The Cal State Fullerton men’s soccer team has beefed up their squad in anticipation of the upcoming season.

After a season chock full of scoreless games for the Titans, Titan Head Coach Bob Ammann said he hopes these new recruits will round out the team and help drive competition among players already on the team.

The increased number of players on the team will also help to replace or relieve injured players.

“I’m very excited about the new players coming in,” Ammann said. “We went out and got players that would help improve certain areas, like getting the ball in the back of the net.”

Last year’s team started out strong, but injuries sidelined some key players and the small squad size put the team at a disadvantage, Ammann said.

The new recruits come from community colleges and high schools in Southern California and Texas. The addition of these 10 players, plus even more recruits soon to be announced, will give the coaches “more options,” Ammann said.

Team co-captain Peter Kingman said he thinks the new players will help key areas for the team. Kingman, a transfer from England, looks to the incoming members to push the other players to improve.

“It’s brilliant. It’ll be great competition,” Kingman said. “Everyone is looking to better themselves.”

As the newcomers push the returning players to increased levels of performance, they may also be making a run for starting positions, Ammann said.

Ammann and Kingman said these new recruits will add depth to the team. The Titans also need players who can put scores on the board.

“We had a number of games last season where we lost 1-0,” Ammann said. “One score would make a difference in a game like that. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense because they know one mistake could cost us.”

If the Titans are scoring, the defense can play more freely and be less on edge, Ammann said.

Kingman said he thinks the new players will help an offense that sometimes struggles to score goals.

“I’m very excited [about the new recruits],” Kingman said. “We have some center forwards and strikers and they’re talked of very highly. They will greatly help our team.”

The new players include Mario Alvarez and Omar Tena from Texas, and Celso Alvarez, Michael Denny, Pablo Gonzales, John Meza, Kevin Venegas, Trevor Whiddon and Jesse Horta from community colleges and high schools in the Southern California area.

Celso transfers in from a community college, while the other nine are incoming freshmen, according to the Titan Athletic Department’s press release.

“They have good attitudes,” Ammann said. “I am excited about them joining the Titan family.”