EVANSVILLE – University of Evansville head men's soccer coach Marshall Ray liked a lot of what he saw from his men's soccer team on Tuesday evening, and he'll be looking for more from his Purple Aces squad as they prepare to take on IUPUI in an exhibition contest on Saturday in Indianapolis.
 
"With the way that the weather has been, it was nice to get on a field again and play," Ray said. "The conditions weren't great, but the field held up and allowed us to put together 60 minutes that were productive. I was pleased with the attitude and the effort that the guys put in."
 
The match, which was a scoreless draw, reflected the emphasis that Ray and his coaching staff have had on defense this preseason. The Aces are trying to improve their defensive record from a season ago, which saw them post two shutouts.
 
"We've been working on some defensive principles individually and in small groups as well as team shape and things like that," the second-year head coach said. "It was good to see the guys communicating and talking each other through it. We've been working on making sure that we can have all our guys on the same page, and if there's a main focus this preseason, it's on having healthy competition for the guys to compete and battle to earn the right to play. That factor has played a big role in helping us improve ourselves defensively."
 
One of the major contributors to an improved defensive effort this season will likely be sophomore Trevor Baum, who went down with an injury after starting nine contests last year. The Keller, Texas, native and son of former Aces player John Baum, is still working his way back from that setback, and Ray expects him to hit full fitness prior to conference play.
 
"Trevor was a big part of what we were doing last year, and it was unfortunate to lose him when we did," Ray said. "I think he has the potential to be a big piece of the puzzle back there. He's fairly fit, but he's just know getting into game shape after the ACL reconstruction, so it's going to take some time. He's done well so far though, and hopefully he can continue to improve on what he's shown so far."
 
Other key cogs in the UE defensive effort are likely to be Chris Shuck, Ian McGrath, Ryan Koenig and Eric McDougal.
 
"We're going to have some options on the back line, which should be nice," Ray explained. "Last year, if we had one guy go down, we would have to move everything around. The group we have this year will help us solidify some things back there. We have a few different pieces that we can put into place, and hopefully that will help us develop some continuity."
 
There's also been a battle for the starting goalkeeper nod between returners Greg Niven and Matt Keller as well as freshman Frederik Reimer, who came to UE after an impressive club career with Aalborg in his native Denmark.
 
"Matt has been able to push Frederik a bit so far this fall, and it's been a while since Frederik has played in a competitive match," Ray said. "It may take a little time for him to get into game shape, not only physically, but mentally. Greg's really pushed himself as well, and I think we have a really good group of goalkeepers this year."
 
The Aces will open the regular season next week with trips to Xavier and Northern Kentucky. The home season for UE will start with the annual ProRehab classic on Sept. 9.
 
 
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