levels.

Bechtol said he decided to come to Linfield after feeling that the school had a solid  opportunity for success.

“I like the thought of being part of changing the culture and creating a program that the current players, future players and the alumni can be proud of,” Bechtol said in an email.

Bechtol has spent time coaching club soccer in McMinnville with MYSA as well as in Portland with FC Portland. In addition, he was the head coach of the boy’s soccer team for the past four years and the girl’s head coach for the past two years at McMinnville High School.

Bechtol said he felt that being an alumnus created much interest for him in coming back in hopes of becoming a part of the team and turning things around.

“[I wanted to be a coach because] it was a way for me to give back. Some of the greatest influential people in my life were the coaches I played for,” Bechtol said.

Bechtol said that by becoming a coach, he would be able to become a part of helping to develop people as well as players.

“The game has been very good to me, and I wanted to give back,” Bechtol said.

Bechtol played soccer, basketball and golf in high school, as well as soccer in college.

While here at Linfield, Bechtol has many goals for the future.

“My main goal is to create change,” Bechtol said. “And, to give the players who are currently in the program an opportunity to develop, improve and enjoy their experience here. To get better every day, both as players and people, on and off the field.”

Next season has high hopes for change. With the strength coming behind a new coach, the team will have a good chance of success.

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Samantha Sigler/News editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at linfieldreviewnews@gmail.com.

Sophomore mid-fielder Stephanie Socotch goes at steal the ball from George Fox junior mid-fielderEsther Harder during the game on Oct. 16 at home. Joel Ray/Photo editor

The Linfield women’s soccer team won three games this week, winning 2-0 against Lewis & Clark on Oct. 12, 1-0 against Willamette on Oct. 15 and 2-0 against George Fox on Oct. 16.

The game against Lewis & Clark started out well for Linfield. In less than 15 minutes, junior Anna Sours scored the first goal of the game.

Another goal wasn’t scored until the second half, when Linfield scored once again. This time, the goal was scored by senior Jenna Quiring, with about 20 minutes left in the game. Lewis & Clark attempted to score a couple of goals, but aimed too high and wide. The game ended soon afterward, securing the win for Linfield.

The away game against the Willamette Bearcats started out rough, with multiple fouls committed on both sides. With less than two minutes left in the first half, freshman Zoe Langsdorf attempted a shot at the goal, but the ball went too far to the right. The first half ended with neither team scoring a goal.

The second half played out similarly to the first half, with multiple fouls and no goals scored. Five minutes into the second half, Willamette player Stephanie Skelly got a yellow card.

Toward the bottom of the game, sophomore Marie Johanson attempted a goal, but the ball was saved by Willamette goalie Nicole Price.

The game ended up in overtime. With two minutes left in overtime, junior Christine Tamamoto scored a goal, winning the game for the Wildcats.

“It was the most amazing goal,” said sophomore Emily Fellows.

On Oct. 16, the Wildcats played at home against the George Fox Bruins. Linfield freshman Stephanie Socotch scored her first goal of the season and the first goal 28 minutes into the game. The remainder of the first half was played aggressively, with multiple fouls and attempts at the goal committed by the Wildcats, but no goals.

Both teams fought hard for a win during the second half, Linfield fighting to stay ahead, George Fox fighting to catch up. Senior MacKenzie Doty secured the win for the Wildcats when she scored a goal with less than a minute left in the game.

For the Wildcats, the weekend was all about “getting revenge,” said Fellows. Earlier in the season, the Wildcats lost 3-1 to Willamette and tied 1-1 to George Fox.

“It felt good to get revenge,” said Cole McCool, assistant coach.

Not only did the Wildcats not let either team win, but “we didn’t give away any goals,” said McCool. “Defensively, the entire group is playing really well.” No team has scored a goal on the Wildcats for the past four games.

After the weekend’s games, the Linfield women’s soccer team is ranked number one in the conference.

Next, the Wildcats are up against the University of Puget Sound Loggers on Oct. 22.

“We have to beat them,” said Fellows.

The Wildcats only have three weeks left in their season, playing their final in-season game against Pacific Lutheran on Nov. 5.

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Meghan O’Rourke/Opinion editor
Meghan O’Rourke can be reached at linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com.

This past week, the men’s soccer team played against Willamette University and lost 0-3. With this being the Wildcats eighth loss after playing 10 games (one win and one tie were made as well), the team still isn’t ready to give up hope  yet.

“Everyone has to get on the same page in order for us to be successful,” head coach Ian Lefebvre said.

The Wildcats, although the team as individuals are talented players, aren’t playing as a unit which is beginning to effect their performance on the field.

Along with having difficulties playing together as a team, a contributing factor to the excess amount of losses appears to be the fact that the Wildcats are still a young team.

