A month into the new semester, university athletics are well under way. To see how the new season is going, several coaches were able to comment and provide an update on their new season.
FOOTBALL Coach Brian Foos is entering his fourth season here at Capital. Foos has changed the demeanor for Capital football and fans throughout the three seasons so far. Although they have battled the past three games in this 2023 football season, Foos’ main goal this season is to “improve every single week, which starts with practicing hard, learning the fundamentals and doing the little things because that is what it takes to win a college football game.” This team has what it takes and if they continue with working hard. Capital will face Wilmington on the road this week.
WOMEN’S SOCCER Capital women’s soccer is coached by Matt Odgen, who is entering in his ninth season. The team went to the NCAA tournament and won the Ohio Athletic Conference(OAC) last year. Ogden says, “We have always been an ambitious program, we want to make sure we are being competitive with every game that we play in.” Capital recently played Calvin, a nationally ranked team. Although they played hard, they fell short. Ogden says “we got a tough start to the season, but hopefully we learned a little bit from that.” The team scored four goals in their two games following the match against Calvin. They have a tough schedule to prepare for their first conference game on September 30th against Otterbein.
MEN’S SOCCER Men’s soccer has a new Interim Head Coach, Frank Speth.This is Speth’s second time coaching the men’s team at Capital, following his position as an assistant coach in 2016. The 2023 soccer season has been great, says current assistant coach, Matt Odgen. According to Ogden “the boys have been very receptive” to the transition between coaches just three weeks before the season started. As the men’s team currently stands with a 4-1 record, Ogden said, “everything is moving in the right direction.”
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Head women’s volleyball coach Rosanna Sguerra is entering her second season with Capital. The team opened up the season well, as the team is dealing with a few starters coming back from injuries according to Sguerra. The team is competing hard with the number of matches they have competed in and are currently sitting at 5 wins and 6 losses. Capital women’s volleyball is fifth in the nation in aces.
MEN’S GOLF Coach Andy Garcia is the men’s head golf coach and in his 12th season with the Comets. “Everybody has stepped up this year,” says Garcia. While the regular fall athletic season has started, mens golf is finishing their previous season. Garcia says that because of the team leadership, all of the returning players are teaching and guiding the new players.This mentorship allows them to grow as a team. With only a few more matches in their season, the men’s golf team is heading in a positive direction.
WOMEN’S GOLF Women’s golf is coached by Andy Garcia as well. “I’m really excited for the girls this year,” said Garcia.Last year was a tough year for them due to injuries, which limited their already-small roster. Now, with the new 2023 season, everyone is healthy and the team has two new players this season. Garcia said, “the sky’s the limit for them.” Womens golf finished last in the OAC last year, but in the 2023 season the team managed to beat three other OAC teams. The women came in with a plan this season to be prepared, and so far they have demonstrated that.
WOMEN’S TENNIS Head Women’s Tennis Coach, Lynn Winters, has started her seventh season at Capital. The team has played in two matches, losing to both Cedarville and Fransican. Although the team fell short, the doubles team put up a fight. In the singles match against Franiscan, the Comets walked away with two match wins but ultimately lost. The Comets have three more matches of the fall season and are working hard to come out on top of those matches. Their next match is on September 28 against Shawnee State.
MEN’S TENNIS Eric Strugis enters his first season as the head coach of men’s tennis for the 2023-2024 season. Their opening match was on the road against Cedarville, which, after a hard fight, the team ended up losing 0-7. The team recently competed at the DePauw invite where they managed 3 individual wins. There is still a long season ahead of the team with numerous matches to compete in.
MEN’S/WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY BT Pham enters his third year at Capital as the Head Cross Country and Track and Field coach. Both the men’s and the women’s team opened up their season at the Bluffton Beaver Invite, and both teams had great times. The most recent race for the Comets was the All-Ohio Championships and, dealing with injuries, the men fielded seven runners, and the women fielded four. All 11 athletes that raced did outstanding at this meet, and with this momentum will hopefully continue to move in an upward direction for upcoming meets.
