RIPON, Wis. - Ripon's men's soccer team is looking forward to a fresh start in 2019 with a new coach and new opportunities for a roster with one-third of its players in their first year with the program. The Red Hawks are hoping to get back to the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time since 2010, which was also the last time they won the conference championship. First-year Interim Head Coach Marco Rhein '12 was part of that team, and will bring that championship experience with him.

"This is an absolute dream for me because I love this institution," Rhein said. "I'm hoping that I can instill some of the excitement from my years being involved in the program both as a player and an assistant coach."

With more than half the team in their first or second year with the team, the Red Hawks may have a bit of a learning curve, but that doesn't change their end goal, which is always to qualify for postseason play.

"We're really excited to start the season and are looking to get some conference wins and compete for a spot in the Midwest Conference Tournament," Rhein said. I think we have the talent to do that. We have a lot of good players that add quality to our team and hopefully we can put that all together to have a successful season."

The team will be led by its three seniors, Max Mindiola, Adrian Granados, and Devin Hoaglin. They will all bring leadership to the team, as well as talent and experience.

"Our three seniors have been through it all and are all positive players who want to leave the right legacy behind," said Rhein.

Mindiola is a two-time Academic All-Conference performer who has appeared in all 51 games during the past three years. He scored one goal last season, and has recorded two goals and two assists during his college career.

"Max is highly talented and is kind of a glue guy that keeps the team together," said Rhein.

Granados is a three-time Academic All-Conference performer, who led the team with four assists last season, while Hoaglin has appeared in every game of his career, starting all 34 during the past two seasons. He tied for the team lead in goals last year with three.

"Adrian has a high work rate and leaves it all on the field," Rhein said. "We expect Devin to bring a high level of technical skill to the team."

Sophomore Braden Kobus and Junior Christian Martinez each tied for third on the team in goals scored last season with two apiece. Kobus also added an assist, while appearing in all 16 games, starting 14 as a freshman. Martinez played in all but one game and has scored four career goals.

"Braden is a very dangerous player who is good on the ball," Rhein said. "Christian is passionate about the game and has really developed both as a player and person during the past couple years. He understands his role and has the skills to be dangerous on the offensive end of the field."

The team's only other returning goal-scorer is Junior Noah Fish, who scored once last season and has three goals in his two years with the Red Hawks. Fish was also named Academic All-Conference last season.

"Noah is a super high work rate guy who is passionate about the game," said Rhein.

Brad Schroeder and James DeRose are two more juniors that will be expected to contribute. Brad has appeared in every game during the past two years, with two career assists to his name, while DeRose is an Academic All-Conference player who has one career assist.

"Brad is ready to take the next step in his progression and will be a leader for us," Rhein said. "James is a very calm, cool, and collected type of player. We need him to be good on the ball and help move it around the field."

Sophomore Chris Boehmke appeared in 14 games last season, his first with the Red Hawks, recording one assist. He will look for even bigger things in 2019.

"Chris is a striker for us, who has the ability to turn and score goals, so we're hoping to get him some opportunities to do that," said Rhein.

Fellow sophomores Freddie Mannelli and Heath Dillenbeck also received extensive playing time last year, appearing in 14 and 16 games, respectively.

"Freddie is a highly technical player who helps us move the ball around and control the game," Rhein said. "Heath is a very versatile player who can play a number of different positions."

Sophomores Steven Klika and Hunter Tautvydas and Junior Daniel Garcia will also be competing for playing time, while adding depth to the team.

"Steven is highly athletic and has really grown as a player, while Hunter is a good communicator on the field, so we're expecting him to take on a leadership role," Rhein said. "Daniel is also a team-first guy who helps with everything and is like a player-manager for us."

Ripon has just one Goal Keeper listed on the roster in freshman Kenny Smith. A lot will be asked of him this season, but it's nothing that the coaching staff doesn't think he can handle.

"We have high expectations of Kenny because we know he's very talented," Rhein said. "We also understand that there's a learning curve as a freshman in order to develop as a player, but we think very highly of Kenny and he'll be a very good player for us."

Smith headlines a freshman class of seven players that come from three different states and two different countries. Those other incoming players include Esteban Borja, Seid Husic, Christian Millan, Shane Reid, Charles Schultz, and Dalton Wiese.

"This group is one of the most personable that I've ever worked with," Rhein said. "They're all very respectable and coachable players and I'm quite impressed with the skill level of everyone in this freshman class."

Ripon's 2019 campaign will begin on August 30 at home against Wisconsin Lutheran.