UWS Men’s Soccer Primed for UMAC 8-Peat

Finished 2023 regular season winning 15 of last 17 games

SUPERIOR, Wis.- After winning seven straight UMAC Championships, the UW-Superior men’s soccer team has no plans of ending their inner-conference reign in 2024.

In 2023, the Yellowjackets won 15 of their last regular season games before delivering two shutouts in the UMAC Tournament. However, UWS was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Regardless, the Yellowjackets’ bond beyond the field of play has clearly been a major factor on the pitch.

“We focused a lot on our team culture a lot last year,” explained Jake Kidd, a forward for UWS. “We had a lot of strong bonds within the team. We kind of gelled well, so I think we can bounce off of that this year.”

“The chemistry with our team is just phenomenal,” Goalkeeper Alex Paredes gleamed. “We always have team dinners and even if we’re not doing anything as a team, we’re still keeping in contact, and it’s our family… It’s our friend group.”

With last year’s NCAA Tournament exit still in the back of their mind, the Yellowjackets are putting in the extra hours in the days leading up to the regular season, with the hopes that their early effort will put them over the top in the postseason.

“Preseason is not easy,” admits Senior Midfielder Felipe Oliveira. “We’re having three, two sessions a day, so we’re going to be tired, but I feel like it’s just pushing through the pain and I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a successful year, just working hard, and believing in ourselves.”

“I think it’s just showing up every day, giving 100%, having that mentality that we should not be losing any games,” says Kidd. “We’ve got to show up every day and put everything into it.”

The Yellowjackets’ 2024 regular season begins on August 30 against Augsburg. Their home opener is currently scheduled to take place at Duluth’s Public Schools Stadium on September 6 against Carleton.