Oregon State Beavers Men's Soccer Preview: A Veteran Group of Midfielders Returns for OSU
While the Beavers have some rebuilding at other positions, Midfielder should be a strength for the team headed into the 2024 season. Several important veterans are returning for OSU's first West Coast Conference season, giving the team a key unit to build around.
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The biggest name to know will be Dante Williams. Wlliams is the top returning scorer from the Beavers' College Cup team, with seven goals and six assists last year. Williams is the kind of player who elevates everyone around him. He has a deft touch with the ball, capable of slipping a pass through defenders to an open man or completely faking out a goalie himself. Check out the goal that sent the Beavers to the NCAA Final Four.
Huge moment, and the Beavers lead in the first half!#GoBeavs #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/5n3RC8li8h
— Oregon State Men's Soccer (@BeaverMSoccer) December 2, 2023
Williams won't be the only other returning veteran. Arnau Farnos was a huge part of the College Cup run last year, and was named to the All-Tournament Team after the fact. He finished 2023 with four goals and five assists. Pere Belmonte (two assists) and Fabian Straudi (one goal and two assists) are also OSU veterans, and are capable of supporting the Beavers' prime offensive threats.
There will be plenty of new names showing up in the midfield as well. The Beavers picked up two big names in graduate transfers Alejandro Silva and Luke Bryant. Silva was an All-Wac First Teamer with Utah Valley last season, while Bryant helped Davidson on their run to the Atlantic-10 semifinal.
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Finally, one of the most exciting freshmen to watch on this year's team is midfielder Diego Rodriguez. Most recently with LA Galaxy Academy, Rodriguez has also spent time with LA Galaxy II and with the El Salvadoran U20 team.
Overall, this should be a very strong unit for Oregon State. Some of the best players on last year's team are back, and they've added some very interesting depth pieces. This is a group that could carry the Beavers to a lot of success this season.
Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.