Men's Soccer 2023 Season Preview
San Dimas, CA – Life Pacific University's Men's Soccer team enter the 2023 season returning with most of their starting lineup. The Warriors Head Coach, Joey DeSantis, is accompanied by assistant coaches, Manny Basulto and Bryan Del Real. In 2022, the Warriors notched their first win against Providence Christian College. The Warriors finished the season with an overall record of 2-15 and 1-8 in the GSAC. After a foundational year for the program in 2022, the Warriors are looking to build off of their growth from last season and establish their presence in the GSAC this Fall.
As they enter the 2023 season, the Men's Soccer team is led on the attack by returning forwards, Adrian Ochoa and Benjamin Montes de Oca. The returning midfielder group consists of steady play from Andy Garcia, Fernando Pineda, Marco Mendoza, and Angel Mata. The backline of the defense is held down by returning defenders, Savino Pinedo, Israel Ramirez, Andrew Alcaraz, and Benjamin King. In the net, LPU expects to see dynamic play from Ezequiel Jimenez.
The returners are joined by a recruiting class of 13 newcomers who are poised to make an immediate impact in the 2023 season:
- Russell Avila-Ayala
- Nikolas Ayala
- Alfredo Cuadros
- Luis Diaz
- Sergio Gonzales
- Alberto Orozco
- Jonathan Padilla
- Gabriel Pena
- Douglas Perales
- Jose Perez
- Ramiro Piza
- Juan Rodriguez
- Lbano Taro
LPU kicks off their season on August 9th with an Exhibition match at Cal State Bakersfield. Following the exhibition, they travel to Soka University for their first official match, August 16th at 5:00pm. Their schedule features multiple contests against other NAIA opponents from the Cal Pac, along with matchups against various NCAA universities, headlined by the September 18th matchup against San Diego State University.
Joey DeSantis enters his second season as the Head Coach of the program. When asked to share his thoughts about the upcoming season, Coach DeSantis stated, "The previous (2022) season was a learning experience for the LPU Men's Soccer Program. We feel we have brought in key pieces that will allow us to step forward in this learning process as a young program."