The young players that longtime head coach Piotr Sliwa relied on last season's 13-5-4 team are expected to boost the Triton College men's soccer team this fall, resulting in lofty goals for Sliwa.

"With the guys  we have coming back and the new players we added, we can reach the district final," Sliwa said. "Anything less is a failure. If you don't go to nationals, you're not successful. And our region might be the toughest region to win in the entire country."

The Trojans compete in a highly competitive NJCAA Region 4 Division II, advancing to the title game last year as a No. 6 seed before losing to Madison College in the final. The 13 wins added to Sliwa's record as the winningest head coach in program history. He is currently the longest-tenured head coach among all Triton sports.

Sliwa's forecast for improvement starts with goalie Adam Jedrzejczyk, whom he described as "the best goalie in the region."

At 6-foot-2, Jedrzejczyk is taller than the average goalie, but "really athletic, he's super long," said Sliwa. "He gets to balls others don't get as most goalies can handle ground balls, but struggle with those in the air."

Backing up Jedrzejczyk is freshman Giovanni Valencia, a Leyden product from Melrose Park. Sliwa said he would not hesitate to start Valencia if needed and projects him as a future full-time starter.

Team captain is Kristian Martinez, a West Leyden alum from Northlake, anchors the back line. The center back is "the vocal leader on the team," said Sliwa. "He's the general on the field. Kristian played well last year. This year he took a step forward as a center-defender and will help Adam a lot."

Martinez is augmented by the trio of international arrivals: Australia's Oscar Kiely, Scotland's Luca Brown and Chile's Benjamin Guerra. All three contacted Sliwa directly, sending emails and performance video to pitch themselves to one of the top 25 NJCAA programs.

"Oscar is tall, fast strong and really calm on the ball," Sliwa said. He rated Brown as similar to Kiely in talent. "He's really good in the air, which was lacking last year and really exposed us against Madison."  Outside back Guerra has speed and endurance, and "is really good on the ball. He's a defender who goes into the attack."

Other top contributors include Mizael Arias and Brandon Delgado, a Leyden alum from Franklin Park, both of whom will both play forward and attacking midfield. Sliwa expects scoring from the pair of "crafty players with a lot of speed."

Lauded for his versatility is Gustavo Herrera, a West Leyden product from Northlake, who "played in back or up top," said Sliwa. "You could probably put him in goal."

Sliwa likened Jose Cordova (5-foot-7) to a "tank." "He's like a running back who gets you the two or three yards you need," said Sliwa, who also rated Christian Medina as a "general in the middle, the brains of the operations."

Two especially promising freshmen are Rafael Burciaga, a West Leyden alum from Northlake, and Jayden Farley.

"I predict 10 goals, and that's on the low side," Sliwa said of Burciaga. Defender Farley was rated "one of the best in the region, a great one on one defender who is fast and strong."

The Trojans will play Daley College in their home opener, Aug. 26 at the Jorndt Athletic Complex Multi-Purpose Field. Another key home game for Triton will be on Sept. 23, when Triton hosts Madison in a re-match of last season's regional title game.

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(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)