COMMERCE– As the calendar inches closer to the month of September, so does the season opener for the Texas A&M University-Commerce soccer team. The players are in preseason camp and the coaches are able to see their recruits and returning players together for the first time. It's time to begin the 2017 soccer season.
  
LION SOCCER CLASSIC
Pres. by Domino's, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Plus of Greenville

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
5 p.m. - Angelo State vs. Central Oklahoma
7:30 p.m. - No. 15 Lions vs. Florida Tech

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
11 a.m. - Angelo State vs. Florida Tech
1:30 p.m. - No.15 Lions vs. Central Oklahoma

LIVE VIDEO: http://lionathletics.com/live
LIVE STATS: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=tame

"It's been fun," said head coach Neil Piper when asked about the first week of training camp. "It's been awkward with the rain and we have had to practice on the turf a couple times. But we got some running in and a couple games in. It was good."
 
Missing from those scrimmages were some players who had been mainstays for the Lions on the pitch over the past four years. Absent were First Team All-American Vicky Back, All-American Savannah Grasser and All-Conference and All-Tournament midfielder Ashley Phillips, just to name a few players who played significant roles for the Lions during their run of three consecutive Lone Star Conference championships.
 
Present in these scrimmages are new faces for a team that looks to continue its success on the field. In all, there are 13 new athletes for the 2017 Lions, including 11 freshmen.
 
"We get to re-teach everything and get rid of bad habits that they have developed," Piper said when asked about the benefits of having a team full of new faces. "We are learning to play the way we need to play to be able to win games. From the first day, they were doing well."
 
The Lions aren't starting from scratch either. The 10 returning players from the 2016 LSC Championship team include LSC Newcomer of the Year Sophie Haywood, All-Region and All-Conference selection Michelle Kotlik, All-Region and All-Conference selection Delaney Bunselmeyer, and All-Conference goalkeeper Caitlin Duty. Duty was recently named the LSC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the conference in save percentage during the 2016 season.
 
Piper is entering his 20th season as the head of the Lion soccer program. Although he has seen hundreds of players come and go in his tenure, he still can't predict how the team will fare after just one week of camp. He has built his team, now he has to get them to play as a unit.
 
"I have no idea how good we can be yet," he said. "We have lost so many players from the last two or three years. We have 13 new players. They are good players, but we have to get them in the system and get them in winning ways."
 
Having put his team through a rigorous first week of training camp, Piper has been able to identify some strengths of the team.
 
"I think the forward position is always a strength of ours," he said. "We find ways to score goals. We have some quick forwards. We have a young midfield, but they are pretty good. If they come along, we can be dangerous again. We need to have the young kids come through if we want to be a top contender."
 
The recent LSC Preseason Poll has the Lions picked as the favorite to win the regular season title for the third time in four years. However, Piper knows it is easier said than done after 20 years of LSC experience.
 
"There are four or five teams that can win it, like every year," he said. "It is not an easy conference to win, which makes our accomplishments the last few years pretty amazing. Every team is good. There is not an easy game on the schedule. I wish there was, but there isn't. I think four or five teams could potentially win it, and I think we are in that mix."
 
The Lions begin their season with three home games, including two on opening weekend against Florida Tech and Central Oklahoma as part of the Lion Soccer Classic presented by Domino's, Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Plus of Greenville. The Lions faced both of those teams on the road during the 2016 season and came up short in both games. Piper hopes playing the games at home can turn the tables this season during a tough pre-conference schedule.
 
"I think the last three times we have played Florida Tech and Central Oklahoma, we lost to them," Piper said. "We know they are not going to be easy. We are looking forward to it. They are going to be tough. Florida Tech beat four top-15 teams last year. UCO, I don't think we've beaten them in 18 years it seems like. I am looking forward to get going and see where we are. We are looking forward to playing Florida Tech in that first game."
 
The Lions will face FIT on Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. and will face UCO on Sept. 3 at 1:30 p.m. All home games for the Lions will be played at the Lion Soccer Field.
 
Season tickets are available for the entire soccer season by visiting the box office in The Field House, visiting WeAreLionsTix.com or by calling (903) 468-8756. Full season tickets are $35, with mini-season packages available for three-game Lone Star packages ($12). For more information on season ticket and other ticket packages, CLICK HERE.