About the Program

The Occidental College men’s soccer team regularly plays against some of the strongest NCAA Division III and NAIA schools in the region. Improvement in depth and quality has resulted in a more competitive team and quality performances that resulted in wins over Claremont and Cal Lutheran and a narrow 2-1 loss to conference topping Redlands in the 2006 season. The squad, which has matured, exhibited the type of attitude, work ethic, commitment and desire that is required to consistently compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Along with those qualities, also visible was a raised level of play that improved, in part, because of the experience gained in the past seasons. Playing against NCAA Division III runner-up and  then #5 nationally ranked UC Santa Cruz, 2001 national finalist Redlands, Div. III Independent Chapman, NAIA schools Hope International and regional playoff qualifiers Menlo College, plus tough conference opponents presents challenges and growth opportunities for the committed, competitive student-athlete. 

Occidental has a proud history when it comes to academic and athletic excellence. Ability along with mental toughness, the thirst for success and a competitive zeal are some of the characteristics that are the hallmarks of successful Occidental performers. Over the years men’s soccer has produced a number of All-Conference First and Second Team Selections, has had representation on Academic All-American Teams and seen players go on to play in the United Soccer Leagues. In 2006 midfielder John Minger and striker Fran Taylor were selected All-SCIAC First Team while captain Ben Torgersen was selected All-SCIAC Second Team for the third straight year.      

Our goal for the fall and beyond is to continue to improve our current players with competitive training and to strengthen further through ongoing recruiting of talented, motivated players. Competitive players, who may not get all the playing time they would like in a NCAA Division II or NAIA program can play all four years at Oxy while working toward their degree at an excellent nationally recognized institution.  It’s clear that the addition of this kind of competitive player plus the ongoing growth within our current squad is the path to future success.