It was an up and down year for the Sacramento State men’s soccer team this season.

Entering 2006 with nothing but high expectations, as high as to win a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship, or at least contend for one, the Hornets ended up finishing the year with a third place finish in the MPSF behind 21st ranked Denver and 15th ranked New Mexico with a 4-4-2 record in conference play and a 7-10-2 record overall.

“We started the season off slow. We had things not go our way in the beginning of the year, which put us behind in the MPSF,” senior Ryan Rhoads said.

But the word of the season for the Hornets was adversity. The team battled injury and red card suspensions for a better part of the season. Compiling a handful of red cars over the course of the season put the team behind the eight ball.

“We had a lot of adversity that we have been through since day one, we have had a ton of injuries and red card suspensions,” coach Michael Linenberger said. “With all the injuries it was difficult for us to find a unit, a consistent unit, to get into a rhythm and kind of on a roll. We constantly had to mix and match the starting lineup.”

Despite all the problems the Hornets faced this year the team never gave up. The Hornets were involved in 14 games decided by a goal or that ended in a tie.

“Every game has been tight, every game has been close,” Linenberger said.

The Hornets found their stride down the home stretch of the season, ending the season on a four match unbeaten streak. With healthy players, the Hornets played like the team that was expected to contend for the conference championship.

“We had nothing to lose, we had nowhere to go but up in the standings,” senior Eliot Ricks-Chambers said about the turnaround in the home stretch of the season.

Even though the Hornets failed to reach a winning record, it was a positive season for them.

“All things considered, it will have been a good season for us,” Linenberger said.

Positive enough that three Hornet’s received MPSF player of the week during the 2006 campaign. Sophomore Jack Jones won it in September after his two-goal game against Valparaiso. Ricks-Chambers also won it in September after his two goals, one assist weekend that month. And Rhoads won it in October for his performance against New Mexico and UNLV.

The Hornets will now turn to the 2007 season and look to rebound from a losing record and it will not be easy with the green and gold losing nine seniors to graduation. Guys like Ricks-Chambers, Rhoads, Oscar Sandoval and three-time all-conference defender Utodi Madu who have been a staple in the Hornets lineup for the last four years.

“We are looking for consistency next season, and more leadership from our returning guys, guys like Adam Owens, Jack (Jones). We need them to be leaders,” Linenberger said.

With a clear direction in mind and the players to do it, in 2007 the Hornets will again look to win an MPSF conference championship.