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Only a few weeks into September, the soccer season has been kicked, booted and crossed into full gear. Hamline entered the season without graduating defensive dynamos Ben Watkins and Micah Merrit. Nonetheless, the Pipers started things out on the right foot. Four straight wins preceded a MIAC opener victory over St. Mary’s.

“Having a really good season last year set the expectations high. Guys came in expecting to be successful. Sometimes that is half of the battle, getting guys to envision success,” said head coach Andy Coutts.

Fast starts are something of a trend at Hamline. The Pipers won the opening six games in 2004, and were undefeated through the first four in 2005. After that, the seasons became more difficult with the greater frequency of MIAC games. Whether this year will carry on that tendency is yet to be known, but a few things are certain. The Pipers will be physically prepared and the coaches will adjust as the season progresses.

“We adapt. I think that one of my strengths as a coach is identifying what each teams’ strengths and weaknesses are and trying to figure out a system and a strategy that will allow guys to play to their strengths. And that can even change within a season, as guys develop or as changes occur if we move guys around. I’m certainly not opposed to changing anything even at this point. Even though we are 5-0, we are going to change some things that will help us to become a better team,” said Coutts.

Going into Saturdays game against Augsburg, the Pipers were ranked tenth in the West Region. While this ranking represents an achievement in itself, the team is fully aware of the fragile nature of staying afloat in the MIAC.

“We need to keep getting better. We’re not going to just hit some point where we are good enough. In every game, every team in the MIAC is good enough to beat us. If we haven’t prepared hard in those days leading up to the game then we don’t have a good chance to win it,” said Coutts.

For the Pipers to continue their success, the team must progress defensively. It has been no easy task replacing Watkins and Merrit, but the team has placed a great deal of focus on improving defensively. So far the team has committed more people to defending. There is still room for improvement as Hamline awaits its first defensive shutout. “We need to spend more energy and commit more people to defending, to do it successfully. Last year we could really commit a lot people to the attack and know that we would be pretty secure in the back with Ben and Micah behind us,” said Coutts.

Thankfully, this strategy has not hindered the offense's ability to score. Going into their game with Augsburg, the Pipers have scored no less than two goals per game this season. Hamline can attribute a large portion of its offensive success to quality performances from senior Jacob Helling, who led the team in scoring last year. Solid play from first-year Matt Warhol has also factored into the Pipers high scoring thus far.

With Jacob Helling's departure, the defense felt the loss of an impact player. The Piper offense is coping with simialr losses as it tries to fill the void left by stand-out midfielder Andrew Helling. The Pipers have a fair balance of youth and experience. The difficulty often becomes negotiating the benefits and disadvantages of having inexperience.

“I think that youth can show up in enthusiasm, and it can also show in tentativeness. At times we have been tentative, and seemingly unsure of who we are and what we are trying to do. In the next few weeks we are certainly going to be challenged more and I think we are going to find out a lot more about who we are as individuals and as a group.”

Although it is still early, all indications point to the Pipers having a competitive year in the MIAC. Last year's playoff birth has added some sense of pressure, but by and large has served as a motivating factor for the players. A well-developed balance of hard work and high expectations has driven the team.

“We’re trying to pay attention to details because there is a very small margin for error and any number of things could go right or wrong in a game that could make a difference. With a limited amount of time to prepare for each game we try to set priorities and make sure that we have what we need to cover those bases,” said Coutts.

When asked which games are on the radar for the coach and his players this season, coach Coutts said, “Augsburg, Saturday. Every MIAC game is gonna be a dog-fight. The cliche is the one game at a time, but that is the truth. We have to be prepared and have trained hard every day. Talent won’t do it alone.”