The Augustana men’s soccer team ended its season on a high note, earning a decisive 4-0 senior night victory against the Elmhurst University Bluejays and sending off four seniors while looking ahead to continue rebuilding in 2026.
For senior midfielder Ethan Wheeler, the evening carried a mix of gratitude, pride and reflection as he prepared to step on the field for the final time after four years with the program. Wheeler has been with the Vikings through multiple staff changes and roster overhauls, and he said he acknowledged that the emotions of the moment would likely settle in later.
“It feels good overall,” Wheeler said. “I think it’ll be more sad when I’m there…but I’m still more just relieved about…I went through all four years.”
Wheeler has long been regarded as a leader in the locker room, stepping into a captain-like role even without the official title. With so many young players on the roster, he said he made it a personal mission to help guide teammates through the program’s expectations and culture.
As he exits, Wheeler said he hopes the standard he set by showing up consistently, supporting teammates and embracing the grind becomes the foundation for future Vikings.
“I’ve had that leader, captain role since my sophomore year,” Wheeler said. “I think the biggest thing for me was connecting with everybody on the team…even when I was hurt, I was at practice, at lifts. I hope that [will] be…a standard.”.
This season featured one of the largest First-Year classes in program history, with 30 new members. While that influx of talent brought excitement, it also meant a steep learning curve for a roster where First-Year players significantly outnumbered upperclassmen.
Sophomore midfielder Fer Cuahquentzi said that the imbalance made leadership and accountability especially important.With a core group of experienced players returning in 2025, Cuahquentzi believes the next step is raising expectations and modeling the level of commitment the program is striving for.
“We just try to be more of a team,” Cuahquentzi said. “So when we score goals or do good stuff in training, we try to say, ‘hey, good job.’ Or we just try to be loud, be together, be a family. Just try to be together. Because, if we don’t, everybody’s just in their different groups, and it just starts to segregate.”
First-Year Jacob Roffman echoed those sentiments, noting that the seniors played a crucial role in welcoming and supporting younger athletes during preseason and beyond. He said that, despite the age gap, the group established strong relationships.
While the Vikings didn’t reach the conference tournament this season, players pointed to meaningful competitive progress, including battling in tight contests and ending the year with a dominant win.
“Two seasons ago, they had zero wins,” Roffman said. “Last year they had three wins…it’s those little baby steps.”
For Wheeler, closing out his Augie career with a convincing win allowed him to savor the moment and leave knowing the program is moving forward.
“I’m gonna try to win,” Wheeler said. “I definitely want to make sure I’m having the most amount of fun I could have.”
As the Vikings turn the page on 2025, Wednesday’s result served as both a celebration of the seniors who built the foundation and a preview of what this emerging group aims to become.
