Every collegiate soccer season comes with its own set of unique personalities, challenges, and successes. For Chico State head men's coach Felipe Restrepo, one early clue of what the 2019 season might have in store came at the team's annual preseason pool party hosted by he and his wife, Mandi.
 
"All the young guys were in the pool cannonballing each other, laughing and yelling and being goofy," said Restrepo. "I haven't had that in a while. It was refreshing."
 
Restrepo's squad is markedly younger than in year's past, featuring 17 freshmen and 20 who have yet to make their Chico State debut, out of a roster of 32.
 
Some of them will debut when the Wildcats open the season Thursday at 7 p.m. at Western Washington University in Bellingham. They'll wrap up their first weekend of the regular season at Seattle Pacific University Saturday at 7 p.m. Links to live stats and streaming video are available via links on the top-right corner of this page, and as always, on the calendar section of the homepage and the men's soccer schedule page.
 
Western Washington, coming off an 11-6-1 season, is picked to finish second this season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll. Seattle Pacific, 8-11-0 last year, is picked to finish fourth.
 
Chico State opened last season with a 2-0 win at home against Seattle Pacific before falling 1-0 to Western Washington.
 
The Wildcats are coming off another tremendous season in which they finished third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, reached the CCAA Tournament for the third year in a row, and earned their fourth NCAA Championship Tournament berth in the past nine seasons, finishing 13-6-1.
 
Despite losing some key members of last season's squad, and the influx of youth, the Wildcats aren't exactly short on experience. Mikey Hirsch, Ronan McEnroe, Justin Bethke, and Alex Fluitt are all redshirt seniors beginning their fifth year in the program. Redshirt juniors Cooper Renteria and Garrett Hogbin have put in three seasons apiece. Seniors Matt Hafizi and Samuel Licona are senior transfers in their second season in the program. And graduate transfer Joey Scotti played the last three years at California Baptist.
 
"What I think is really cool is we've got a good bunch of guys who have really put their stamp on the program over the last few years," said Restrepo. They've all been to the NCAA Tournament. They've done nothing but win. Now, we're asking them to be the stewards of the program and show the new guys the way and they are doing a terrific job."
 
The influx of youth has been both anxiety-inducing and exciting.
 
"There are some unknowns in places and we're trying to find ourselves a little bit," said Restrepo. "But it's also been a lot of fun. There's a lot of new talent and we're building an identity for ourselves."
 
Restrepo has relished the uptick in teachable moments. "I find that those things fine-tune our culture and continue to grow our program."
 
The CCAA's coaches don't seem to expect a major drop off from the Wildcats this season. They are picked to finish fifth in the preseason coaches' poll.
 
They've developed an impressive winning tradition, having put together eight consecutive winning seasons and a .632 winning percentage during Restrepo's tenure, and winning percentage of .611 during their 56-year history.
 
"Our positive culture and leadership are our biggest drivers," said Restrepo. "I'm talking about leadership from a standpoint of thinking bigger than soccer. We want to build up these young men to excel in the areas of family, community and career.
 
"The goal is for these guys to be identified as leaders. I want them getting job offers before they even graduate, which is what we've been seeing. One of our alums, Russ(ell) Ellyson, just got into med school, and another, Chris Paolo, is applying to med school, which is something I'm really proud of."
 
When the whistle sounds, make no mistake, Restrepo wants to see his Wildcats operating with precision on the pitch.
 
That effort will start with the team's back line. Hogbin, a Third Team All-West Region performer last season, and Bethke, who will make his 39^th consecutive start Thursday, anchor that unit. Scotti will join them, along with one of the following exciting options: sophomore returner DiAngelo Gleaves, Oxnard Community College transfer Servando Higuera, redshirt freshmen Diego Caballero and Donovan Jackson, and true freshman Ben Souza. Another true freshman, Garvin Brooks, will redshirt this year.
 
They'll be the last line of defense before new goalkeeper Jose Paredes, a two-time First Team All-South Coast Conference selection while playing at Rio Hondo Community College. He redshirted last season behind CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year Damion Lewis.
 
"Jose has a lot of experience and he's a talented goalkeeper," said Restrepo. "He's waited patiently and he's excited to prove himself at this level."
 
Paredes will be backed up by a trio of freshmen: Luis Albarran, Marshall Herrman, and Bennett Fries.
 
The midfield will look much the same as it did in 2018. Regulars McEnroe (2018 honorable mention All-CCAA), Fluitt (2018 honorable mention All-CCAA), Hafizi, Licona, Hirsch, and Renteria are all back in the mix, flanked by sophomore Anais Mayo, redshirt freshman Alex Low, and true freshman Anthony Kaskie.
 
Up top, the Wildcats are exciting but unproven. Speedy Sophomore Andrew Hazzard is the lone returning forward with experience. He's joined by freshmen Jacob Chong—who Restrepo calls a cross between two-time All-Region forward Jeremiah Egujie and two-time All-American Ferid Celosmanovic—Noah Ristovski, Noah Ross, Zeke Shull, and Ryan Jordan.
 
"These guys are all goal scorers. They are all skilled in front of the net," said Restrepo. "But they are getting their first taste of big-time college soccer and that's a learning curve."
 
Four more Wildcats—sophomore Juan Perez and freshmen Liam Duerksen, Connor Gorrien, and Kris Brown—have all sustained injuries in the buildup to the season and their status for the season is still to be determined.
 
How the Wildcats will operate on the pitch this season is anybody's guess for now, though Restrepo believes the team has what it takes to make its fourth straight postseason appearance.  
 
In wins and losses, and during every practice, meeting, and road trip, there's much for the 2019 Wildcats to teach and learn.
 
"These guys are going to learn what it means to be part of a positive, successful culture—what it means to be a Wildcat," said Restrepo. "They're going to hear it from me for sure, but the beauty is that I'm not teaching it on my own. The veterans and core leaders are helping teach the younger ones, and for me, that's a wonderful thing to witness."