“[We’re] definitely good enough, and definitely talented enough,” Lefebvre said.

The only thing the Wildcats need to work on now has become “finishing their chances” and making the goals that they intend to make on the field.

At the moment, the biggest problem with the team is building confidence.

“We must have confidence in ourselves and one another in order to unite and start playing up to our potential,” senior Wil Hiles said in an email.

“Obviously something has to change,” Lefebvre said. “[We need to] focus on things that we need to focus on.” With this in mind, the Wildcats plan on fixing the issues this week that they keep continuously running into such as communication and working together as a team as opposed to playing as individuals.

In addition to working on playing together as a unit, a plus for the Wildcats is that injuries are beginning to heal which allows more players to return to the field.

With all of these factors in mind, the Wildcats aren’t giving up and are continuing to push forward in an attempt to win the last few games of the season.

“We remain optimistic about the remainder of the season,” Hiles said. “We have too much pride in ourselves, each other and the program to throw in the towel.”

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Samantha Sigler/Copy editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

The men’s soccer team lost once again against Whitman College with a score of 1-0 Oct. 1, as well as Oct. 2 against Whitworth College by one penalty kick.

“[It’s] unfair that it was decided on a penalty kick,” senior Kyle Brouse said.

This puts the Wildcats at seven losses, one win at the beginning of the season against Northwest Christian University, and one tie against George
Fox University.

“We couldn’t get the rhythm,” Brouse said about their most recent losses. “[We] couldn’t finalize
actual passes.” While the games are intense and close, the Wildcat’s are having a difficult time making and scoring goals.

“[We] need to execute [our] opportunity in front of the net” head coach Ian Lefebvre said. “[We’re] getting better at communicating with each other, now its goals [we need to focus on].”

As injuries continue to heal and players recover, communication is getting better, which aids the Wildcats in their game. While communication is getting better with the team, the Wildcats find that now they simply need to work on finishing their chances and making the goals they need in order to win.

“[We] haven’t been able to finish, it’s been like that all season,” freshman Eric Gutierrez said.

In addition to working on finishing their chances, the Wildcats also feel as though they need to work on not letting the referees calls get to them.

“We do get frustrated,” Brouse said. “[We] get too caught up in emotions, [and] let the ref’s get to us too much.”

As for the last few games, the Wildcats feel as though they’ve “been unlucky [these] last couple weeks,” Lefebvre said. They’ve Been making “simple mistakes,” as Gutierrez said.

However, the Wildcats aren’t letting these past few weeks stop them, and plan on continuing hard work at practice
to show it on the field.

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Samantha Sigle/Copy editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Junior forward Xavior Reed battles for the ball in the game against Pacific on Sunday Sept. 25 at home. Victor Zhu/ Staff photographer

With the men’s soccer team winning its first game of the season, the Wildcats felt that their winning streak would continue throughout the season and lead them to also winning first in their conference. However, the Wildcats soon faced a few setbacks with four losses following that win. They did not let that get their spirits down though, and tied their game against George Fox on Sept. 24.

“We really needed the win,” sophomore forward and midfield Michael Swain said. “But we got a point for the tie and all we can do is build from that.”

On the Sept. 24 game the Wildcats were able to make many shots and now simply need to “put them in the back of the net,” Swain said. “We played well, we communicated, played our game and passed around George Fox.”

The Wildcats are also working harder than ever throughout practices in hopes that it will soon begin to show on the soccer field as well.

“We can’t seem to transfer the energy from our training sessions to the game field,” freshman goalkeeper Grant Loriaux said.

Injuries on the team are also starting to heal with only about three players out, the Wildcats hope that now they will all be able to stay healthy to prevent further injuries from occurring and creating more set backs.

Committed fans such as junior Dan Harmon and senior Evan Wingren haven’t lost faith in the Wildcats, and continue to support the team at every game. “[The team will] finish the season a lot stronger than [they] started,” Harmon said.

Giving the team their “unconditional support,” the fans continue to believe that the Wildcats will soon turn things around. “They’re out here working hard and we’re out here supporting them,” Wingren said.

In addition to the Sept. 24 game, the Wildcats also had a home game on Sept. 25 against Pacific. Both teams got off to a slow start, not scoring any goals in the first half despite freshman Ivan Collin’s shot on goal. Pacific’s first goal was made 60 minutes into the game, by Patrick Murray who shot around the Wildcat defense. During the final 10 minutes junior Danny Snelgrow shot on goal because of a foul kick, where senior Zach Farrington headed it into the goal above Pacific’s goalkeeper.  The Wildcats went into overtime where Murray scored for Pacific, and in a close game lost 2-1.

