By Dylan Weaver
After a long fall season featuring two Colorado State University Pueblo’s Pack soccer teams making both the playoffs and one even making it to the national championship game, it comes to the Spring season, where both teams must train and refine their skills in hopes of another successful year.
The women’s soccer team, who saw their Fall season end in a tough loss to Colorado School of Mines at the RMAC tournament, are now looking for new answers this upcoming year as leading scorer Faith Meredith has departed the team.
27 members have returned to the women’s soccer team this Spring season, along with three all-conference picks and more additions in the Fall. The hopes are high in looking forward to the future.
In looking at the women’s soccer team this Spring, many teams face the ThunderWolves, as there are currently five different dates set out for competition. Opponents include schools from a junior college to the division one level, with names like the University of Northern and Air Force being just a couple.
Most activities can be found this April, but as of March 14th, CSU Pueblo has already participated in two separate events this month. Happening back on March 5th was the Pack’s first scheduled event when they traveled up to sister school Colorado State University and participated in an indoor 8v8 tournament. With many teams from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) present there, much was to learn about the upcoming year as the Pack returned many players and experience.
The following event was hosting both Otero Junior College and Indios Soccer Club at Art & Lorraine Gonzalez field on March 11th, when they played a doubleheader to face off with each team.
Looking over at the men’s soccer team, after achieving the best season in program history, the team must now look to how they can repeat this success and hopefully be the ones raising the national trophy this time. To start 2023, they, too, have a loaded spring schedule as they will face competition from college teams up to the professional level. Some notable names they face are the New Mexico United, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, and The Northern Colorado Hailstorm.
Action for them started in February on the 25th against New Mexico United and then on March 8th against the Switchbacks. Later matches will continue on March 17th and then into April twice more.
For the men’s soccer team, roughly 35 members once again joined the team, and in their midst are five separate all-conference players, with two even earning All-American honors.
As for the men’s and women’s soccer teams of CSU Pueblo, last year is in the past now, and during both teams’ Spring season schedules, the focus is set on the Fall and looking to show the RMAC the Pack truly is continual.
