The Colorado College men's soccer team is looking to build upon last year's success when the 2020-21 season kicks off on Saturday.
 
In 2019, the Tigers won the program's first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season crown, climbed to No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Division III Poll, posted double-digit victories, and earned the programs 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
 
Based upon the team's track record during Scott Palguta's first five seasons as head coach, CC expects to duplicate some of those accomplishments.
 
"I'm thrilled for our team to have the opportunity to compete this spring," Palguta said. "Our seniors are excited to try and build on our 2019 success. We will lean heavily on their experience and will need them at their very best to repeat as SCAC Champions."
 
Colorado College, which was picked third in this year's SCAC's preseason poll, returns eight starters and 18 veterans from the 2019 squad that posted a 14-7-0 overall record and an 8-1 conference mark.
 
While the Tigers are experienced in the defensive third, one challenge facing Palguta, the reigning SCAC Coach of the Year, will be finding a way to replace three of its top four point producers who combined for 23 goals and 18 assists a year ago. The good news is that he has a roster full of players who have the ability to both score and set up others.
 
Leading the way will be a pair of seniors – forward Kiran Singh, who scored seven goals and added four assists during his first season as a Tiger, and midfielder Jackson Silverstein, who set career highs with four goals and four assists.
 
CC also expects to see increased production from a trio of midfielders, seniors Miles Montgomery and Skyler Stark-Ragsdale, along with sophomore Sajjan Singh.
 
Montgomery ranked second on the team with a career high seven assists, while Stark-Ragsdale produced seven goals and four assists during his first two seasons. Sajjan Singh finished second among the first-year Tigers with three goals and a pair of helpers.  
 
Even though there are some questions as to where the scoring will come from, there is no doubt that the Tigers have a defensive group that looks capable of keeping their opponents off the score sheet.
 
Seniors John Schuler and Samson Heyer are two of the team's most effective two-way players and will contribute at both ends of the pitch from their defensive midfield positions.
 
As a junior co-captain, Schuler was one of four Tigers to start all 21 games and led the team with 1,761 minutes. He struck for the game-winning goal in the 3-0 victory over Luther and his second-half penalty kick ignited Colorado College's comeback in the 2-1 victory over Trinity University.
 
Heyer, an all-West Region selection who also started every game, set career highs with three assists and seven points, and matched his personal best of two goals. He set up the only goal during the victories against Southwestern University on Oct. 11 at Stewart Field and at Austin College a week later.
 
Returning to anchor the back line as center backs will be junior Rory-Eastland Fruit, who started every game last season, and sophomore Noah Johnson, who started 17 of the 18 games in which he played.
 
Eastland-Fruit, a second-team all-SCAC selection, started all 21 games and ranked second on the team with 1,625 minutes. He helped anchor the back line that led the conference with a 0.56 goals-against average, eight shutouts and just five goals conceded in conference games.
 
On the outside, senior Matthew Simons and sophomore Kevin Peterson combined for 37 appearances and 17 starts in 2019.
 
Returning in goal is first-team all-SCAC selection Keleher Felton, who was pressed into service when Keller Mochel suffered an injury in the sixth game of the season. Felton posted 8-1-0 record and led the SCAC with a 0.66 goals-against average, a .864 saves percentage, and an average of 0.44 shutouts per game.
 
Colorado College plays host to Colorado Christian University in its season opener on Saturday, Feb. 20.
 
The eight-game conference schedule kicks off a week later when the University of St. Thomas visits Washburn Field, one of three games against opponents picked in the top four of the SCAC's preseason poll.
 
The other two are on March 6 when the CC plays at No. 1 Trinity University, and April 10 when the Tigers visit Texas Lutheran University in a re-match of the 2019 SCAC championship won by the Bulldogs.