Defending national champions are ready for the next challenge

BRIDGEPORT — His team was NCAA Division II women’s soccer champion for about 24 hours when Magnus Nilerud’s mind began drifting to the future.

“You start thinking, can you do it again?” the University of Bridgeport coach said. “What’s needed to do it again.”

Not that Nilerud didn’t bask in the glory of reaching the pinnacle of his sport. There were celebrations and events that rolled into the spring, and Nilerud and his players enjoyed every sip of glory.

But …

“In terms of preparing for next year? That happened the next day on the bus,” he said.

Next year is here. The reigning national champion will open the 2019 season in Manchester, N.H. Friday, when the Purple Knights face Southern Connecticut in the SNHU Classic.

And it starts a season in which Bridgeport (2041) will have an undeniable target on its back. Every opponent will be motivated to beat the NCAA champion, a reality Nilerud and his staff have discussed with the players.

But that has not been the focus of preseason preparation. Nor has there been much chatter about last season, as euphoric as it was.

It’s a new season and a new team. Time to move on.

“That’s been the message,” Nilerud said. “No one remembers what happened last year except for us and our friends and family. So it’s just a new start. We spoke about it a little bit at the beginning of camp, but we kind of left it since. Now all we talk about 2019.”

Bridgeport returns a core of eight players who were on the field during the NCAA title game. Most notable is senior Maegen Doyle, who had 28 goals and 59 points as she earned Division II National Player of the Year.

The Harwich, England native has designs on a professional career, which is shaping her view of this season.

“She thinks she’s at a point in her life where she’s got clear goals of what she wants to do after and I think she’s using this year as a springboard for that,” Nilerud said. “So I don’t think the stats will drive her as much this year as the success of the team. … She kind of flourished last year, I thought, not only as a player but as a person, as a leader.”

Doyle is one of seven seniors on a roster that includes nine freshmen. So leadership from Doyle and her classmates will be crucial.

“We’ve got a good group,” Nilerud said. “Not just the new kids, but the returners as well. They kind of bought in and they have responded. … They bought into the culture and the concept of the returning group. I think they’re very goalminded, too, in terms of what they want to accomplish this year.”

As Nilerud reminisced about the title run, he couldn’t help but recount the breaks along the way — such as facing Grand Valley State in the second game of the season, only to see the same opponents in the NCAA title game. After losing 60 in September, the Purple Knights knew what to expect the next time around and they responded with a 10 win.

“Everything had to fall into place,” he said. “You understand that.”

So as he approaches the season after the title, Nilerud has a clear head and a realistic view. He likes his roster, he still has an elite player, and his players seem poised to embrace the role of “hunted” as they line up against every opponent this fall.

Otherwise, it’s just another season.

“We’re going to get better with time, just like every other season and every other team,” he said. “For us, we’re trying to peak at maybe the beginning of November or middle of November as opposed to trying to peak now. So you have to be patient. We’ll see.”