COLUMBUS, Ohio – Capital University men's soccer will be looking to put the pieces together for a consistent 2023 season ahead. In the process, the Comets will be working under an Interim Head Coach in the form of Frank Speth, who was hired earlier this month to guide the team this season after Alan Yost departed the program this summer.
With the new leadership, several key players return to the team and will be looking to complete the puzzle on the field as the team looks to improve their finish in the OAC tournament this season.
RETURNING PIECES
On the offensive side of the field, Capital returns seven of the eight players who scored goals in 2022 in the form of
Jack Kossoudji,
Jack Francisco,
Devon Hess,
Jacob Deever,
Zade Awad,
Mujahid Abdel-Ghani and
Brennan Hesse.
Kossoudji scored a team-high 10 goals out of the midfield, while earning All-OAC first team honors. He was supported heavily by Francisco who netted three goals and dished out eight assists. Hess scored six goals, while Deever scored three times and had four assists enroute to being named the Co-Freshman of the Year for the OAC. Awad, Addel-Ghani and Hesse combined for six more goals.
Defensively, Capital will be aiming to strengthen the backline that leaked in 34 goals last year. The returning core of the backline will consist of
Colton Daugherty and
Samuel Yocum who both started 16 or more games last year. Additionally,
Jarrett Puckett,
Josiah Campbell, and
Alex Moore will return to play strong roles defensively for the Comets.
The midfield grouping will see the returns of
Tony Epstein,
Derrick Harris,
Colin McComb, and
Alex Spiers who will all push for minutes on the field.
The final line of defense will lie with the goalkeepers. Both
Kellen Sargent and
Connor Sexton return to lead the group between the pipes. Sargent started four games while making nine appearances last season, while Sexton started all 12 games he appeared in. The duo combined to make 68 saves.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The schedule for the Comets is no easy stroll through the park as Capital will face stern competition right away with the likes of Transylvania, Roanoke, Case Western Reserve, Franciscan, Wittenberg, Oberlin, DePauw, and No. 24 ranked Ohio Wesleyan.
The non-conference portion of the schedule will certainly test the Comets as they prepare for the difficult conference slate that features three teams that consistently see time around the top-25 rankings – Otterbein, Ohio Northern and John Carroll.
Capital's OAC slate starts with Otterbein on September 30th and continues with Wilmington, No. 13 Ohio Northern, Muskingum, Mount Union, Marietta, JCU, Heidelberg and Baldwin Wallace.
THE COACHING STAFF
As mentioned, Capital will be under the direction of interim head coach Frank Speth in 2023. Speth spent much of his career as the Associate Head Coach at Ohio State, while also serving one season with the Capital coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2016.
Speth will be assisted by Matt Ogden, Mitch Hughes,
Geovanny Salinas and
Austin Bealer. Ogden is also the head women's soccer coach and will be assisting with training sessions throughout the season. Hughes will assist with the program's administration and training, while Salinas will work with the goalkeepers. Bealer returns for his second season as a student assistant, helping the program wherever needed.
