Butler men’s soccer currently holds the lowest winning percentage in the Big East conference for the 2026 season with a record of 0-6-2.
The team was reconstructed and went through significant changes entering the 2026 season. First-year head coach Ian Sarachan joined the program and added eight new first-year and transfer players.
With a brand new roster and coaching staff, Sarachan knows there are many unknowns the team is trying to work out. His main focus has been establishing the group’s identity, organizing the team’s personnel and determining the best position for each player.
Sarachan recognized that it takes time to build the team’s identity.
“It’s [a task] that I probably want to have happen quicker than it can,” Sarachan said. ”It takes time, and we’re only seven months into this project, so we have to be patient.”
Despite the season’s record, the team remains determined in what they are trying to accomplish, with consistency in terms of attitude and effort. For Sarachan, the first part of the season is for figuring out who the team is, and he is seeing consistent progress.
“We look like the team we’re becoming a little bit, if that makes sense,” Sarachan said. “When we watch our team play, you can see clearly what we’re trying to do, and for me, that’s encouraging. And now it’s about us executing those things at a higher level consistently, and that’s just going to take time.”
First-year forward Finn Moran knew it would take time for him to adjust to the Division I level. He emphasized the importance of “small victories” in gaining confidence and the experience so far has matched his expectations.
“I didn’t expect anything to be perfect, and I’m sure the coaching staff didn’t either,” Moran said. “I think they’ve done really well with trying to build this team and creating an environment for every player and creating the right environment so we do well in the future.”
In his final season with the Bulldogs, graduate defender Lou-Kent Bosc believes the standards have stayed the same even with the many changes in the program. Despite being an upperclassman and many years on the team, Bosc feels the same determination to win and looks at each game with a limitless mindset.
“I think we’re capable of winning everything,” Bosc said. “You never know what the result will be in any game, and if we don’t go out again thinking that we’re not going to win, then we might as well not go to the game.”
With seven games still left in the regular season, Bosc pointed out that there is still time to turn the season around.
“I still believe that we’re gonna do something really good, even though we didn’t have the start we wanted,” Bosc said. “But I still believe that we’re gonna win and we’re gonna show that we can compete [in the] Big East.”
Bosc’s confidence shows the mindset the team carries through difficult challenges. While the team’s record does not reflect their hopes for this season, Sarachan believes the scoreboard is not the only indicator of success.
“Results define a season,” Sarachan said. “They don’t define how a team is playing.”
The Dawgs hope to turn the progress they have made this season into results with more Big East matchups still in their future. They have played one match in conference play so far against then-No. 6 Akron, ending in a 0-0 draw.
The Bulldogs’ next game at home will be Oct. 2 against Seton Hall.