At the beginning of last season, then-first year head Coach Corey Sims entered the season tailed by questions and expectations. The team had won just three games the previous two seasons, and Sims was to be the third coach in as many seasons.

 “I certainly felt more pressure last year,” said Sims, when asked to compare it to how he feels now. “There was more of the monkey on the back of ‘how many wins are we going to get?’”

Sims undoubtedly took a step forward with the program, ending the season with five wins. The team’s 4-4 conference record was its best since 2009.

Sims said the transition into his second year as a whole has been easier, since he has come in knowing so much more about his expectations of the team than he would have as a new head coach.

One of the bigger challenges, however, has been keeping the student-athletes around and invested, not only in the game, but in school during the time between their first signing and now.

“We’ve had captains who have held captains practices,” Sims said. “We’ve got guys together, so they’ve been bonding before tryouts, which is nice.”

This coming season, the team looks to improve on last year’s performance combining a mix of incoming freshman and returning sophomores, including last year’s leading scorer, Marco Meneses, who led the team with 13 goals.

Sims said the team could place first or second in the conference, improving on its third place finish from last year. Still, the team has even higher aspirations for the upcoing season.

 “Our goal, definitely, is to make it to the national championship,” Sims said. “All the players are on board with that and they know that that’s the goal of this program and it will be our goal until we get there, and once we get there, it will continue to be our goal.”

Madison College kicks off the regular season against Concordia University JV in Mequon on Aug. 27. The WolfPack then travels to Crystal Lake, Ill., to take on McHenry County College at noon on Aug. 30.

The first home game of the season is at 4 p.m. on Sept. 3 at Warner Park against conference foe Triton College.