OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 31, 2016) – Now five years removed from Oklahoma Christian's final NAIA men's soccer season, coach David Scott can see the fruits of his recruiting labors when he looks at the Eagles' roster for 2016.

As OC made the move into NCAA Division II, he began bringing in recruits who could play the more physical style of soccer that is featured at that level. Now he's got a roster full of them, and as an added benefit, his team is balanced between experienced veterans and newcomers, something that hasn't always been the case.

When OC takes the field for its season opener on Thursday at Oklahoma Baptist, the Eagles will be more experienced than in most of Scott's 11 years at the helm, as only juniors and seniors will be in the starting lineup. The Eagles also will have the depth they craved at times last season, when they battled injuries throughout and were down to only 13 available field players by the end of the campaign.

Amazingly, OC still finished 8-9-1 overall (2-5-1 in Heartland Conference play) and climbed as high as No. 6 in the South Central Region rankings before the injury bug proved to be too much to overcome. Knowing what the Eagles accomplished while dealing with adversity, Scott is excited to see what they can do with a fuller and healthier roster in 2016.

"Last year, we were very hard to break down and we outworked a lot of teams that we played," Scott said. "That's what gave us success. The injuries caught up to us at the end. You look at our record and don't feel great about it, but when you consider what we went through and the way the guys stuck together … there were a lot of positives."

Eight seniors – including three of the fifth-year variety – and eight juniors will give Scott the ability to rely on experience while simultaneously developing what he believes to be a talented group of newcomers. That's a lot better than the other option, which is throwing young players into the fire immediately and hoping good things happen, he said.

"This is something we haven't ever had," Scott said. "We have a big senior class and we have a big freshman class. We've never had both at the same time, to where when that freshman class came in, they didn't have to be heavily relied upon. This year, we have that group of experienced guys that can help bring those younger ones along … and set the example."

The Eagles' defense was stout last season, as OC allowed only 25 goals, the third-lowest total in the Heartland. The good news for OC is that most of the players responsible for those numbers are back, starting with senior goalkeeper Evan Helker. Helker led the league with 108 saves and his .812 save percentage ranked third-best. He also posted seven shutouts, the Heartland's second-highest total.

A trio of goalkeepers behind Helker means there's plenty of depth. Sophomore Gary Goldsboro Jr. shined last season when suddenly pressed into action and earned a win against Sterling (Kan.). Spencer Sunday is in his second year in the program and Lowell Castolenia, a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma Wesleyan, has solid credentials from his prep days.

Fifth-year senior Cody Cook not only anchors a stellar defensive back line, he's also the team's best at delivering free kicks and corner kicks and can take over a game offensively. Another senior, Sergio Flores, made the All-Oklahoma Sports.net Division II honor team last year, while junior Clay Collier consistently clears away dangerous balls sent into the penalty box. Junior Tyler Buchanan, a transfer from Mid-America Christian, will fill the other starting spot on the back line.

A pair of juniors, Braydan Castrop (who scored two goals last season) and juco transfer Ignacio Barboza, give the Eagles experienced depth at defender, and Scott said plenty of freshmen – including Matthew Tedford, Landon Pope, Jackson Bojanowski, Alex Faught and Gary Stice – also could work their way into playing time.

There's also lots of experience in the midfield, with junior Cody McLemore, senior Troy Tippeconnic, senior Cesar Zepeda, senior Ante Susic (a two-time All-Heartland selection), fifth-year senior Taylor Vanderford, junior Nijee Cooper and junior Seth Brown. All of those players scored at least one goal for the Eagles last season, with Susic leading the way with six. Sophomore Stephen Tower also has considerable experience and can contribute offensively.

Scott said the freshmen midfielders on the squad, such as Anthony Wittenberg, Jake McKinnon, Chandler Parrish, Trey Gause and Jeremy Martinez, have shown flashes of positive play during the preseason and could also earn playing time, given the right situation.

At forward, OC's offense should be bolstered by the return of two players who missed all or most of last season due to injury. Junior Anthony Buchanan scored a goal in each of OC's first three games before suffering a season-ending broken leg, while fifth-year senior Cole Rinke is back after recovering from knee surgery and is rounding into form.

At different times, look for Tippeconnic, Susic and occasionally others could push up from the midfield into more of a forward position, giving the Eagles even more versatility.

That versatility could be key as the Eagles deal with a schedule made more challenging by changes within the Heartland Conference for this season. The league has added four affiliate members in Midwestern State (Texas), Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M and Texas-Permian Basin, and moved to a divisional scheduling system.

OC is grouped with Midwestern State – which spent time last season ranked No. 1 in Division II – along with Newman (Kan.) and Rogers State, which finished second and third, respectively, last season in league play. The Eagles will play those three teams twice each, and the other six Heartland squads once each.

Six teams will qualify for the postseason tournament, and Scott thinks he's got a squad that can get there.

"There are no easy divisions," he said. "I don't know that there's any game in our conference that is easy, no matter who you play. We've been able to be competitive. Now it's just getting over that hump and not just competing, but consistently getting results against those teams.

"It's not going to be a beautiful thing every time. You get a win however you can get a win. I think now, some of the guys who are a little older and experienced understand that and believe it."