NORTHEAST MEN’S SOCCER LOOKING TO TAKE TITLE DEFENSE ONE DAY AT A TIME IN 2025

NORFOLK, Neb. – For the first time in school history, the Northeast Community College men's soccer team enters the year preseason ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA polls after finishing 2024 as national champions. The Hawks are focused on not making 2025 about another trophy, but rather are concentrated on letting this season's group build their own identity.

Head Coach Adam Potter is beginning his fourth season with the Hawks and knows the importance of leaving last year in the past and letting this season's team make their mark.

"In our first team meeting, I stood the guys up that played at the national tournament," Potter said. "There are four guys. No one else has done anything. That's the message. My team saying this year is, 'Earn Everything.' I told the guys that we aren't ranked in my eyes, and we haven't done anything. Period. At the end of the day, we are trying to earn the right to be ranked. We have two ranked games right away and six out of our first eight opponents are ranked. For me, we have to earn the right to get into the rankings and earn the right to celebrate a win. That's what we are trying to do."

It's been a long offseason full of reflection and celebration of all that was accomplished in 2024, but Potter is itching to put the past in the past and is ready to take the pitch with a squad full of new faces.

"I'm buzzing," Potter said. "I'm so thrilled to have the guys put on a real jersey again. Having them celebrating with each other and seeing the smiles on each other's faces. There's not a day in my life that I find more joy in than a gameday. Seeing both the Northeast men's and women's teams finding joy and success for all of the hard work that they have put in on and off the field. We cherish those moments with one another."

Potter knows that you are going to have a target on your back when you take the field as a program who has tallied 64 wins over the last three seasons, and to overcome that he is looking for his group to create their own energy.

"We have to come out with our own fire and our own buzz," Potter said. "We have to know that we can go and get points every time that we step on the field. We have to want that. I told our guys after playing UNO and Drake that we have to stay humble and hungry. We have to want it for the person next to us. That's our team's choice when they get on the field. We've seen glimpses that even though we have 20 new guys, they are capable of latching onto one another and will fight for each other."

After holding their own against two NCAA DI institutions during the preseason in the University of Nebraska Omaha and Drake University, the Hawks are scheduled to compete in the Midwest NJCAA Showcase in Westfield, Indiana against some of the best teams in the nation.

"What a fun stage to compete on right away," Potter said, "There will be 12 ranked men's and women's teams in Indianapolis. It's awesome to play some of the nation's best right away because you have to go and back your national title in these kinds of environments by playing two games in three days on this stage. It's going to be a cool experience for our guys."

Expectations can be tricky after reaching the top of the mountain, but Potter is focused on having his team taking care of the little things before worrying about the outside noise.

"I want to see freshmen and newcomers learning and getting better every day," Potter said. "I want them to make small strides that turn into big impacts. Marius Elmose, Len Valkema, Sergio Aspas and others are examples throughout my time at Northeast of guys who made giant leaps at the end of the season from where they were at the beginning of the year. When you have so many new guys, you are trying to build that continuity and chemistry of a team. We can continue to grow even tighter while playing for the guy next to us."

Rings and banners are nice, but Potter knows the small details make everything happen.

"I'm not so much worried about trophies or other things, but I want us to focus on controlling our internal standards," Potter said. "Picking up cones, turning in papers on time and shaking your professor's hand are the things we are focused on. If we do those things, I guarantee that the stuff on the field will be fine."

Although he doesn't want it to be the focus, there are plenty of lessons that Potter can take from his team's title run in 2024.

"Already going into this first game, we've had numerous guys willing to adjust while remaining flexible," Potter said. "We learned that last year and during other years that I have been here. The guys that have returned have done a really good job of teaching lessons about how to be resilient. Having guys that can vocalize those lessons is something that you can't recreate. When you have guys that want it so bad, that creates an infectious culture."

Leadership can come in many different forms, and this year's group is proving just that to Potter.

"I have three sophomore captains who include Ludovico Vicini (Modena, Italy), Len Valkema (Leewarden, Netherlands) and Hugo Munter (Roskilde, Denmark)," Potter said. "Rockstar Marius Elmose (Viby, Denmark) doesn't have the armband on, but he has also had an influential role. He has helped teach our new guys how to press and other lessons, and in the first four games last year he didn't even travel. Watching him do that is fun to see and our sophomores have strong voices within the team. They are helping our freshmen grow quickly."

Northeast will start the season with 24 players who have never put on a jersey for the Hawks in a competitive match, and among those newcomers there are a few who have stood out to Potter.

"Jayden Quemada (Peoria, Ariz.) is a beast starting in goal," Potter said, "I'm really excited about him. He came in and has been extremely vocal and has been exciting to have in training every day. He asks good questions and wants to learn and grow. He played really well against Drake in the preseason. Nicolo Donadio (Rome, Italy) and Yosuke Shimizu (Kobe, Japan) both come from a winning program in Murray State College, who were at the national tournament last year."

With so many fresh faces, what are some traits that Potter has noticed since his team arrived at the start of August?

"This group has been very respectful," Potter said. "They have been willing to be uncomfortable and try different things. They have fought through adversity, and we will continue to build chemistry with each other as we go along."

Come November, there is one thing on Potter's mind about what he wants to see from this season as a whole.

"It's a three-yard sprint," Potter said. "For me, it's about if they made that final run. During the title game at the national tournament last year, one thing I'll never forget was the final whistle blowing and everyone dropping to the ground because they were so tired. They gave everything. If I have a group that is going to be willing to give everything, then I know that we did our part."

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