VIDEO: Maxime Wester Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – We continue previewing the 2025 Carson-Newman men’s soccer team with a glance at this year’s midfielders with help from junior Maxime Wester.
Carson-Newman returns plenty in its midfield but does see one of its best leaders in the midfield graduate in captain Paul Csmarich.
“Paul was really important on and off the field,” Wester said. “This year we will need more people to step up and take that responsibility, myself and Mitch and others. We have the guys to do it.”
Six of the eight midfielders in the room return from this past season. They combine for 85 career starts and four of them have played at least two seasons in the Orange and Blue.
Wester has been a valuable tool on the pitch for C-N in his first two playing seasons. The junior midfielder has made starts in 28 of his 30 appearances in Mossy Creek. The All-SAC player has two career goals and three career assists. Among returning players, he has the third-most career minutes played with just over 2400.
Of the 26 goals scored in 2024, 10 of those were scored by returning midfielders. Mitchell Honcoop (Nieuw-Vennep, Netherlands) returns for his third season after earned All-SAC Second Team honors last season. The Dutchmen tied for the team lead in goals with five, while also recording four assists, second-most on the club. Honcoop was one of three Eagles to start and play in every game in 2024.
Making up the other five goals scored was juniors Rhydian Williams (Llannerfydd, Conwy, Wales), Tim Haans (Tilburg, Netherlands) and sophomore Lucas Trull (Johnson City, Tenn).
Williams scored twice and added an assist in his sophomore campaign. He was an accurate midfielder, finding the target in six of his 11 shots.
Fellow returning junior Tim Haans also contributed two goals last season. The Dutchmen made nine starts in 15 games played and totaled six points.
Trull made five appearances as a rookie and scored one goal.
“We still have a lot of quality in the midfield,” Wester said. “Mitch is a really good player, Rhydian, and Tim. I think we have the quality to show and expect a good season this year.”
Corey Pennington (Newnan, Ga.) readies for his sophomore season after recording an assist on Trull’s goal last season.
Head coach Stephen Lyons adds two players to this group of midfielders. Felix Gruemmer is a graduate student from Monchengladbach, Germany and Reynaldo Romo is a freshman from Sierra Vista, Arizona.
“We have so many games in September and we will need everyone to be ready to play,” Wester said. “Our practices have started well and we are all looking forward to the start of the season.”
Carson-Newman’s position previews conclude next Wednesday, August 27th with a dive into the defenders and goalkeepers with junior defender Dan Coles (Rugby, England).