Men’s Soccer has had a fantastic start to their season. They were 5-0-1 before they started conference play, with many high-scoring games. The team started the season off strong with a 8-0 win against Medgar Evers College, followed by 7-0 win against Penn State Berks. The Bears picked up wins against Eastern University, Wilkes University, Penn State Brandywine, and Immaculata University. They tied 1-1 with Rosemont College. The Bears will face three ranked teams, #6 Dickinson College, #13 Swarthmore College, and #23 Franklin & Marshall College in conference play.
Forward Luke Luehrs ‘25 has been a key player in the success of the Bears. He has had 13 shots with four goals and one assist so far. When asked about the key components to the team’s success, Luehrs stated, “The key component to our team’s success is how close knit we are as a group. Our chemistry on and off the field is going to be a driving force for the rest of the year and we cannot wait to see what this year brings us.” Midfielder Julian Faust ‘26 pointed out the benefits of off-season conditioning, “A lot of our team’s success goes back to our training this past spring. We focused on possessing the ball at every practice and it’s something you can see in our game more now than the past couple of years.” Midfielder/ forward Enver Desic ‘26 added, “…[We] were much fitter than we were the previous seasons and we have a stronger team spirit and mentality with our new coach.” Desic commented on the addition of a new head coach: “This year our coach emphasized our fitness and that we were going to play in a more aggressive attacking style….I also think that the coach has [given] gave players more freedom to be creative and make their own decision which has helped us played more relaxed and retain the ball better as a team.”
The Bears welcomed new head coach Colin Klingman who was a 2020 Ursinus graduate. Previously, Klingman helped train goalkeepers and aided with recruitment at Binghamton University. He was also a graduate assistant at Catholic University. As a Bear, Klingman was a member of the men’s soccer team from 2016 to 2019 and was a captain for three of those years. Klingman also served as a youth coach for the D.C. area and Montgomery Country.
With a coaching change, the team has put a strong emphasis on a teamfirst mentality in order to be successful. Luehrs commented, “Our team’s belief is that we have the right pieces to have a successful season. All of us bring a little something different to the team that we are going to need throughout our conference schedule.” Desic added, “As we engage in conference, we are really optimistic about going into a game to win it no matter the opponent because we are confident in our game and are improving rapidly as the season continues. We are very hungry for success and are looking to do really well in conference which we have not been able to do in the past years.” The Bears are hungry for a conference run and putting in the hard work. Faust describes how players are playing for each other and the good of the group: “We hope to keep the energy high for the rest of the season. There have been injuries and guys stepping up. Everyone gets tired as the season moves along, so we’re looking to stay mentally strong.”
The Bears are striving to be the best they can. “Our team hopes to work on making this our best season yet, which has many connotations. One is being successful in the conference; and another is being successful in [the] classroom. And while there are many ways to measure success in a season, we want to shoot for making the Centennial Conference Playoffs!” stated Luehrs. As the Bears continue their season with success, they are reminded of the men who wore the uniform before them and hope to honor those who wore the uniform before them. Their success is driven by the desire to win for the program and each other. Luehrs said, “We are always striving to make this program better than how we found it.”