Being a seasoned team, UW-Eau Claire men’s club soccer has been making strides this season, senior Bryan Frenz, a fifth-year member, said.

“(Club soccer) has been an elite program for the past five years,” he said. “We’ve been to nationals a few times, and we’re hoping to go back this year.”

The team largely is made up of experienced players, as there are only seven new players, three of whom are freshmen. Also, a majority of the rookies who join club soccer each season are usually sophomores and juniors.

“The team is very old and mature,” senior Eric Katzung said.

Because the majority of its members have already been on the team during previous seasons, team chemistry is easy, Frenz said.

“We have team functions, and because we’re not a university-sponsored sport, we have to make our own money,” he said, “which means the team does a lot of fund-raisers and camps. It builds a lot of community.”

This season also has been good for breaking players down and then bringing them up, Frenz said.

“We’re at that progression where we’re playing very good soccer right now,” he said.

One of the things that also has been good this season is the large crowd the team draws, Katzung said.

“We usually have 100 or more fans at our games,” he said. “It’s real positive for the team morale during the entire game.”

The team has had nine games so far this season, playing against schools ranging from Michigan Tech. to Minnesota State – Mankato to UW-La Crosse.

The team’s next games are against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan, the two teams that started off the season. But this Saturday, the games are being held in Eau Claire instead of Michigan, giving the team home-field advantage.

“Both teams will be necessary wins for us to get to the regional and national tournament,” Katzung said.

At the beginning of the season, the team defeated Michigan Tech, but lost to Northern Michigan. It hopes to change that, Frenz said.

“We’ve already played (Northern Michigan) once this year, and we’ve got some revenge,” he said. “They beat us, so we hope to beat them.”

The team is working out a lot to prepare for the games, as well as working on a lot of possession, Katzung said.

“Our team is strengthening with each game we play,” he said. “We learn how to dominate the game for the entire time as the season progresses.”