Liberty Christian senior midfielder/back Cole Nelsen is a driven man headed into the 2026 soccer season.

That’s because Nelsen remembers just how difficult the feeling of back-to-back losses at the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association (MCSAA) state soccer tournament was to end last year’s campaign.

“I was beyond upset last year, having lost those two games,” Nelsen said. “I went in thinking we had a chance to win it.”

The great thing for Nelsen and his teammates in the wake of that eight-win season a year ago is that they’re going to leave very little to chance this season.

Through hard work and a new plan of attack, Nelsen and the Eagles plan to take the game to the opposition, starting with the season opener August 24 at Victory Christian, located in south St. Louis.

“I love the work ethic that I’m seeing,” Nelsen said. “We’re far from where we want to be but I see a great work ethic in these young kids. Our building process is going to be about the hard work, listening to the coaches and following the game plan.”

Liberty Coach Ken Dildine said that he’s excited to see just what Nelsen, sophomore Cruz Meyer and the rest of the squad can accomplish this season.

That’s especially true given the team’s new game plan headed into this fall.

“We’re changing up our offensive style this year, we’re going to be much more aggressive,” Dildine said. “We’re going to double-team on the ball a lot more. If the other team has the ball in their half, we’re going to double-team them in order to (regain possession). We’re really going to take advantage of that style of play.”

Knowing the new game plan and putting the fundamentals of that effort into practice has got Nelsen and his teammates raring to go, he said.

“I love that,” Nelsen said. “I’ve always loved playing a physical style. It’s going to work out well with our aggressive nature to take the ball from people. I think we’ve got a great shot at success this year. We’ve got a great team, great leaders and great coaches.”

Dildine added that among the returning players he’ll have this year is goalkeeper Malcolm Geeding.

“He’s still on the young side,” said Dildine of Geeding. “He’s coming along really well. There is some work to do on both the mental and physical aspects, but we’re excited he’s back there.”

Putting the returning talent together with the newfound on-field approach has Meyer, for one, ready to think big.

“I really think that the goal should be to finish first at state,” Meyer said. “I think we’ve got the talent and the plan. I think, if we play as well as we’re capable of playing, that should be the goal.” 

While the Eagles expect to be hard-nosed on the pitch, Nelsen said that he wants to add a depth to the team’s overall approach.

Be tough to play against? Sure.

It’s how he wants to see him and his team carry themselves as a group, which is important, the senior said.

“I remember four years ago when we were a Christian character award type of school and I think we lost track of that,” Nelsen said. “This year, I want us to grow back into how we used to be when I was in middle school. I’m excited to get the chance to help lead us into that.”