Polson graduates prepare for college soccer season
Trever Moll
Four local men will continue their college soccer careers this fall at various institutions.
Polson graduate Trever Moll will enter his junior season playing for Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash.
The Eagles were picked to finish third in the NAIA Cascade Conference preseason poll.
Moll recently moved from midfield to defender due to a shift in the team’s formation.
“My role is just to be wherever the team needs me,” he said. “…With our current formation, the outside defender really does play a midfielder’s role in starting the attack.”
Moll appeared in 13 of Northwest’s 19 games last season, starting two of them. Northwest finished the season 10-8-1, posting an 8-6 conference mark.
He hopes they can improve on that this year, possibly even to the degree of winning the conference.
“If we continue to grow and learn our formation, I think we have a real good shot at winning the conference,” said the former Polson captain.
Nick Howell and Jon Murphy, both of Polson, will continue their careers into their sophomore year at Rocky Mountain College.
“It was a little tougher than I expected going in,” Howell said. “I feel like I did well adapting to both the academic and soccer programs.”
At his outside defender position, Howell made the traveling squad and played a role as a reserve last year. He hopes to start at that position this season.
“This summer, I really pushed it [in the weight room] to try and get quite a bit bigger because I knew I had a chance at starting,” he said.
Murphy has been working on a transition from playing midfield to defender.
He saw limited action last season.
“Hopefully I can get more playing time,” he said. “…I think I’m a better defender than I am on offense. I’m hoping that I’ll get the hang of it.”
The Bears lost to Jamestown in the first round of the NAIA national tournament last season.
James Larson, a 2013 Polson graduate, hopes to begin his career at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn.
The Cardinals finished 7-10-1 in 2012.