In order to be victorious at the collegiate level, it is clear that a team must have talent, but more importantly, it needs focus and depth. And that is exactly what the men's soccer team has in their sights.

So far, the season has been similar to that of a roller coaster ride, both on and off the field. The Marlin's season has come with some devastating losses, some huge wins, and a tie along the way.

Despite losing a few players recently due to personal issues, the young team is prepared to fill the shoes in order to keep winning games.

"We have a very talented group of freshman this year," said Assistant Coach Arron Lujon. "Since we lost a few players it will give some of them a chance to see more time on the field."

"There are four or five freshman starters right now that are impacting the team very positively," added junior Kelvin Murray. "We will definitely miss the players that left, but I think the players coming off the bench will fill the roles."

he men's last home game was proof that this team is ready for anything, as they beat Christopher Newport University. The Marlins were dominant throughout the entire first half, while possessing the ball for the majority of the time. Sophomore Ryan Cassell, who received an assist from first-year player Travis Cober, scored the only goal of the first half.

Murray came out for the second half firing, as he put one in the net just minutes into the half. The team did a fantastic job protecting their lead throughout the game. This was especially true after the ejection of junior Matt Greene, which placed the Marlin's at a one-man disadvantage for much of the second half. The defense was led by rookie goaltender Kyle Williams, who had a record nine saves to gain his first shutout of his young college career. Williams made an outstanding save in the final seconds of play which helped secure the win for the Marlins.

With eight games left on the regular season schedule, the Marlins are expecting to win big games against competitive teams. The ODAC tournament is approximently a month away, and there are still plenty of soccer games left to be played.

The Marlins get underway on Oct. 2 when they take on Lynchburg at Foster Field at 2 p.m. for Homecoming.