The Storm’s men soccer team is starting off the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 2-2 record. Wins against opponents like Buena Vista (0-2) and Central (0-2) the past couple weeks make up for the early loss against Wartburg (2-1).

“Each of the last two years we have only had one senior and you could tell we lacked the experience and leadership to persevere in tough situations,” senior midfielder/defender Matt Winegard said. “This year we have six seniors who know how important it is for the younger guys to have someone to look up to for advice and confidence both on and off the field.”

The men’s soccer team has a defense that poses minimum opportunities per game for shots to be made on the goal. Even if the ball gets past them, senior goalkeeper Josh Youngman, from Pella, Iowa, is there with a .775 save percentage. With that number in the goal box Simpson already has three shutouts on the season.

However, towards the other end of the field, on the offensive side, Head Coach Mike Wilson would like to see more improvements. Shots on the goal box are taken from too far of a distance. Getting the confidence to make shorter-ranged goal attempts would improve their numbers, and make it easier all around on the offensive side.

Junior forward Lucas Haack from Ankeny, Iowa, is leading the Storm offense, playing so far with a .625 shooting percentage. He already has three goals and two assists with the ball so far this season.

Senior midfielder Connor Skultety from Lincoln, Neb., is also taking some risks on offense. Amassing so far this season three goals and two assists on the field, along with senior midfielder Corey Miller from Sioux City, Iowa, who has also accumulated three goals this season.

Sophomore forward Chris Allen and freshman forward Mark Lahart are some other players taking risks with high numbers for shots, just no luck so far in the season yet. The prospective players still have a couple more games, however, before the opportunities are lost.

“Our expectations are to get better each day with the hope that we are playing our best soccer by late October and early November for the IIAC tournament,” Winegard said.

“We tend to play to the level of our competition,” Winegard said. “It can be a positive when matching up against a premier team, but we need to be able to set the tempo and control the game to our style of play.”

The home game against Loras will be the final game of the season and conference. The game will be held on Oct. 31 at Buxton Stadium at 3 p.m.