IRVINE, Calif. – The goal for the Concordia University Irvine men's soccer squad is to qualify for the PacWest Conference Tournament for the first time in the NCAA DII Era.

And the head coaches across the league believe that's a real possibility.

CUI was voted to finish fourth in the PacWest Conference Coaches Preseason Poll and also received one first-place vote. The coaches project Point Loma as the preseason favorite, followed by Vanguard, Hawaii Hilo, Concordia and Westmont rounding out the top half of the league.

Concordia garnered three All-PacWest selections from last season's squad but graduated all three (Miguel Arroyo, Ryan Smith and Domenyk Jara) as well as CUI Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Kevin Sanchez.

NET GAINS
There are a ton of talented footballers back on the pitch this season, including starting goalkeeper Sebastian Marin and redshirt freshman Rowan Johnson between the posts.

Head coach Joshua Glover and his staff also landed goalkeeper Leo Ripert from Olympique Lyonnais Academy in France. The freshman is a sturdy 6'2" that can use his wingspan to fend off tricky shots.

BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL

Among the returning upperclassmen are forward Dylan Graham and Andy Jun, who have proven they can score at any moment. Midfielders Marcus Ozmai and Angel Reyes are both JSerra High School products and reunited teammates vying for more playing time after carving out roles in 2025.

Also keen on joining the attack are forwards Bryan Maldonado and George Peterson and midfielder Gianluca Guimaraes, who provided key momentum swings last season, as did SAAC representative Jordan Toy, who hails from New Zealand. In addition, the squad is excited to have Isaiah Gutierrez and Anthony Ocampo back for another season after they missed time last fall.

Defenders Jonathan Moreno and Hugo Viramontes also excel at providing support from the back line as seniors along with Aldo Ramirez, who will be entering his second go-round at CUI.

NEW BLOOD

New Golden Eagles who have transferred in include midfielders Gus Roetcisoender (Saddleback College) and late addition Alexis Gomez (Mt. Sac). Two more key defenders enter the fold with Portugal native Joao Freitas, who played at D1 Stetson University down in Florida, and junior David Garcia, who comes to CUI from the Mt. Sac program. They are joined by defenders Drew Zevallos (Long Beach City College) and Nathan McKenzie (Everett CC).

KEEPING IT FRESH

Daniel Parker (Sunderland Academy) and Aaron Nour (Reading FC Academy) both hail from England and bring a different background to the table to amplify Concordia's cohesion.

Grayson Elisaldez (Coronado HS) and Jonas Pearson (Brea Olinda HS) bring high motors to the table as freshmen and will look to canvas the pitch for passing opportunities to setup teammates.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's soccer roster

THE SLATE AHEAD

Concordia's schedule includes some intriguing matches to open the campaign. The Green and Gold play their first two games on home turf against a pair of CCAA schools. The home opener is Thursday, Aug. 27 against Cal State Los Angeles and the second match of the year is two days later on Saturday, Aug. 29 against Cal State San Marcos. Both games start at 6:30 p.m. PT.

CUI's conference opener is against Hawai'i Hilo in a PacWest clash on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. That contest follows the women's soccer match at 3:30 between those two schools and is the first soccer doubleheader of the fall in Irvine.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's soccer schedule

CLICK HERE for the full PacWest men's soccer preview