Introduction
It has been seven years of hard work, but coach Phil Wolf finally has the PLNU men's soccer program in the place he feels it belongs. He undertook the reconstruction challenge, not just to rebuild the team but also the culture of the program. He began the process with these four core values; Respect, Courage, Family and Excellence. Through hard work and even more patience, the Sea Lions were able to see the fruits of those values blossom more each season until it all culminated in 2017 with an undefeated PacWest season and a trip to the NCAA West Regional.
 
This was without question the best season in program history, but the difference between a team and a program comes down to longevity. A team's success is for one season, a program's success spans across numerous years and a multitude of student-athletes. Coach Wolf has opened this window of opportunity to flip the switch and turn PLNU from having a good team into one of the best programs in the West.
 
Offseason
The loss in the postseason did not discourage the returning student-athletes; it motivated them. Since the final horn sounded at the NCAA West Regional last year, the hunger has continued to grow in the stomachs of all the returners. They now have been through the grind. They now know the sacrifice and discipline it takes to make this program elite.
 
"We had a good offseason and a good spring," said coach Wolf. "We are returning a lot of guys so we were able to work together as a unit on some things in the spring. This fall we are in a good spot too. The veterans know the system and we are trying to bring the newcomers how we do things in the first few weeks, and just get everyone on the same page."
 
Returners
The Sea Lions return nine of its 11 starters and 14 letterwinners to a team at went 11-0-2 in PacWest play and earned their first trip to the postseason last season. Even more than just the experience this group got during last season's run, it was the leadership they displayed which has coach Wolf excited.
 
"First and foremost, this group provides us with leadership, and that is a massive thing," Wolf explained. "Wiktor Lasota, Fabian Lueders and Matias Rodriguez are our captains, and I don't know that I've ever had better leaders than those guys. They are all very accomplished players, which are good people, and care a great deal about the success and culture of this team.
 
"I am also very excited about our experience," he continued. "That is not something I've really had here. This time we have 9-10 starters back that all when through a lot last year. It is the leadership and experience that excite me the most."
 
Newcomers
To supplement the depth of the team, coach Wolf brought in 13 newcomers, including nine freshmen. Wolf believes strongly that this group will help the Sea Lions to continue towards its ultimate goal of building an elite program at Point Loma.
 
"This group has some very good players," Wolf explained. "When you are returning as many starters as we are, you think about 'how can I build the depth on this team?' You count on the new guys to add depth, but at the end of the day, the best players play. Whether a new player is adding to the depth or in the first 11, it doesn't matter to me. I am just trying to put together the best team possible. Initially you are looking for depth from the new guys so we can rotate players, but when we have two games in a weekend, having that depth can help us from grinding guys down too much."
 
Defense
Coming into last season, the defense was a question mark, but after one calendar year in which the team finished 11th in the country in shutouts and 18th in goals against average, it has become the foundation on which this program hopes to build. Back for PLNU are Jacob Moreno and Jacob Skattner, which both started at least 12 games, along with All-PacWest selections Jacob Eisenberg and Fabian Lueders, along with all-region pick Matias Rodriguez and All-American goalkeeper Wiktor Lasota.  
 
"You have to think the defense is the strength of our team," said Wolf. "Last year we didn't concede a lot and the whole back-4 is intact. All three of our captains play in the back. It all starts with Wiktor in goal. He had a fantastic year last year. He has worked even harder in the offseason and really improved. He is primed for a really good year. On the right side we have Matias and Fabian. Both are experienced and have been through the grind. On the left we have Jacob Eisenberg and Jacob Moreno. Both were freshman last year, but are now a year older and more experienced. They saw a lot of new things last year and hopefully they will be even more comfortable playing this year."
 
Offensively
PLNU did not lose much on the attack but it will have to replace its leading scorer, Eduardo Gallardo (nine goals, five assists). Last season, Gallardo had that little extra magic for the Sea Lions as he posted five game-winning goals and played a big role in miraculous comeback wins at Biola and Dixie State.
 
"If there is one area you can say there is some loss it is with the group up front," said Wolf. "We lost our '9' in Eduardo Gallardo and have to replace a captain, Mitch Wheelon, on the wide left. Those are some good players to replace there.
 
"The attack will be our challenge," continued Wolf. "It has been for a while. We are always trying to create chances and score more goals but the teams on the West Coast are super-well coached and super-well organized, and scoring goals is always the toughest part. That part might take a little longer but I hope the pieces are there. We are looking for a big year from Finn Tiedemann and some of our other very talented players. Our center-midfield is basically intact from last year and we added a fantastic player in Pascal Rodriguez (Matias' younger brother). He had a great spring and will help us a lot in the middle. Tim Siegfried, Jorge Navarro, Indiana Fuller are all back as well so we have some nice pieces in the attack, we just have to put them all together."
 
Goals
If the Sea Lions can stay solid in the back and put together consistent scoring at the top, this team could be primed for even a better season than last year.
 
"As a season-long goal, we want to win the conference," said Wolf. "In the over 45-year history of the program we have never won a trophy. We have never won a conference title or a regional championship, so we want to be the first. Winning the league is certainly on the front of everyone's mind. We went 11-0-2 last year and finished second. The PacWest title is definitely a goal for us and would be a huge thing for our program."
 
However, coach Wolf knows that success does not just come in the form of trophies but is also about personal growth.
 
"At the very core my goal is to get better every day and then perform at the highest level on that day and let the results fall as they may," he said." We keep it as simple as that."
 
Conclusion
This team is hungry to prove they were not just one great year, but have laid the foundation for the program's continued success. Through all it dedication, sacrifice and hard work this team has created the window for greatness at PLNU, it now must seize that opportunity and become legends
 
The Point Loma men's soccer team will open its 2018 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 2 p.m. To read the PacWest season preview, click here.