With high hopes to compete as one of the top four teams in their conference championships, CSUEB men’s Pioneer soccer team is perfecting their team and individual development this spring to prepare for their upcoming fall season.

After turning a competitive corner last season, the team’s main objective is to strive for competitive success in the CCAA conference championships, said Head Coach Andy Cumbo.

“Our goals right now are to develop during these spring scrimmages, which is pretty much the month of April, and then be more prepared for the fall season,” Cumbo said in an interview with The Pioneer. “Soccer’s main season is in the fall, where the competition and the results matter, but the guys still train in the winter and in the spring and they are allowed to have some scrimmages.”

Building their individual and team strengths, through fundamental training during the spring season will give the team a better advantage during the fall, said Cumbo. It will also give them the opportunity to scout which 12 teams in their conference will be their biggest rival next season.

The team faced close matches against the Chico State Wildcats and Cal State Stanislaus Warriors last fall, where they considered the teams to be their biggest competitors, according to Cumbo. The Pioneers concluded their 2012 season with a 5-8-5 record, but Sonoma State Seawolves set the pace last season with an 8-8-2 record. CSUEB fell three wins behind.

On April 6, the Pioneers began their spring season with a scrimmage at 11:30 a.m. against the Holy Names Hawks and another at 1 p.m. against the West Valley JC Vikings. The Pioneers won the first scrimmage, 1-0, and lost the second, 0-1.

“I’m very excited to see all of their hard work pay off in the fall season,” said volunteer assistant coach Nick Lusson. “These guys are a very competitive group, so I’m looking forward to see how they’re going to put that into action when the season starts.”

Aside from scrimmaging, the Pioneers will engage in organized practice sessions, three times per week during their spring training.

“Coach Cumbo runs fantastic sessions, there is a theme to everything he is doing,” said Lusson. “There is consistency in the training and the players always know what is expected of them.”

The team will see a high level of maturity between their nine of 11 returning seniors. Coach Cumbo and Lusson are relying on the performances of their returning players next year to bring the team success.

Among these returners is team captain and goalkeeper Bryce Bookhamer. Bookhamer chose to play for East Bay in admiration of the way the head coach teaches the game and out of enjoyment of the team environment.

“It’s like a brotherhood. We are a family; we are around each other 24/7, all day, all night. During our pre-season, before fall, we’re up here two months early before anybody else so it’s just a good time to bond with just your team; it’s a family forever,” he said.

Other players returning to the field next fall will be team captain and Jr. Paul Dewhurst, Sr. Rey Suarez and Jr. Sam Duenas.

The team will also be relying on their freshman players, who were seeing significant playing time last fall, to bring them success in the upcoming season. Aside from returning players and freshman team members who stepped up their game, Lusson believes the team consists of a level playing field all around.

“I don’t think it’s a team with one big star that everybody’s all centered around,” he said. “Sometimes you have teams where you have a really good 11 starters, but then if somebody’s hurt or somebody needs a sub all of the sudden the level drops off really badly. Here the coach is able to sub in players and the level still stays high. That is a huge strength as a team because you are always dealing with injuries and things that are taking players out of the lineup.”

Their next scrimmages will be held at the Pioneer Stadium on April 20 and go as follows: against Evergreen JC Hawks at 3 p.m., the Academy of Art Urban Knights 5:45 p.m, and 6:30 p.m. against the City College of San Francisco Rams.