NEWBERG, Ore. -- It's not a fluke.

That's the mission, the mantra of the 2025 George Fox men's soccer team. To prove to the entire Northwest Conference that their standout 2024 season was no joke.

The Bruins had their best season since 1995 — back when the school was a member of the NAIA — finishing the year with a 14-5-1 record, including a 10-5-1 record in NWC play. That record was good enough to move Fox to a second-place finish in conference play, their highest mark in the 21st century.

"We don't ever want anything to be a flash in the pan," Bruin head coach Paul Karver said, "And that's something that you see with these guys. The drive, the conversations that we're having are about how we consistently, day-by-day redefine the standard of Bruin soccer."

That standard begins with a strong senior class for Fox in 2025, consisting of 11 players that have significant experience — Quincy Walker, Andrew Turner, Eugene Peltier, Kellin Aguiar, Elijah Soon, Isaac Williams, Matthew Woodard, Kaimi Victor, Dylan Bell, Sam Graves, and Kilinahe Waring. Five of those 11 seniors started 18 or more games for Fox in 2024, with seven playing in at least 14.

Those seniors range from defender Elijah Soon, who led the team in minutes this past season, to Guam U23 national team member Quincy Walker, who was limited to just six games due to an injury. 2024 goal-leader Isaac Williams, who scored seven on just 23 shots, helps bolster the offense. Those players, along with the nine other hungry seniors, have more than just their impressive array of goals and assists: they have the drive, the mission, and the passion for George Fox athletics.

"Their commitment to being Bruins is a real testament to what has allowed us to create a program like this," Karver said, "A program where the greatest single asset that any of our guys have is that they love being a Bruin and love being at George Fox.'

The passion of the seniors has trickled down to a talented group of 15 freshmen. Several of those freshmen — Alex Boungervino, Raiden Renggli, Luke Lidington, and Joshua Adams-Vakulenko — started in the team's two exhibition games, with Carson Tapia recording an assist. 

The whole group of youngsters brings a speed that impresses Karver, as well as their commitment to the team and the culture, in the first few weeks. And from local products Owen Williams, Rubén Velázquez, Anthony Acosta, and Andrew Everett to California's Merric Marino and Aydin Heth, Washington's Connor Dayley and Liam Urbina, and Utah's Reiker Swenson, Karver struggled to name just one standout player.

" I have a really hard time singling any one guy out without then going, 'oh, why do we leave that guy out?'" Karver said, "It's a group that reflects so much of the senior class."

The talent doesn't stop there for the depth-laden Bruins. Junior transfers Chase Nelson from Seattle Pacific, who recorded five saves in the team's game against Warner Pacific, and Wilson Fresh from Clark College, who scored two goals in their exhibition win over Evergreen State, join returning juniors Eli McIntyre and Bear Jarman.

For the sophomores, Talon Wagner not only brings his DJing abilities (the team's starting lineup song is a custom beat made by the defender) but also 18 starts as a freshman and nearly 1500 minutes played. Wagner is joined by Pierce ODonnell, Patrick O'Brien, Evan Sanderford, and Bryant Donovan, who look to step up and make an impact in their second season.

These 35 strong will get to stay in the friendly confines of Austin Sports Complex to start the season. Including two home exhibition games, the Bruins will play their first seven matches of the 2025 season in Newberg, with their first away game not coming until Sunday, September 14, against Pacific. This move was no accident from the Bruin coaching staff, who looked to have the team gel before NWC play begins.

" With a large group coming in, it's important to make sure that everybody was involved and that everybody was at home," Karver said, "Because if we were to travel to Boston, like we did last year, we'd have to leave guys at home. We didn't feel like that approach to this season was going to serve us in the way that we wanted."

The team will get that chance to gel with four games to start the season against Oregon Tech, Bushnell, Whittier, and Corban, before beginning conference play against Willamette. And when conference play starts, Fox knows they won't be sneaking up on anyone — Fox is projected to finish fourth in the conference in the preseason conference poll. Last season, they were picked to finish seventh. 

But that's the mentality of the 2025 George Fox Bruin men's soccer team. No matter what the expectations are, show up and compete. As Karver puts it: "That pressure is a privilege."

It's a privilege for the team to bond and gel in those home games. It's a privilege for those 15 freshmen to step into collegiate soccer. It's a privilege for the seniors to end their careers on a high note. It's a privilege to play fast, technical, good soccer at a high standard and show everyone that last season wasn't a fluke.

It's just a privilege to be a Bruin.