OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 2, 2021) – As far as Mitchell Sowerby is concerned, why wait?

When the 27-year-old was hired as Oklahoma Christian's men's soccer coach in late May, he immediately said he thought the program already was in a place from which results could be produced as quickly as this season, if the players would buy into his system.

A little more than three months later – as OC prepares for its season opener on Saturday at home against Texas-Tyler – Sowerby is emphatic when discussing the direction the Eagles are headed. Never mind that the Lone Star Conference preseason poll had OC in last place – Sowerby thinks the Eagles not only will be much more competitive than their peers expect, but that a berth in the conference tournament is attainable "at a minimum."

"I'm confident about this team," Sowerby said. "If we can stay healthy and avoid the COVID, I think we can make a lot of noise."

OC is only Sowerby's second head-coaching job, but his results from his previous stop across town at Mid-America Christian offer promise, as he rolled up 35 wins in his two seasons with the Evangels, with a National Christian College Athletic Association national title in 2019 and a Sooner Athletic Conference title in the 2020-21 campaign.

Sowerby said the Eagles' results during preseason scrimmages this year mirror those from his first season at MACU, which would seem to be a positive thing.

"It's been short and intense in terms of coming in and getting started and hitting the ground running," Sowerby said. "We were fortunate that we had a long preseason together, so we've been able to get into a lot of detail and slowly work on the fitness levels without forcing too much on the team, so I think we're in a really good spot."

A strong team usually is anchored by a strong goalkeeper, and Sowerby believes the Eagles have a group of four that will be as good as any in the LSC. Senior Anthony Trabichet (49 saves in seven appearances during the spring 2021 season) is a proven commodity, a two-time all-conference selection who has provided numerous highlight-reel saves for the Eagles during his time with the program.

Redshirt freshman Dalton Tunstall transferred from NCAA Division I Western Illinois and saw time in goal during the preseason as did true freshman Jacob Cope. Another transfer, junior Fynn Koerner, also is in the mix for the Eagles.

Sowerby expects everyone on the field – including forwards – to contribute to the overall defensive effort, but in particular, he wants players on the back line to keep whomever is in the goal from being barraged by shots. "The less shots we face, the more chance we have of winning," he said.

The most experienced of that group is fifth-year senior Luke Humphrey, the team captain. Sophomore T.J. Rolfs started seven games during the spring for the Eagles and Marco Senatore, Zach Snow, Joonho Kim and Jesus Garcia (who provides a goal-scoring threat from the back) all also return. Joining them will be junior-college transfer Alexandre Picoto Rodrigues and Matthew White, who played collegiately for Oklahoma Baptist before OBU dropped its men's program.

Midfielders are asked to be a jack-of-all-trades in soccer, having to control the ball, press it forward when the opportunity presents itself and willing to hustle back to defend when necessary. Sowerby said he's confident in his group, which includes a trio of seniors Bjarne Deraeve (who started seven games in the spring), Carlos Trapero (who had two assists during the spring) and Pedro Ribeira – each a returning starter. Also returning are sophomores Michele Perina and Salva Cotaina.

Newcomer Joep Claassen also should figure into the mix. Junior Igbinosa Isere, a transfer from Rose State who had previous NCAA Division II experience at both Rogers State and OBU, likely will be out for awhile due to injury.

"We've got a little bit of everything in there," Sowerby said. "We've got some size and some strength. They're hard-working but also are technical and can play the style of soccer we want to play to be most effectively."

The "hardest part of the game," Sowerby said, is scoring goals, and he brought in a large group of forwards to try and find some who can produce offensively after the Eagles scored only four goals in nine spring games, which was a major cause of their 1-7-1 record.

Leading the forward group now are three newcomers – junior Alejandro Colom, sophomore Miguel Fonseca (a transfer from a New Jersey juco) and freshman Isaias Silva, a two-time high school All-America player who was named as Oklahoma's top prep performer this past spring for Mustang High School.

Others who could figure into the mix include freshmen Luke McElhinny, John Osadolor Ighede, Joao Rathino, Mason Thornhill (the son of former OC star and coach Eric Thornhill) and T.J. Hale. Thomas van der Meulen, a 6-foot-9 stalwart for the Eagles up front the past three seasons, is out indefinitely due to injury but when he's healthy, he's difficult for defenders to mark.

"Everybody wants a person who can score goals, but not everybody can score goals," Sowerby said. "You want to have more than one. I think our front three can cause a lot of problems (for opponents)."

The Eagles will play eight nonconference games this season, including four of them mandated matchups against LSC opponents. True nonconference opponents will include archrival Southern Nazarene, longtime regional rivals Newman (Kan.) and Rogers State (Sowerby's alma mater) and Harding (Ark.), one of OC's sister institutions.

In conference play, OC will play Midwestern State (Texas), Texas-Tyler, St. Mary's (Texas) and Texas-Permian Basin on the road and will host Lubbock Christian (Texas), Texas A&M International, Dallas Baptist (Texas) and West Texas A&M.

"There's definitely talent here," Sowerby said. "I think a lot of people are writing us off. I think a lot of people are going to be surprised when they see us on the field. I think if they don't come prepared for a real game, they're going to find themselves in trouble. I know we're going to compete at a high level this year."