On Sept. 29, the Siena Heights men’s soccer team took the field at O’Laughlin Stadium to take on the Golden Eagles from Cornerstone University.

The Saints, who have already tripled their win total last year after going 2-14-2, are now sitting comfortably at 6-1-1 after a strong start this season and have put themselves right where they want to be in conference play with one win against Concordia (5-1) and then the 2-2 tie in double-overtime against Cornerstone.

Freshman defender Kevin Stalzer said he believes the success the team is having this year is due to them really working well together as a team and building good team chemistry between each other, as well as holding themselves accountable for the little things to make them that much better.

Granted, the Saints would’ve rather had a win against the Golden Eagles, a tie is still way better than loss. Ties are fairly common in sports such as soccer and hockey.

“Coming out with the win last night would have been great for us as a team because it was a conference game, which would have helped us out a lot to put us in a better ranking for our conference,” said Stalzer.

The win would’ve also helped the Saints keep their winning streak of six going after going on a hot streak after opening the season with a loss at Goshen (Ind.).

In order for the team to continue its recent success, they need to continue working hard every day and not relaxing or becoming comfortable with where they are at, Stalzer said.

“For us to stay on the winning path this year, we really have to bring up the intensity in the game or at practice and keep getting better and moving forward,” said Stalzer. “(There’s) always room for improvement to make us a better team.”

Stalzer, who is a native of Mason High School, had a strong showing for the Saints, showing off his craft of several different jukes and moves with the ball, leaving defenders with their cleats stuck in the “dirt.”

Several of the other Saints players had a strong showing as well with their moves and got the crowd more involved. Elmedin Celovic and Kaysey Collins had the goals for SHU. Leo Hisamatsu made 14 saves in net.

“I think a decent crowd has a huge impact on the way we play as a team and individually,” said Stalzer. “That positive energy of screaming and chanting gets us hyped up to perform even better and brings that intensity to keep pushing through and get us pumped up.”

Though the team is in the middle of a dramatic change from last season to this one, Stalzer said he believes there is still some little things that they can improve in order to jump up another level and continue winning. But he doesn’t think that it will just happen overnight.

“Taking on step at a time and being mentally and physically focused is key,” said Stalzer.

The Saints’ next home game will be on Saturday, October 10 against Lawrence Tech at 4:30 p.m.