TACOMA, Washington – The 2022 Puget Sound men's soccer team is positioned to feature one of the best defenses in the Northwest Conference.
 
Fifth-year senior Lincoln Schell, senior Cole Haupt, and juniors Ian Cameron and Liam Elliott return to control the back line. Out of the Loggers' 18 games in 2021, Elliott and Cameron both made 18 starts, Haupt started 17 games, and Schell started all 16 of his appearances.
 
Junior goalkeeper Andrew Matheny returns between the posts after putting up the NWC's best save percentage (.806) in 2021. He also had the third-best goals-against average (1.069) in the conference.
 
On the other side of the pitch, fifth-year senior Ryan Smith and senior Marko Babiak return to the Maroon & White after both scored six goals a year ago. Babiak is expected to miss the first few weeks of the 2022 campaign after suffering an injury during the offseason.
 
Babiak's early absence leaves scoring opportunities for the likes of Theo Kostal and Graham Hall. Through the past two years, Kostal has started 29 consecutive games at midfield. Hall started 10 of his 13 appearances last fall, netting goals against Multnomah and Northwest.  
 
Babiak, Schell, and Smith each received All-NWC nods in 2021.
 
The Puget Sound program enters 2022 with 11 consecutive winning seasons in the fall (the shortened 2020-21 year, played in spring 2021, not included).
 
The Loggers open the 2022 season with four consecutive home games, the first of which is Thursday, Sept. 1, against Evergreen State. Puget Sound then hosts Colorado College (Sept. 3), Marian (Sept. 5), and Multnomah (Sept. 7).
 
The NWC slate begins at Willamette (Sept. 17). The first conference home game is against Whitman (Sept. 24).