Head Coach
Dan Weiler (2nd Season; 3-13-1)

Players To Watch
- Mads Schmidt, Jr., GK, Rodding, Denmark
- Justin Foss, Sr., F, tied for team lead in goals in 2007
- Marco Riboli, So., M, led the team in scoring in 2007

The 2008 Preview
The 2007 Concordia men’s soccer team grew inch by inch and little by little. They made steady improvement under first-year head coach Dan Weiler as they snapped their three-year conference losing streak and posted the most wins for a season since 2003. The upward turn in confidence and a recruiting class that features 15 freshmen, five of whom could turn into starters has given the Cobber men’s soccer team a new sense of optimism to get back into the top half of the league.

Concordia won two conference games in 2007 after going winless from 2004-06. Although the two wins did not make a huge improvement in the conference standings, it did show how far CC has come in just a single season. Of the team’s eight conference losses, five were by a single goal and seven of the eight were decided by two or fewer scores. By the end of the season, the team had started to gel into a productive squad that was on the verge of pulling off a major conference upset. Weiler is hoping that the first big win for the Cobbers will come early in 2008 so the team can use that to propel themselves into a top tier finish.

Leading the way for Concordia this season will be a forward, a midfielder and a goalie. Senior forward Justin Foss (Fargo, N.D./Fargo South HS) transferred to Concordia at the start of last season and it took him awhile to get used to the style of play in the MIAC and his new teammates. His quickness and ability to find the seams of the defense make him a threat any time the ball gets into the attacking half of the field. He finished last year tied for the team lead in goals and his added comfort with the team and league should help him even more in 2008. Central midfielder Marco Riboli (So., Bergamo, Italy) had a solid freshman season in 207. He led the team in scoring and was tied for the team lead in goals. His vision and calmness on the field will help the CC newcomers adjust more quickly and also help produce more goals in 2008.

The defense will be anchored by goalkeeper Mads Schmidt (Jr., Rodding, Denmark). Schmidt broke his hand in the very first half of the very first game in 2007 and wound up only playing in seven games all season. When he returned at the end of the season, the Concordia defense did not allow more than two goals in any conference game and he was able to post his first career shutout in the squad’s 2-0 win over Bethel.

Finding players to line up directly in front of Schmidt will be the most difficult task for Weiler. The team lost defensive mainstay and All-Conference Honorable Mention honoree Chad Morlock to graduation which leaves a big hole in the middle of the defense. Weiler could put out four newcomers on the back line as he tries to improve on a defense that finished ninth in the MIAC in goals allowed last season.

With a renewed sense of enthusiasm and optimism, the Cobber men’s soccer team is hoping to take the next step up the ladder towards returning the program to the glory days of the mid 1990’s when the team won back-to-back titles. Every little step forward will help as the team continues to progress in all aspects of the game.

2008 MIAC Coach's Preseason Poll
1. Gustavus (5)
2. Carleton (4)
3. St. Thomas (1)
4. Augsburg
5. Saint John's (1)
6. St. Olaf
7. Macalester
8. Hamline
9. Concordia
10. Bethel
11. Saint Mary's