Men’s soccer had an overall 4-10-3 record last season. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
MARIA CLARA KOLLER | STAFF REPORTER | mkollerfernandez@butler.edu
Entering head coach Paul Snape’s 14th year at the helm of the men’s soccer team, the Bulldogs are looking for their first winning season since 2022.
The Dawgs opened regular-season play with a 1-0 loss against Western Illinois on Aug. 21, with the Leathernecks holding off Snape’s team. The team managed to recover with a 1-0 win against Bowling Green on Aug. 24 after first-year forward Aiden Benitez put the Bulldogs up late in the second half. However, following back-to-back home losses against Detroit Mercy on Aug. 28 and IU Indy on Sept. 1, the team finds itself in a similar position as last season.
The Dawgs welcomed 13 new faces during the offseason, including 11 first-years from seven different nations, as well as 17 returning players. Five players in the starting 11 in all four games so far this season were additions brought in by Snape.
Snape understands the task at hand with so many new players to the team alongside returning players.
“We got 17 guys returning, and 11 new guys, and so it’s important that we take time to put a new team together,” Snape said. “Early on, the guys have been really bonding. The camaraderie is really good now. It says the final piece, and probably the most important, is how can we connect on the field?”
One of the returning players, junior forward Ryan Hannosh, leads the team for his third season as a Bulldog and first as captain. Hannosh, alongside his senior co-captains, defender Vygo Verkooijen and midfielder Sam Pitts-Eckersall, has focused on team cohesion and consistency for this season.
Snape credits Hannosh, Verkooijen and Pitts-Eckersall’s leadership as a cohesive factor for the team.
“These guys in the off-season did a great job of being leaders,” Snape said. “They kind of got all the guys together during preseason, housed them [and] put all the activities together.”
Returning for his second and final year with the Bulldogs, Pitts-Eckersall leads the team’s deep, yet young midfield. The addition of so many new players has brought a new sense of hunger and ambition to Snape’s team.
“Definitely getting back to the Big East playoffs is the first goal,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “And then from there, win the tournament, get into the NCAA [tournament].”
Snape has brought in a much-needed reinforcement to Butler’s front line, with new offensive players such as Benitez and first-year forwards Adam Watson and Edgar Opsahl. They will be guided by Hannosh, one of the key players for the Bulldogs since his first year, who leads the line for his junior year.
“It all comes from winning games,” Hannosh said. “We started off the season with a loss, we bounced back really well against Bowling Green, played super well [and] got a 1-0 win. We just look to carry that on in the future.”
The team is looking to bounce back from two consecutive losing seasons, with a 2-7-6 record in 2023 and a 4-10-3 record in 2024. Furthermore, 2023 and 2024 marked two of the lowest scoring seasons — 13 and 28 goals respectively — the Bulldogs have had in the last five years.
Following two low-scoring years for Butler, Hannosh believes this season serves as a clean slate for the Bulldogs.
“We’re a completely different team,” Hannosh said. “We don’t even really look at last year’s record. Half the guys weren’t here. The biggest difference is consistency in and out from our entire team.”
After four games played, the Bulldogs found themselves in the loss column once again. Pitts-Eckersall understands that the team’s mentality for the season stems from the idea of not taking anything for granted.
“Not everything is a given; everyone is a good opponent,” Pitts-Eckersall said. “We have to go to every game with the same level of fight … and be able to come with the same intensity for every game.”
September marks the start of a pivotal stretch in the Bulldogs’ schedule, with back-to-back games against Pitt and Ohio State before Big East play starts against Georgetown on Sept. 19.
