Branson, Mo. (For Ozarks Sports Zone)  -- The Branson High School soccer team enters its fifth season in the Central Ozark Conference-Large Division. The team has 11 seniors returning hoping to improve from last season.

Coach David Brenner said, “The seniors have been voluntarily doing offseason conditioning at 6:30 a.m. They have raised the bar for themselves and for everyone on the team. I think this will pay off for us in the end.”

Two of the key players returning will be Patrick Hubbard, a senior midfielder, and Nick McDowell, a senior center midfielder.  McDowell was an all-conference player and Hubbard was an all-conference and all-district player.

 “We depend on McDowell and Hubbard to run our offense and our defense,” Brenner said. “They have a lot of experience and everything we do on the field goes through them.”

Bradley Herschend, a senior outside midfielder who tore his ACL and MCL last season, will return this season.

“He is the energy on the team,” Brennar said. “He is the type of players who gives you everything he has and goes for as long as he can.”

Two junior varsity players moving to varsity this year will be brothers Wes, a junior, and Wyatt Davis, a sophomore.

Brenner expects to lean on them for defense since several of the other defensive players graduated last season.

The Pirates will be a more attacking team this season, because the most experienced players will be on the very front line and in the very back of the field. The back of the field will be protected by senior goalie Bryce Vandenhoeck, who is back for his third season.

Brenner said the team’s weakness will be the inexperience of the defense.

Nine seniors graduated last year from the Pirates’ team that went 6-13 with no major tournament wins.

 “Last season,” Brenner said, “the team underachieved. They didn’t get the results they wanted or expected. The team was close in several key games, but they weren’t able to finish strong.”

This season Brenner and the team expect to be better. They set a goal of winning Branson soccer’s first district championship.

 “I think it is going to be an exciting season. They seniors have worked hard to make this year better,” Brenner said.