The 2024 season is the sixth year for the Indiana University Northwest men’s soccer team, and the program looks to move into the postseason after grabbing some momentum late in the 2023 campaign during CCAC play.
The senior group
Graduate student Tyler Davis, along with seniors Avione Lane and Gianni Ramirez rank in the top 10 for most time played in a RedHawks soccer uniform. Davis has played in 49 matches and played over 3500 minutes, while Lane and Ramirez have combined to appear in 75 games and tally four goals.
Davis, Lane and Ramirez all helped IUN pick up its first two conference wins, which was a pair of 3-1 victories over St. Francis and Calumet St. Joseph.
Offense returning to the RedHawks
Along with the seniors, IUN also welcomes back eight sophomores and two juniors – Omar Mehisen and Dom Bixeman. Bixeman scored six goals a season ago, while sophomores Isaac Macias, Luis Limones and Joshua Adepoju combined for six scores to go along with Mehisen’s goal.
Adepoju, Bixeman, Limones, Macias and Mehisen scored over 50 percent of the RedHawks goals from last season and had nearly half of the teams’ total shots.
“Last year was a great developmental year for our very young squad. It takes time to learn styles and systems of play. I believe we will be in a much better place to compete this year with the experience our returners gained last year, especially throughout the spring,” Head Coach Ben Kososkie said. “Junior, Dom Bixeman should play a heavy role for us in goal production. We are returning several starters in the midfield and back line. Sophomore captain, Luis Limones will lead us in the midfield and we will get great defensive efforts from our Junior Captain Omar Mehisen and graduate Captain Tyler Davis in the back. Senior, Avione Lane gives us pace and 1v1 abilities on the flank. I’m just naming a few of several returners that I believe will make great contributions this season.”
Newcomers join IUN
With the 2024 season on the horizon, IUN has added a senior, six juniors and one sophomore transfer to go along with four freshmen.
Giovanni Lopez is the senior transfer for the RedHawks after he previously played at CCSJ. The six juniors are Tre Adams, Devun Collins, Nicholas Flores, Trevon Hamilton, Kyle Scott and Tariq Singh. Tristyn Kososkie a sophomore arrives from Edmonds College, while freshmen Erick Gonzalez (East Chicago), Lyric Johnson (Michigan City), Cesar Lopez (Chicago) and Brandon Ramirez (East Chicago) are playing college soccer for the first.
“Our class of transfers really has matured our young team. We’ve brought in several capable leaders and proven difference makers. Trevon Hamilton was an NWAC All-Star selection that led Edmonds College in goals. Nicholas Flores from Prairie State has been a starter for an NJCAA National Tournament team. Tre Adams (PNW) and Kyle Scott (Lake Tahoe CC) are big signings with goal scoring capabilities and the ability to play multiple positions. Tristyn Kososkie (Edmonds) gives us greater depth and flair in midfield. Devun Collins (Edmonds) and Tariq Singh (Kankakee) are proven shot stoppers in goal and give us depth in an incredibly important position. We also have some incoming Freshman like Cesar Lopez and Erick Gonzalez that are going to fight for starting positions and that I expect big contributions from in the future,” Kososkie said.
2024 season
The new season begins Saturday, Aug. 24 on the road at Mount Mercy starting at 11 a.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The regular season wraps up with three of the last four matches at the Crown Point SportsPlex starting Oct. 19 and concluding Oct. 30.
“The 2023-2024 season was groundbreaking for us. We set all kinds of records for the program, including most goals and least conceded in a season. We won our first two conference games in program history and nearly upset the #1 ranked CCAC team in conference play. I’m proud of our achievements but I believe this season will eclipse everything that we did last year. We’re more athletic, technically better, our roster is deeper, and most importantly is the experience we gained last season along with our new signings. One of my goals is to make the CCAC playoffs this year and I believe we have the team to accomplish that,” Kososkie said.
