After the draw to St. Mary’s on Sept. 19 at Hornet Field, Sacramento State men’s soccer fell to an underwhelming season record of 1-6-2. The Hornets have 12 days to recoup and gain momentum as they head into their Big West Conference schedule.
“The cool thing about college soccer is if you don’t do well in the non-conference, you have a new season,” head coach Michael Linenberger said. “It’s a new start. So there’s about four or five teams in the Big West with this situation this year.”
This “new season” will begin with Sac State looking to avenge their 2024 loss to CSU Bakersfield on Wednesday.
The Hornets currently sit in seventh place on the Big West standings. After the game against the Roadrunners, Sac State will battle the top of the conference, facing off against the top five teams all within two weeks.
RELATED: Grit against the Gaels: Sac State overcomes a one goal deficit to force a draw
This gauntlet begins with third-ranked Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Oct. 4, as the Hornets look to remedy their 1-3 loss in 2024.
In Sac State’s third conference game of the year on Wednesday, Oct. 8, CSU Northridge will look to avenge their five-nil loss in last year’s Big West play. Northridge is currently riding high on a five-game winning streak as the number one seed.
Continuing on the road, Sac State takes on fifth-ranked UC Riverside on Saturday, Oct. 11. The 2024 matchup saw the Hornets take down the Highlanders 2-1.
If that was not enough, Sac State hosts fourth-ranked Cal Poly on Wednesday, Oct. 15 and second-ranked UC Irvine on Saturday, Oct. 18 to finish off the gauntlet. Both opponents were able to win last year against the Hornets by a score of 3-1. The Hornets’ slow start this season has been filled with missed chances, as they have yet to score more than three goals in one game and have an overall goal differential of 6-to-21.
“We have to go with more confidence, more aggression,” Linenberger said. “We need to get players running to the goal instead of players supporting from behind.”
A missing piece of this year’s offensive success has been a lack of production from superstar junior forward Donovan Sessoms. Sessoms was the first pick in the third round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by San Diego FC.
?
CONGRATS to Hornet sophomore forward Donovan Sessoms, who was taken with the first pick of the third round (61st overall) in Friday’s @MLS SuperDraft by expansion side @sandiegofc! @BigWestSports pic.twitter.com/CiXGe0koMX— Sacramento State Men’s Soccer (@SacStMSoccer) December 20, 2024
Sessoms had a total of 10 goals last season, almost double the amount the whole Hornets squad has this year alone.
“We need to share the load,” Linenberger said. “We can’t say, ‘hey, let’s give the ball to Donnie and see if he can dribble past three or four guys and score a goal.’ Teams are keen on him this year, and they are usually double-teaming him.”
Assistant coach Matt McDougall said Sac State will look to play more of an all-around team game that relies on grit, toughness and aggression in the upcoming gauntlet of conference play.
“I want to see a gritty mentality. We know conference games are tougher; there is more at stake,” McDougall said. “I want us to be able to protect our home field and deal with any type of adversity that’s thrown our way.”
This mentality starts within the goal and on the backline. Senior goalkeeper Andres Rosales and junior goalkeeper Lucas Bost have been splitting time, with Rosales starting three games and Bost starting five, both having played in the game against Stanford.
“They’re leaders. They see it all,” McDougall said. “They need to make sure that they have a presence that we know on the field, that their backline knows and that their teammates know. They have this team’s back and they’re gonna make key saves.”
This hopeful and newfound identity has been echoed by the backline’s play all season long.
Anchored by junior defender Nick Strangio and redshirt sophomore defender Fernando Venegas, they provide much-needed relief to the keepers.
“With the way that we’re playing now, our center backs are tough guys,” McDougall said. “They’re laying their bodies on the line and blocking shots, which makes the job of a goalkeeper a lot easier.”
Consistency will be key to the Hornet’s success. Now having a clean slate, and with a “new season” to look forward to, they must get past their first test, as they host the winless Roadrunners on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