“We’re not finishing our chances,” head coach Ian Lefebvre said. The Wildcats came close numerous times to the goal, however, when it came time to make the goal, the ball often missed the back of the net. During the game, Linfield had 13 shots on goal, over Pacific’s 10.

With communication and energy improving on the field, the Wildcats aren’t giving up any time soon.

“[We’re going to] plug away one game at a time,” Lefebvre said. “Focus on the day, [and] get better everyday.”

The team’s conference record consist of no wins,one tie and three losses.

The Wildcats play again   Oct. 1 against Whitman College. Then they go against Whitworth College Oct. 2. Kickoff for both games will be at 2:30 p.m.

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Samantha Sigler/Copy editor
Samantha Sigler can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.

Hello ’Cats, old and new! We’re back for another fun-filled year of rain, schoolwork and sports and yours truly will be here writing away as always. The semester may be young, but things have already started sizzling on and off the field. So don’t blink folks, or you’ll miss something cool!

On that note, something took place on Sept. 1 during the men’s soccer team’s season-opening game against Northwest Christian that moved my heart and showed me just how strong Linfield’s love for its athletics can be. Throughout last year, I wrote often of this love and that although it beats in the hearts of many of us Wildcats, I had yet to see Linfield fans take this fanaticism to the next level.

I longed to see the day when fans would stand and scream their heads off for every play and every gained yard, assist dished or point scored on the
playing field. I yearned to see fans getting up and letting the referee hear it when calls didn’t go our way and jeering the opposition until they feared setting foot on our hallowed grounds. This new level of fandom has finally been achieved, and we who have reached it, go by the name of ‘Hooligan.’

Let me back up a bit. For the past two summers, I’ve worked on campus for facilities painting dorms and external properties. Both years, I’ve worked alongside a senior soccer fanatic named Dan Harmon. When I say fanatic, I mean it. The guy breathes soccer. He loves everything from Major League Soccer in America to the English Premiere
League to Linfield College.

He had dabbled the year prior in bringing soccer enthusiasts together to support both the men’s and women’s soccer programs and mercilessly heckle the visiting team with non-profane chants. You have to keep it classy, Harmon emphasized. Unfortunately, he was met with little success and it mostly amounted to only him and four of his friends taunting the opposition.

During the summer, Harmon sent out a mass email to dozens of people around campus who he suspected might be interested in helping take things up a few notches. That’s how he met senior Evan Wingren, a newfound soccer nut who latched onto the sport when the Portland Timbers made the jump to the major leagues. According to Harmon, Wingren took the concept and ran with it, whipping up a full page of Linfield-specific soccer chants, some original and some based on existing English Premiere League or Portland Timbers. Both seniors continued to spread the word around campus and convinced head coach Ian Lefebvre to part with 20 throwback soccer jerseys for the first game of the season. If he could fill every one of those jerseys, Harmon was told, Coach Lefebvre would consider selling them to the fans for cheap.

Needless to say, I was excited beyond belief at the concept Harmon was pitching. He didn’t want to expand Linfield soccer’s fan base, he wanted to create a Linfield soccer culture. Not only that, but he wasn’t restricting the group’s influence to just the men’s side of things, as so many fan groups are prone to do. Soccer is soccer, he says, and he wanted people to get crazy for both the men and women. It was exactly what I had been writing about week after week, and I told him I would make as many games as I possibly could.

The Linfield Hooligans arrived in full force for the game against Northwest Christian, marching to the field through HP Park while chanting and banging on empty 5-gallon paint buckets. People were coming out of their apartments and standing on the balcony to see what was happening. As for filling those jerseys, we had so many among us that we had to rotate who got to wear them so everybody got a turn. As soon as the match got underway we chanted, hollered, heckled and generally raised hell without a word of profanity or vulgarity with Harmon and Wingren at the helm directing chants and
keeping the energy level high.

The other fans in the stands kept looking at us in disbelief, as though they couldn’t fathom that a small school like Linfield could muster that amount of ferocity. The team walked away that day with a 1-0 win, and I’m told the talk in the locker room among the players was how much harder they could play with a rabid section of fans. I hadn’t felt so excited after a live sporting event in months, maybe years, and couldn’t stop smiling the rest of the night. Wingren now has scarves in the works bearing the words of our favorite chant: “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat.”

Folks, if you love soccer or you just love to get loud for Linfield, the Hooligans have a place for you. The women next play at home on Sept. 14 against Lewis & Clark University and the men don’t return until Sept. 24 against George Fox. No
matter which game you go to, you’ve got plenty of time to get your purple and red prepared and your chants fine-tuned. I gotta tell you, it’s a heck of a lot of fun, and I’m proud to be called a Hooligan.

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Chris Forrer/Sports columnist
Chris Forrer can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com.