Romeoville, Ill. - Most soccer coaches would like to have an idea as to whom their starting 11 players will be heading into the upcoming season.
   Not Lewis University head men's soccer coach Evan Fiffles.
   Fiffles craves competition not only against opposing teams, but within his squad for the right to stand at midfield before the game to hear the National Anthem.
   Through the first few weeks of preseason camp, many of Fiffles' players have shown that they have the ability to start for the Flyers, but they have to do it on a consistent basis, according to the 20th year skipper.
   “I've preached throughout camp that no one has a starting spot,” Fiffles said. “I think we could have eight guys competing for a spot in the middle, five or six guys competing for a spot in the back and four guys up top with Alec (Pickett) and Sebastian (Kieruzal) at goal.”
   The position battle that is at the forefront of Fiffles' mind is at defense, where he is looking to make a marked improvement from the 2010 season where the Flyers surrendered 1.16 goals-per-game.
After graduating four players in 2010 that started at some point in the career in the back for the Flyers, Fiffles had to send out a relatively inexperienced line of defenders alongside 2009 All-American Zac Bond (Decatur, Ill./MacArthur).   
   One of those defenders was then-freshman Jacob Karasiewicz who had never played the position before. The Michigan native started all 17 games and could also see some action at midfield for the Flyers.
   “Jake had never played defense before, and I thought he did a pretty decent job for us back there,” Fiffles said. “One of the reasons Jake won that spot in the back is because he's the fastest kid on the team.
   “With him and Zac back there, no one was going to get behind us,” Fiffles continued. “If you were going to score it was either because of combos between us, or they were going to score in the air.”
   Fiffles could have three freshmen start at defense for the Flyers, in Nick Miller (Chandler, Ariz./Perry) and twin brothers David and Michael Pyle (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard South). That has never happened during his tenure, but that's okay with Fiffles.
   “We're going to take our bumps, but I like those three guys,” Fiffles said.
   Last spring, Fiffles moved forward Robens Decius (Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Glades) to defense because of the Flyers' lack of depth in the back. As a junior, Decius scored three goals and dished out four assists in his first season as a Flyer.
   “(Robens) is a good soccer player who can play any position,” Fiffles said. “I just felt because of his ball handling ability, his speed and his toughness that he could be a good center back.”
   Others competing for time at defense are junior Arlind Kociu (Chicago, Ill./Taft) (17 starts in 2010) and redshirt freshman Nick Skrip (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield South).
   Playing behind the defense are goalkeepers Sebastian Kieruzal (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) and Alec Pickett (Mokena, Ill./Providence ). Kieruzal played a key role in the Flyers' run to the 2009 NCAA Division II 'Final Four' as he owned the nation's second-best save percentage (.875). For his efforts, Kieruzal was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and to the NSCAA All-Midwest Region First Team.
   Kieruzal, however, cannot rest on his laurels as Pickett is itching to play between the pipes for the Flyers. As a freshman, Pickett saw action in five games and allowed one goal in 143:42 minutes played and even started over Kieruzal in the Spring.
   “Alec probably outplayed (Sebastian) in the spring, but when we came into camp, it was who in the intersquads and the training gave up the least amount of goals that I felt that should have been saved,” Fiffles said. “I felt that Sebastian was that guy.”
   “I think they're close, but I don't know if the one who starts is a difference maker from the second one,” Fiffles continued. “Right now, Sebastian is going to start, but I have no problem at the half in a tight game to throw Alec in there.”
   Midfield could be the Flyers' deepest position, led by senior Aloisio Barros (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Pampulha). Last season, Barros – who stands 5-foot-6, 129 pounds - made an immediate impact for Lewis as he notched a team-best 10 goals and finished with 23 points on the campaign, which was the sixth-best in the GLVC.
   “(Al) gives you that kind of player that can get out of a tight situation and make something happen because not a lot of guys can do that,” Fiffles said. “Al has to go ahead and have a run at the park because of his size.
   “Now he can't get matched up with a 6-1, 185 pound guy,” Fiffles continued. “But if he has the ball six yards away from that guy, I'll take that all day.”
   Junior Robert McGowan (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) has been a fixture in the Flyer line-up since he was a freshman, as the Mokena, Ill., native has appeared in 36 contests with 23 starts. Last season, McGowan led the team and was fourth in the GLVC with six helpers.
   “(Robbie) is one of those guys where you have to find a spot on the field for,” Fiffles said. “He's so fit and has a good leadership mentality, so he has to be out there.”
   Sophomore Cristhian Ramirez (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) also impressed in his rookie season for the Flyers in 2010, as he started 16 out of 17 games and posted four goals and added six assists. He could see action at either midfield or forward for Lewis this season.
   “I've always liked (Cris) because he had some ability with the ball,” Fiffles said. “He would be a good roamer because he has that acceleration and he's good with the ball.
   “Some of my best scorers didn't do anything when they were freshmen, but that sophomore and junior year is when they kind of took off,” Fiffles continued. “When they get that confidence and fit in, they could have a 10 or 15 goal season.”
   Others competing for playing time at midfield include senior Boris Brnada (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood), junior Lazaro Gil (Miami, Fla./), sophomores Guy Claude Ngbwa-Ngbwa (Jeffersonville, Penn./Immaculate Conception) and Niall Hoban (Dublin, Ireland/Portmarnock); and freshman George Thomson (Kilmarnock, Scotland/Reid Kerr College).
   Thomson can also play forward, but will have to compete with senior Eduardo Acxer Way (Chicago, Ill./Schurz). Way has appeared in 30 games for the Flyers in two seasons, including seven starts.
   “Acxer gives you that acceleration,” Fiffles said. “When he has his confidence, he can score and he's very good at being sneaky around the two center backs.”
   Others competing for playing time at forward include freshman Dale Malcolm-Adams (London, England/Isleworth & Syon) and sophomore Ryan Turner (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport).