The Sacramento State men’s soccer team won’t have the problem of being over-hyped; they plan on being “for real.” After a good 2005 season that saw the Hornets finish 9-7-2, the Hornets came into 2006 with big aspirations of success.

With 11 seniors on the team, it was expected they would be even better in 2006. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as the team finished 7-10-2 overall. This season seems to be full of excitement and new beginnings.

Only nine players will be returning on a 24-man roster. The team hopes that the veteran leadership, combined with the new blood, will make for a great team.

A great team begins with a head coach who knows what to do, and lucky for the Hornets, Michael Linenberger is heading into his 18th season.

Linenberger has been the Joe Paterno of the Sac State Men’s

soccer team, having coached here for nearly two decades and having been named two-time Mountai Pacific Sports Federation coach of the year.

“Mike is one of those great coaches, a coach that loves the game and is also one of the most organized in the game,” said assistant coach and former player Jason Gantt.

Linenberger said he maintains a great passion on and off the field.

“It’s really, really rewarding,” Linenberger said.

Linenberger was disappointed last season as he felt his team was just “average.”

“We come off a great year and the team had high expectations, but the players were complacent,” Linenberger said.

Still, he was pleased that they finished the season strong to get third place in the MPCC.

This season, 15 new players hit the roster with the returning nine and Linenberger couldn’t be more excited.

“They are a great group of players – young, inexperienced, but hungry and ready to play,” Linenberger said.

Senior captain Eli Millan, who overcame a knee injury early last season, returned to establish himself at midfielder and lead the team with six assists and three goals on his way to being named All MPCC second-team.

“He’s the leader of the offense. He gets us going,” assistant coach Matt McDougall said.

Adam Owens, another returning player that will be looked at as a leader, started all 19 games for the Hornets and became the defensive leader of the team, a la Baltimore Linebacker Ray Lewis.

“Owens is a tremendous defender who leads by example,” McDougall said.

Owens was also the only player from the Hornets who was named All MPCC first-team.

Even with Millan and Owens leading the way, it will be a difficult season as the Hornets will once again have to battle through rivals like San Jose State, as well New Mexico, winner of five of the last six conference titles.

The goals for this program will remain the same as they as have been. First, to always be competitive in the conference. Second, to make the NCAA tournament, a feat that has managed to elude the Hornets year after year.

Linenberger said that they can have an impact on the conference if the team can get on the same page quickly. The team feels confident that they will be ready because they have fun playing the game and being a Hornet.

“Every day is something new. It’s a lifestyle,” Gantt said.

Lamont Weaver can be reached at [email protected].