Flames fully focus on pursuit of first ASUN conference championship for Men’s Soccer

Back in April,  Liberty men’s soccer fell to Lipscomb 2-0 in the ASUN quarterfinals, an early end to a shortened spring season. Now, the team looks forward to the fall, desperately eyeing another shot at the ASUN crown.  

Kelly Findley returns for his third season as Liberty’s head coach. Coming off a 7-3-2 season, he said the Flames are looking forward to the fall. 

“We’re excited,” Findley said to Liberty Flames Sports Network. “I think our number one thing is that we’ve got a good group. They are committed to each other, and they understand the value of getting better every day.” 

Although expectations are high after a winning season and the Flames coming in as high as 15 in the national rankings, Findley addressed a lack of trophies.

“Our theme in the spring that will remain the same this fall is, ‘Can we close the gap?’” Findley said to LFSN. “As much as we had a pretty good season, we didn’t win the conference, nor did we make the NCAA tournament.” 

Last season was marked by COVID-19 disruptions, and the entire season ended up being played in the spring of 2021, making it a short turnaround for a new season this fall. Findley said the Flames will use this to their advantage. 

“Interestingly, I think having a spring season and then a short summer into the fall is going to be great,” Findley said. “We had a short spring season and a good summer, so I believe we are going to be able to carry over from last year.”

Midfielder Marko Mitrevski is getting ready for his second season with the Flames, and he said the energy is high. 

“Everybody is buzzing,” Mitrevski said in an LFSN interview. “Last year we fell short in the conference tournament, but we showed teams who we are, and we are ready to make a big impact this year.”

 Mitrevski also spoke of the shortened offseason, stressing how important it was for the team to focus on their bodies. 

“The biggest thing is trying to prevent injuries,” Mitrevski said to LFSN. “There is not much you can improve on in a short summer, so just making sure everyone stayed fit and healthy.” 

Costa Rica native Danny Cordero is a returning goalkeeper for the Flames. He is one of 10 starters returning for Liberty. Cordero posted eight shutouts in his first season with the Flames. 

Even with such early success, Findley said the ceiling is even higher for his goalkeeper. 

“It is interesting, Danny missed most of the fall with surgery before the spring season, so I think he can play better, which is interesting,” Findley said to LFSN. “As well as Danny played, I think he’s going to be on top of his game because we’ve got a good group.” 

The Flames’ schedule includes a trip to North Carolina for the first two games of the season against Duke and Elon, with the home opener set for Sept. 3 against Winthrop. To be better prepared for postseason play, Findley said he took notes from Liberty basketball’s coach Ritchie McKay. 

“I’ve taken a que from [McKay] on our scheduling,” Findley said to LFSN. “We are going to learn more from playing good teams, and I feel we have a schedule that will prepare us for a championship. ”

Zac Zehnder is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @zaczahnder.