A spirited, competitive preseason has the Muhlenberg men's soccer team looking forward to the 2016 campaign.

The Mules, who open up tomorrow at Centenary and have their home opener slated for Saturday night against Lebanon Valley, have a 30-man squad that features a strong mix of veterans and younger players.

"The practices have been upbeat and uptempo, and the guys are ready to get after it," said head coach Sean Topping in the team's preview video.

"I really think that we can put together something special this year," said senior Nick Sarkos.

"We just have to stay positive, stay on each other, keep working hard, and good things will happen," added senior Jack Dusing.

Muhlenberg returns all but two players who scored a point in 2015. Sarkos earned All-Centennial Conference honorable mention after scoring four goals, and classmate Jeff Remley also netted four after entering the year with just one career goal. 

Senior Phil Rahling was slowed by injuries last year but has scored eight career goals and was a key contributor to the 2014 squad that reached the NCAA "Sweet 16."

Dusing, a two-year captain, returns to his starting spot as a defensive midfielder, and junior Anthony Carracino is back in the midfield after suffering a season-ending injury early last year. Senior Andrew Bell will see time as a flank player. In Shaun Bartholomew, Kevin Irving, Christian Wieand and Kiefer Cundy, the Mules have a quartet of sophomore midfielders who saw plenty of time as rookies.

Senior Chris Skutnik and junior Jan Chmura are both veterans at center back, and senior Patrick Bell and junior Nick Dusing will also see time in the back. Sophomore Marshall Hanyon, who transferred to Muhlenberg between semesters last year, is the starting goalie.

"We have a great competitive spirit going on in the squad right now," said Topping. "I think they're ready to get back to the conference tournament and after another conference championship."