The Sacramento State men’s soccer team is off to another great start in 2009 and is hoping the success persists through the rest of the season. The Hornets are 3-1-1. Sac State went 2-0 in its exhibition games against Holy Names and CSU, Monterey, respectively.

Including the two exhibition matches, the Hornets have scored a total of 19 goals and have given up two goals or less per game, thus far.

“We’ve won games comfortably,” said head coach Michael Linenberger.

He added that Sac State’s success this early in the season should be attributed to scoring many goals against weaker opponents.

“We crushed teams we should have crushed,” he said.

The Hornets’ first big test this season was a game against Saint Mary’s College on Sept. 1, which they tied 1-1, and Linenberger said that because they constantly turned the ball over when they faced defensive pressure, led to more difficult offensive possessions.

“We didn’t establish our style of play against Saint Mary’s,” said junior midfielder Fernando Cabadas.

To continue their success, Linenberger said that his squad needs to keep better possession of the ball, chase the attackers, as well as establish the game’s tempo and rhythm.

“Our opponents should have to work hard for every possession,” he said.

The Hornets’ goals this season are to win the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Tournament and be the first men’s soccer team at Sac State to make it to the NCAA Playoffs.

Sac State hopes to finish the regular season as one of the top-two teams in its conference in order to qualify for a huge advantage in the playoffs, a first round bye in the conference championship.

Linenberger’s boys need to finish in the top-six to earn a playoff berth.

“We think our goals are attainable, realistic, but also challenging,” Linenberger said.

To win the conference, the Hornets will have to beat opponents such as New Mexico on Oct. 30, San Jose State University on Oct. 8 and Nov. 7.

Sac State hosts the University of Denver squad that won the conference last year and returns this season with many of the same players to defend its title on Oct. 18.

One major factor to winning this season will be learning how to produce offense on the road. Seven of the Hornets’ next 12 games will be away games.

So far, Sac State has proven themselves capable of winning road games. The Hornets played an even match against an athletic Saint Mary’s team. Sac State scored early and kept the momentum going during the entire match.

Other than facing the adversity of a tough schedule and going up against tough conference opponents, many on the Sac State squad like their prospects for the season.

“We have a good chance to win the league,” said junior centerback Ernesto Carranza. “We just need to be more consistent, because we showed (last season) we can be good.”

This season, Linenberger is looking for big contributions from centerback David von Stockhausen, a proven defensive leader on the team and goalkeeper Ryan Kenny, who Linenberger expects to have another good year.

Linenberger wants Cabadas and Carranza to help supply the offense and he expects newcomers like freshman forward Max Alvarez, who already has five goals this season and defender Diego Marroquin, a transfer from Santa Rosa Junior College, who has supplied solid defense, to be instrumental to this year’s success.

Alvarez won the Mountain West Sports Federation Co-Player of the Week this past week.

“We have a bunch of new guys who can help us, a bunch of leaders who can help lead us to victory and a MPSF championship,” said sophomore forward Matt Tellez.

Tellez was responsible for the game-winning goal in the Hornets’ 1-0 victory over UC Riverside on Sept. 4. Linenberger said Sac State would need more goals from him this year if they were going to succeed in 2009.

Jeondra Arrington can be reached at [email protected]