COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2022 Capital University men's soccer team will be without a few key pieces lost to graduation a year ago, but at the same time, will be adding numerous incoming players all keen to make a mark on the team and help push them deeper into the playoffs this season. 

Head coach Alan Yost, who returns for his 11th season at the helm of the program, will be joined on the sidelines by 2021 Academic All-American and three-time All-OAC selection Mitchell Hughes. Hughes – a two-time team captain – will look to use his leadership amongst the team to help steer the ship in the right direction. 

PRESS REWIND ON 2021 
The 2021 season was seen with many ups and downs for the Comets as the team started the season brightly, going 4-0 to start the year. In that span, Capital outscored their opponents 14-1 and earned themselves a No. 7 national ranking. 

Despite the hot start to the season, a loss to Denison, Case Western Reserve and Ohio Wesleyan in three of the next four contests settled the early momentum. Capital then got through OAC play with a 4-4-1 record and earned the sixth seed in the OAC Tournament.

In the tournament, Capital traveled to Wilmington and pulled off an incredible second-half comeback to defeat the Quakers 4-3. Jack Francisco netted a hat-trick and Jarrett Puckett scored a Goal of the Year candidate to lead to the special result for CU. Advancing to the semifinals, Capital got out to an early start against the top-seeded Blue Streaks with another goal from Francisco, but ultimately fell to John Carroll 4-1, ending the season 10-8-1. 

WELCOME BACK
Despite Capital losing several key contributors to graduation, the team is poised to welcome back numerous players who had a huge impact on the team a year ago. 

Offensively, the team welcomes back five of their top-seven scorers from 2021. Leading the lines will be junior Jack Francisco who led the team with nine goals and three assists during his sophomore campaign. Four of his goals came when needed in the OAC Tournament, but the Columbus native will be looking for just a bit more consistency in finding the back of the net leading up to the postseason. Fellow junior Jack Kossoudji, who finished with six goals last season, is also returning this season. Kossoudji only played in 14 games as a sophomore as he battled a late-season injury, so a fully healthy year will only call for more production from him. Others returning this year are Veron Fongeh, Devon Hess, and Jarrett Puckett – all of whom scored three goals and had one assist in 2021. 

Defensively, Capital has Puckett and Colton Daugherty to lead on as returners to the back line. Puckett started 18 of 19 games at outside back, while Daugherty started 17 games as a center back. Those looking to join Puckett and Daugherty will be Alex Moore, Jared Wright, and Justin Luke, among others.  

Capital is also welcoming back all four goalkeepers on their roster in 2022, all of whom spent time between the pipes in 2021. Connor Sexton spent the most time in goal, starting six of the nine games he played. He led the team with 26 saves and a 4-1-1 record. Landon Hoehn made six starts in eight appearances while stopping 14 shots. Brady Frydl started all four of the games he started, making 20 saves for a 3-1 record. Kellen Sargent started three of the eight games he appeared in, making nine stops. 

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
Capital will again be tested during the non-conference schedule in 2022. Things will get started with a back-to-back at home on September 2nd and 3rd. The team will kickoff with Loras on Friday, before turning around to play Case Western Reserve on Saturday. After the strong opening weekend, Capital will play Washington & Jefferson, Denison, Wittenberg, Oberlin, Hanover and Ohio Wesleyan in order to round out their tune-up before OAC play starts. 

In the conference, Capital will host Otterbein, Muskingum, Marietta, and John Carroll, while traveling to Wilmington, Ohio Northern, Mount Union, Heidelberg, and Baldwin Wallace.  

In all, the schedule will be difficult for Capital this season, as the Comets will spar with six opponents who qualified for the 2021 NCAA Tournament – Loras, Denison, Hanover, Ohio Wesleyan, John Carroll, and Otterbein.