After a strong finish to the 2015 campaign in which the Webster University men's soccer team won eight of its last 11 games, the 2016 outfit will look to pick up where last season left off when the Gorloks begin their season September 1.
 
Webster's 2015 season got off to an uneven start, but the team rounded into form when conference play started. The Gorloks closed out their regular season with a 3-1 home victory over Greenville College in what was a must-win affair, then beat the Panthers again on the road in the SLIAC Tournament semifinals.
 
With an automatic berth to the NCAA Division-III National Tournament on the line, Webster came up a goal short in the SLIAC Tournament championship. No. 1-seed Westminster College — which had one of the best seasons in SLIAC soccer history — held on for a 2-1 win to take the title. The Gorloks concluded their season 9-10-2 overall and 6-2-1 in SLIAC play.
 
"We played our best soccer of the season down the stretch — particularly in the two Greenville games and the SLIAC championship — which is what we always set out to do," said Mike Siener, who is entering his fourth year as head coach of the program. "Our returning players used that solid finish as motivation during the offseason, and I know they're really looking forward to getting this season underway."
 
Webster boasts 17 returning players (eight seniors) who will be paired with 12 freshmen. Two familiar faces — Alex Whalen and Dino Music, who played for Webster in 2013 and '14 — rejoin the program to complete the 2016 roster.
 
Some of the top returning seniors include Brendan Shields, Joey Florian, Frank Verdu and Jake Stowers. Shields started 19 games, scoring five goals and assisting on two others for 12 points. Three of his five goals were game-winners. Florian, Verdu and Stowers were mainstays on the back line, making 21, 18 and 12 starts, respectively. Stowers was selected to the SLIAC All-Tournament team after coming on strong late in the year.
 
Other top returners include juniors Nermin Hajrizi and Lucas Wittrock, and sophomores Zach Gyuricza, Drew Quisenberry and Alex Bergmann. Hajrizi played in 20 contests, tallying three goals (one game-winner) and one assist. Wittrock also got in 20 games and was a solid two-way player, chipping in a goal and an assist.
 
Gyuricza had a standout freshman season as one of the centerpieces of the Gorloks' attack. Gyuricza started every game and produced in a big way, recording nine goals and seven assists for a team-high 25 points. Those 25 points were the sixth-most put up by a SLIAC player.
 
Quisenberry was equally effective from his center-midfield position, as he compiled three goals and seven assists for 13 points. Both Gyuricza and Quisenberry were named to the All-Conference Second Team and the 2015 All-Tournament Team for their efforts.
 
Bergmann had a quality freshman campaign manning the nets for Webster. He played in 11 games, making six starts, en route to an 8-2 record. Bergmann made 26 saves, including several outstanding ones in the SLIAC Tournament, and posted a 1.56 goals-against average on the season.
 
"Our staff is really excited about the group of players we have returning this season," Siener said. "Most of our core is back, and we have skilled players at every level of the field. Their abilities on the field and leadership off it will be vital to our performance this year."
 
The incoming class of a dozen is stocked with talented and versatile student-athletes who will make an immediate mark for the Gorloks. Seven of the 12 first-year players are from the St. Louis area or close to it, while the other five hail from Florida, Idaho, Ohio, Indiana and Chicago, Ill. To read an in-depth story on these incoming student-athletes, click HERE.
 
In the 2016 SLIAC preseason coaches' poll, Webster was picked to finish third, behind Westminster and Greenville. Spalding University and Fontbonne University completed the top five.
 
The Gorloks will open conference play Sept. 24 with an away game against Greenville. Webster will also travel to Iowa Wesleyan University, Principia College (Ill.) and Eureka College (Ill.) in SLIAC matchups. One of the more anticipated games of the year will take place on October 5, as Webster will square off against Westminster in Fulton, MO, in a repeat of last year's SLIAC championship bout.
 
The Gorloks host conference opponents MacMurray College, Blackburn College, Fontbonne and Spalding at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton. The four-team SLIAC Tournament will occur in early November.
 
Fans will have numerous opportunities to watch Webster play under the lights at Soccer Park, as the Gorloks have eight night games. Five of those are nonconference contests. Webster once again has a terrific home slate of nonconference opponents, including McMurry University (TX), Luther College (IA) and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
 
The Gorloks travel to Memphis, TN, the weekend of September 10 for their lone two nonconference road games on the season.  Webster will play host school Rhodes College before locking horns with Hendrix College (AK) the following day.
 
The Gorloks open the regular season with a home game against Washington University. The Bears are one of three 2016 Webster opponents to have qualified for the 2015 NCAA III National Championships (Westminster and Wisconsin-Whitewater the others). The Webster-Wash U match is on Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m. at Worldwide Technology Soccer Park.  Admission is free.