By Brandon Petersen

In 2021, Westcliff men's soccer was a first-year program that beat everyone's expectations to reach the Cal Pac semifinals. 

But that team was loaded with seniors, and even though it was an unknown, that team should have been as good as it was. 

2022 was different. 

Yes, the Warriors once again beat the odds to reach the Cal Pac semifinals, but this time around, it wasn't about overcoming perception, but lack of experience. 

The Warriors featured six freshmen, seven sophomores and two juniors in 2022. 

They will graduate just four seniors in the spring. 

And while last season was incredibly impressive, this season might have been the greater accomplishment.

This team had to scratch and claw from the start. 

This team lost two of its best players, one for the entire season, and the other for the entire Cal Pac season. 

This team grew. It developed. It matured.

And by the end, it was very good.

"I am proud, and consider myself lucky, to lead this group of men," Westcliff head coach Tom Lancaster said. "It is a talented group of soccer players, but more importantly, they are good people who are on a path to do very well in their lives. 

"I am very grateful to get to be a part of it."

The Warriors' loss in the semifinals felt different than a year ago. 

Last season, Westcliff was shutout by a faster, more aggressive opponent. 

This year, the Warriors battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie it up with goals from Fridolin Gefrorer and Felix Kogler, before falling to UC Merced, 3-2. 

"After we made it 2-2, we felt a victory was coming," Lancaster said. "Their goal was against the run of play, but we still felt that we could go on and win the game."

And therein lies the difference between the two teams. 

Last year, the Warriors were knocked down and couldn't get up off the mat. 

This year, the Warriors got knocked down, jumped up and landed their own blows before simply being beat in an amazing match between two worthy foes. 

"It was an entertaining game of football," Lancaster said. "The level of play can only be good for the reputation of the Cal Pac. 

"In the second half, the guys played some of the best attacking football I've seen at this level. Both Frido's and Felix's goals were of the highest quality."

Vincenzo Centrella was given a questionable second yellow in the second half, and even though they played a man down, Lancaster says the Warriors never stopped believing they would win. 

"I'm incredibly proud of the team," he said. "This experience is only going to make them stronger."

There's no substitute for adversity when developing camaraderie. 

The Warriors lost Quentin Hornung before the season began, and then Justin Devlin broke his leg in the closing minutes against nationally-ranked OUAZ, just before Cal Pac play started.

"We had to adjust," Lancaster said. "It took a bit of time, but the adversity ultimately made the group stronger. The journey was rocky to start, but we learned a lot about ourselves, individually, and as a team, on how to quickly adapt and keep moving forward."

Lancaster points to Devlin as the perfect example. 

Devlin was on the sideline in a cast for the first Cal Pac contest against UC Merced. 

He was on the sideline at the end against Merced as well, in a walking boot. 

When Westcliff's women won the Cal Pac title, he was leading the men's team in rushing the field afterward.

Justin Devlin was already a leader, but losing his ability to play made him an even better leader. 

Essentially, he became a volunteer coach and scout. Even though he couldn't play, he could contribute. 

"He did not let his challenges stop him," Lancaster said. "Instead, he adapted to help the team by writing detailed scouting reports on our opposition."

A year from now, Devlin will be back on the field, and all of those young players, a year wiser, will have this season behind them, to take heed the lessons of perseverance, and build upon, just as this team built upon its predecessor's effort. 

Westcliff Men's Soccer, now four years old, is two years into Cal Pac play. 

The Warriors are 2-for-2 in reaching the postseason. 

They look well poised to make it 3-for-3.