Heading into the 2024 season, the Augustana men’s soccer team had nowhere to go but up. Following back-to-back winless seasons, many knew that a change had to occur to prevent the reoccurring zero in the win column. The issue was finding out what that change needed to be and, better yet, how to enact it. 

With a record of 0-28-4 in their previous two seasons, Augustana knew it was back to the drawing board to figure out what they had for the upcoming year and how to work with it. First off, they had a talented roster with plenty of room to grow. Second, they had the leadership that any team needs to succeed: those who know how a long season can wear the team down and how to combat it together. Junior Derek Dedume knows the role he will have to take on next year as a captain and understands the pressure that brings.

“From what I’ve learned from the captains is that it’s a big responsibility,” Dedume said. “People will follow you because you’re the one leading the group, so it’s definitely going to take some effort, but with everyone on my team, I feel I’m going to help the team mentally.”

The Vikings were lucky to have six seniors this year to help carry that leadership role. Lastly, they had a fiery second-year coach in Chad Flanders, who had every intention of proving that last year is going to be far from the norm for this hungry program.

That begs the question: What was this team missing? If you ask Flanders, it has nothing to do with a shift in talent, a new scheme or anything else. Rather, it was the building of a community among their team. 

“I told them that the faster you gel as a group and become a family, the better off we’ll be,” Flanders said. “You can have a lot of talent, and you can do a lot of things on the field, but coming together as one is more powerful than anything I can do for them.”

Many of the players reiterated that mentality, feeling that they came into this year with the sense of a new culture springing on the pitch, inspiring confidence in everyone who bought into this new and improved Vikings squad. 

This newfound confidence shone through in their third match of the year as they took on Knox College on their home turf at Thorson-Lucken Field. In just one match, the Vikings scored the same number of goals as they had during last year’s season, a sign of new things to come. Augustana then rattled off three wins in a row, bringing their record to 3-1-1, the most wins in their first five games since 2021. 

With the season drawing to a close, the Vikings finished with a record of 5-7-2 while also finishing seventh in the CCIW, their highest placement since 2019 and a significant turnaround from their previous two seasons. Dedume and his teammates were hoping for better, but they are excited for the chance to grow on this year’s shortcomings. 

“Honestly, we were aiming higher,” Dedume said. “We wanted to attend the conference tournament, but last week [losing to Milikin] was a forgettable week. We put in so much effort, but anything can happen in soccer. That’s the beauty of the game.” 

For this team to continue its growth, it’s not only going to be on the upperclassmen performing on the pitch but guiding their teammates. This team’s success lies in the underclassmen’s willingness to learn from those older than them, go out there whenever they get the opportunity and do everything they can for their team. First-Year Gonzalo Alberola bought into this idea, and because of players like him, this team’s future looks as bright as possible. 

“Since day one, we’ve been a family,” Alberola said. “I’ve been comfortable here. We all hop onto the field willing to give 100% for each other because of how great the team culture is. You can feel it.”