CHICAGO – After consecutive top-two finishes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the standard for Roosevelt men's soccer is set.

For the first time this season, though, there is a new goal to chase – the national postseason. The Lakers were picked to finish second in the GLIAC this season, and they enter the year with a chip on their shoulder.

As good as Roosevelt was last season – nine wins, five ties and four defeats – the team entered the spring feeling disappointed. The players felt like they could have done better, and that determination was strengthened by the newcomers who arrived on campus this offseason.

The Lakers picked up a pair of international student-athletes who they believe will be immediate difference makers in defender Matti Pickel and midfielder Andrea Mercanti. Roosevelt also added a Division I transfer defender with Tim Koczupal, who will fight for playing time on a crowded back line. Among the returners in the back are sophomores Andreas Adoni and Matthew Goulding as well as wing backs Rafael Rios and Angelo Piech.

Roosevelt also has its three-year captain back in midfielder Noah Vasilev, who will again be a key link between the defense and attacking side. The midfield will be a crowded bunch for the Lakers with sophomores such as Nikola Dimitrijevic and Krystian Niziolek back after playing significant minutes last season.

Fynn Mewes returns for his final year of eligibility after being named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year last season. He'll be joined in the attack by Omar Yousaf, who missed most of last season due to injury and has looked even stronger after an offseason of rehab. The Lakers could also sneak Dimitrijevic and Niziolek along the front line in an interchangeable formation that will put more pressure on opponents.

The Lakers will have a good test early in the season with No. 21 Cedarville set to visit Morris Field on Saturday, but first, Roosevelt will face Upper Iowa in the season opener Thursday at 6 p.m.