One constant over the past two seasons for the Southwest Men's Soccer program is the level of competitiveness displayed by head coach Zach Mills' teams with a playoff run two seasons ago followed by a narrow miss at the postseason in 2024.

Entering the 2025 campaign, Mills is pushing for a return to the playoffs and believes he has the right pieces in place that can deliver results.

Despite losing a number of talented players from last year's team, Mills is still very optimistic that the new group can catch on quickly and push forward with great success.

"Good kids, good attitudes, we just have to figure a couple of things out before the season starts," he said. "We replaced some big names but with everyday that passes, they are improving. I am excited."

Mills adds that the preseason schedule is a great chance for not only his kids to learn to work as a cohesive group but also give both he and his staff a chance to see where they are and possibly any adjustments that need to be made. Thus far he has been pleased adding there are still a couple of things they want to work on ahead of the season opener.

"We just have to be a little more together," he said. "We tried to pump that into their brains. They need to understand that if we don't do things together, we won't have success this season. The good news is that they know it and we know it and we are working towards the togetherness."

The Bears feature a handful of key returners from last year's squad. Jack Boyd, who finished second on the team in scoring with 17 points on seven goals and three assists returns, as does Jamie Settles, Orlando Hernandez and Froylan Texoco-Rodriguez who all finished with four points apiece. Other key returners are defender Cooper Powell and goalkeeper Carson Lee.

They join a talented group of freshman which includes a name that Bear fans may be familiar with. Ilan Marin, whose brother Loan starred in goal for Southwest two seasons ago not only garnering individual accolades, but also helping lead the Bears to the playoffs, enters his first season in Summit.

Mills believes that he may have a slight advantage over the other freshmen due to receiving advice from his older brother on how to adapt to a Zach Mills-style team.

"One hundred percent," Mills said emphatically, responding to the question on Marin's advantage. "I can already see it. I already know that he is going to understand what we expect and be prepared for it a little more. He's a fun guy but when he's on the field, he wants to win. He demands a lot from himself and so we do too."

Joining Mills on the sidelines this fall are two new assistants in Cesar Cuellar and Brenden Flanell, both of whom brings years of experience in the sport. Cuellar grew up in Miami, Florida and played club ball with exclusive teams including Inter Miami of Major League Soccer Academy. He played collegiately at Florida International and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree from Central Methodist University in Missouri.

Flannel, who is from Mansfield, Illinois, also played club ball growing up before playing collegiately at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. His soccer journey included playing professionally with stops in Detroit, Michigan; Windsor, Ontario, Canada and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He finished his undergrad at Central Methodist University earning a degree in International Business.

Mills said that he is lucky to have assistant coaches like Cuellar and Flanell, two individuals who logged plenty of time both on the field as players and on the sidelines as coaches.

"Honestly, I'm not one to brag but there's no chance a staff is better than what we have here, that a head coach has assistants with this good of quality," he said. "And there are plenty of good assistants out there but these guys are ready for it. They bring such a different flavor to the team. They bring a high level of playing experience and each have coaching backgrounds."

The Bears open their 2025 campaign Friday at 1 p.m. hosting Jacksonville College.