The Pioneers concluded their preseason scrimmages on Saturday night against Academy of Arts University. Last year in their first season of Division II CCAA Conference play, the team finished with a 1-19 record; a disappointing showing that the team does not want to duplicate.
Although they show signs of improvement, the young team needs to find some answers to their offensive struggles. In 2009, the Pioneers only scored 12 total goals and were shut out 11 times. With only two upperclassman and 19 freshmen, the team is obviously light on senior leadership so it will be up to the freshmen and sophomores to create a team identity.
Goalkeeper Bryce Bookhamer and Midfielder Alexis Romo had a strong showing in the preseason. They are expected to help the team find success.         Michael Dowson, a sophomore transfer originally from England who had a great last season at Santa Barbara City College, and Brett Souza, a junior transfer from American River College in Sacramento, are both new to the Pioneers but have already shown their experience and poise.
The team is not a blank slate; there is a pair of players who have already shown that they are ready to lead the team into a new era. Sophomore Michael Rossi, who led the team in goals last year, looks to re-establish his presence in the midfield. If the Pioneers are going to have a winning season, they’re going to need Rossi to have a strong year on both sides of the ball.
The lone senior, ironically known as “high school,” Sean Lynum-Young, put forth great effort during the preseason. Lynum-Young has been named team captain along with sophomore Tyler Anderson due to his heart and hustle on the field.
Second-year head coach Andrew Cumbo had nothing but praise for Lynum-Young stating that “He serves as a great role model for our young program… He is an extremely coachable, hard working, competitive and
caring young man.”
The bottom line is that the team is very young, and still new to the Division II style of play. After a great recruiting offseason, there is a lot to be optimistic about, but improvement may take time. Do not look for them to win the conference; however, they will be able to win a handful of matches.
Cumbo resonates the sense of cautious optimism saying, “We do expect to be more competitive this year.”
The Pioneers are going to need some answers quickly but it is a growing process.
“One day at a time,” says Cumbo. “Our approach is to stay focused on the now and to make sure we are doing the little things correctly.”
After travelling to Hawaii, the Pioneers will open the regular season home schedule against CCAA rival Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sept.  10 at 7 p.m