With Sacramento State’s men’s soccer team winning its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference title since 2001 and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the 2009 season was one of the best on record for the team.

Going into the season, however, the Hornets were not expected to do well.

The Hornets had seven freshmen on the team and a new coaching staff under veteran head coach Michael Linenberger.

The fifth-place ranking in the coaches preseason poll and challenges gave the Hornets motivation to show they were the best team in the conference.

Senior defender and team captain David von Stockhausen said the team met all the goals it hoped to accomplish in 2009.

“Our main goals at the beginning of the season was winning the conference, winning the MPSF Tournament and making it to the NCAA Tournament,” von Stockhausen said.

In his 21st season as Sac State’s head coach, Linenberger had his work cut out for him in order for the team to meet those goals.

Assistant coach Matt McDougall said it was nice to see the Hornets come together when it looked like the season was falling apart.

“I’m very proud of the boys and how we played. We started off well and then we went on a five game slump,” he said. “The guys came together and continued the journey as long as we could.”

The Hornets also had to get over a disappointing 2008 campaign in which they began the season 5-0-1. However, the Hornets went 3-9-1 in their last 13 games and did not qualify for the conference tournament.

Last season’s finish was motivation for Sac State this year.

“We all had the mindset that we can’t do what we did last year. We started really well and tripped up and then caught ourselves, but it was too late,” von Stockhausen said.

Senior midfielder Scott Crandall said the team played with more determination in 2009.

“The biggest difference between last season and this season is we had more heart,” he said. “We worked together really well and we had a never say die attitude.”

The Hornets felt confident going into the regular season as they outscored their opponents 11-1 in two exhibition games.

Sac State’s preseason success continued at the beginning of the season, as Linenberger’s squad started out 3-0-1.

An early-season highlight came when the Hornets upset 15th-ranked University of San Francisco on the road.

The freshmen played a role in the team’s success.

Freshman forward Max Alvarez scored five goals in Sac State’s first four games, while freshman forward David Norton along with freshman defender Matt Linenberger played integral roles.

Von Stockhausen said the freshmen brought a new element to the Hornets.

“One of the main differences was the addition of the freshmen,” he said. “They brought a lot more energy to the team.”

The Hornets struggled at the end of September as the team lost five of its next six games.

The Hornets were outscored 9-1 in the five losses. Their only win came at home against the overmatched William Jessup, which Sac State won 8-0.

McDougall said the Hornets kept the team’s preseason goals in mind even when the season was at its lowest point.

“You would think the guys would be real down on themselves, but they put their nose to the ground and continued to work hard,” he said. “We were not playing well at the time but they knew our best soccer was still to come.”

The Hornets had a showdown with defending conference champion University of Denver. This time it was the team’s veterans who took charge in Sac State’s 2-1 victory.

The victory gave the Hornets all the momentum they needed as they went on a school record 10-game winning streak.

“We put it together for conference play,” McDougall said. “We started to get the results we wanted and had that 10-game run without a loss.”

Crandall said he knew the team’s hard work would pay off.

“Sometimes in soccer you can play well but things still don’t go your way,” he said. “If we played hard, we knew things would turn around and they did.”

With a 6-0-1 conference record, Sac State earned a first round bye in the conference tournament.

Sac State defeated UNLV in the conference semifinals and won the conference title against New Mexico to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The Hornets were confident heading into the team’s first-round match of the tournament with Loyola Marymount.

Sac State won in dramatic fashion as sophomore defender Bryan Baker scored the winning goal in overtime.

Crandall said it was nice to silence all the critics.

“A lot of people doubted us but we weren’t surprised we won our first game,” he said. “Whenever you have an overtime win you are excited and then for it to be in the NCAA Tournament it is even better because that means your season continues.”

The Hornets faced sixth-ranked UCLA, but lost 2-1.

Von Stockhausen said he felt Sac State should have won.

“We could have won that game, we played a lot better in the second half,” he said.

McDougall said he is looking forward to 2010 but he knows there are still some holes to fill.

“We lose six seniors,” he said. “Three of them played huge roles as starters and the other three guys played significant roles on the team.”

McDougall said he is pleased the core of the squad is coming back and the team will practice hard to assure the program goes farther into the tournament.

“We need to continue to work hard so we can improve on this season. We need to work on our big play abilities,” he said. “We will not take any days off in the spring and the guys will need to work hard to continue our success. We want to win an NCAA championship.”

Andrew Hazard and Nick Hunte can be reached at [email protected]