HENDERSON, Nev. (August 20, 2019) – The College of Southern Nevada men's soccer team will open the 2019 season this week in Arizona, beginning the program's fifth season with a pair of highly-competitive foes.
 
Coming off an 11-6-1 season that saw the team end up at 8-4 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, the Coyotes are hoping to return to the top of the Scenic West and Region 18 after several years of controlling the tempo in the league. Momentum appears to be on CSN's side after a strong training camp that helped the team both condition and bond for the upcoming season.
 
"I was pleased with our team's effort during the preseason training camp," CSN coach Geoff Hawkins said. "On the whole, athletes arrived in shape and prepared for the upcoming season. This allowed us to focus on building team cohesion and player evaluations rather than getting fit."
 
Training camp is a time that helps players and coaches learn from each other, allowing the team to operate in synchronicity throughout a match. The players learn formations, plays, and training techniques while the coaches understand lineups and roles in a way that is unique from simply projections during the recruiting process.
 
Hawkins said his team benefited from the practice and observation time.
 
"Our coaches really enjoyed learning our players' strengths-and-weaknesses," he said. "This year, we added some players with unique skill sets and it has been a fun challenge to find the best combination of players for this year. Although there will be some changes as the season progresses, the coaches now have a much better grasp on our team's overall strengths-and-weaknesses."
 
Southern Nevada's season opens with a match against Gateway Community College on Friday, followed up by a match against Paradise Valley Community College on Saturday. The Coyotes will head home from there, hosting a number of matches in the Las Vegas Valley over the Labor Day weekend.
 
Hawkins said he's excited to see his team in competition.
 
"We need to get off to a good start," he said. "We are traveling to Arizona for our first two matches and it's never easy to play away from home. Both matches are against historically tough programs and will give us a huge challenge to open the season. The coaches are excited, the players are excited, and I'm sure our fans are eager to see what we have in store for them this season."
 
Southern Nevada's home opener is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 29, against Allen Hancock College. CSN will also play on the 30^thagainst Arizona Western College.