Comets Men’s Soccer Continues Upward Trajectory in Year Three of the Program

Head Coach Alex Scheuler now completing his sixth overall year as a collegiate head coach and third with the Comets, reflected on a season defined by growth, resilience, and the realities of building a program from the ground up.

Entering the fall with several major team goals, the Comets checked off some and came agonizingly close to the rest. Coach Scheuler noted that the difference often came down to “two or three bad halves in the last month of the season,” moments where the team’s youth showed against more established opponents.

With 7-10 freshmen starting in nearly every match, the learning curve was steep - but the early results showed the potential. The Comets opened the season fast, helped in part by maintaining overall good health.

“Staying healthy contributed well to our fast start,” Coach Scheuler said. “We had mostly day-to-day injuries, nothing major, which made a real difference.”

One of the significant characteristics of the program has been its diversity - players coming together from different countries, languages, and backgrounds. But according to Coach Scheuler, that blend has been a strength, not a challenge.

“If you can sign solid players from solid backgrounds with the same mindset, it usually becomes a positive,” he explained. “Players can relate and feed off each other.”

That unity was essential as the team worked to merge so many young players into a cohesive identity on the field. Developing that consistency - and doing it quickly - was one of the season’s biggest coaching challenges.

While this is only WITCC’s third season fielding a men’s soccer team, Coach Scheuler brings multi-program experience and a long-term view of what sustainable success looks like.

“There’s nothing earth-shattering at this point,” he said, “but we are taking this program into a four-year transition with very high expectations in fall 2026. We must be process-oriented. Focus on what’s important now instead of getting ahead of ourselves.”

That forward-thinking approach is part of what has other college coaches regularly calling to inquire about WITCC players. Although this year’s sophomore class is small, interest is high, and placement updates are expected in the spring.

The work begins immediately for the returning group. Within NJCAA regulations, the coaching staff plans to push development and individual improvement throughout the off-season.

“We want to come back sharp,” Coach Scheuler emphasized.

Next fall’s schedule will once again be ambitious - likely with more away games, adding another layer of challenge for a still-young roster.

“Playing a tough schedule is how we continue to move the program forward,” he said.

As WITCC looks ahead to 2026 and its evolution into a four-year program, Coach Scheuler made one point clear: progress is only getting harder, not easier.

“Sustaining success and staying at the top is one of the hardest things to do in any sport,” he said. “You get everyone’s best shot, every match. We have to be ready for that.”

That challenge, he believes, starts with the coaching staff and radiates through every player, every drill, every moment.

“We can’t take any days, moments, or plays off - from top to bottom. But we’re excited about where we can go. It won’t be easy, especially in the toughest conference and region in the nation.”

Three years in, the Comets have built an identity rooted in steady growth, grit, and ambition. With a young core returning, a tough schedule expected next season, and a coaching staff committed to daily improvement, Western Iowa Tech men’s soccer is poised for another step forward - one built on the foundation developed this season.