The Pratt Community College men's soccer team kicks off their season on August 28 with a home matchup against Rose State College at 3:00 p.m. We had a chance to sit down with head men's soccer coach Kevin Kewley to preview the upcoming season.  

You played a scrimmage on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Barton and it was your first chance to see your guys against an actual opponent. What were your thoughts on the team after the scrimmage? 

I was very pleased. Obviously playing Barton is always a difficult task. They were ranked in the top five in the nation last year. So, I was apprehensive about the game beforehand, but we played very well. We matched them, especially in the first half when I played most of the returning guys and the starters. The score was 3-1 with a late goal scored in the second half, but there were some good signs there.  

You open against Rose State College on August 28. What do you want to see from your team in your non-conference game before you start conference play?  

At the Barton game, I was pleased with the way we played, but I did a lot of experimenting, and I will be doing the same against Rose State. So, by the time the Neosho game comes around, I think we will be ready. But right now, I am not worried about the results. I am just concerned with the chemistry of all the guys, They seem to be a great bunch of guys and there are going to be a lot of tough decisions because we have a lot of depth this year.  

You do have a lot of guys again this year and have a core group of returning sophomores that played last year. How do you see your sophomore taking the leadership role this year?  

I think of Gregor Brown and Colm Rutledge, those two especially, have become leaders this year and have helped me an awful lot. We have 30 guys, and I do not have an assistant, so it is certainly a big help to have them. Those two are going to be captains so they need to play their part. They are going to have to show the new guys the way we play and help them get used to the heat and the referees. The early games are vital for them to get leadership experience and for the new guys to get some experience and figure out what we are going to do.  

You have a lot of new players, new faces this year. What are your thoughts on your freshman class? How do you manage having 30 guys on the roster?  

The biggest thing is I am not a coach who just sits on the sideline and does not coach. I mean, I get on people, and they are getting used to that and I hold them all accountable. It is going to be a shock for some of them. I saw that in the game against Barton. I am expecting big things, we have better depth, and it looks like to me that if we do make changes during the game there will not be an effect on the team. I felt last year, we put some guys in, and we struggled a little bit. And this year I do not see that happening. So, we have a great bunch of freshmen.  

What are you expecting to see from conference opponents this year and what expectations do you have for your team in conference play?  

I expect the same as last year. It is obviously extremely competitive now with Neosho County and Johnson County joining last year. Allen County is always a big rival to us. So, it is going to be competitive. There are not going to be any easy games. Even Heston can give you problems. I think if we are not at our best in every game, we are going to have issues. I must make sure that I get on them and make sure we get 100% every game. If we give 100%, I will be happy because I think if we do that this year, we will get better. We will have a better record than last year.  

You have Crowder College and Fort Hays State University in the middle of your conference schedule when scheduling games what is your philosophy around scheduling other opponents around conference matchups? 

It will be a good chance for guys who may not be getting a lot of playing time to play and a chance to experiment and try new things. We have three goalkeepers this year also, so it will be tough to get everyone playing time. We played 25 out of 28 players against Barton. So those games will give the guys who are not getting enough playing time the chance to show me what they can do.