It's fall ball season. Hope springs eternal. Everyone is 0-0 and in the hunt for the natty.

As such, we're checking in with programs across the country and divisions to see what's happening. We're continuing with Florida Atlantic and its head coach, Stavros Neocleous.

PREVIOUS CHECK INS: Virginia Tech | Montana | California

Setting expectations is one of the biggest challenges for a program. FAU has now made two-straight trips to nationals. What approach do you use to ensure that your returners and newcomers understand what is expected and method to achieve goals?

Stavros Neocleous: In my eyes, the biggest challenge in the MCLA is consistency. The teams at the top are oftentimes the usual suspects, and there is a good reason for that. These teams retain their coaching staff year after year, they have consistent contributors for three-to-four seasons, and their systems and values follow their structure.

If you want to gain respect and be considered a legitimate contender at the end of the year, you must be consistent. That is what we preach day in and day out. Our guys are not promised anything except for an opportunity to compete, and that standard is set every day at practice.

The teams that want it the most and work the hardest will improve and inevitably find themselves competing for a championship.

Eligibility-wise, you had one senior on the team last year. Should we expect the Owls to be better/deeper than 2023? Who are some of the guys who are going to stir the drink this spring?

SN: We were lucky to have graduated only one senior – Gabe Cirillo – who was an all-conference selection and All-American in his time at FAU. It is always tough to replace a senior leader, but we did our best to reload and retain our core group of contributors.

Our 2024 squad will have many familiar faces, returning three All-Americans – Gavin Mcintyre, Patrick Cerasuolo and Umberto Zammataro – as well as seven of our nine all-conference athletes.

Some other names to watch out for will be the reigning SELC Offensive Player of the Year Ryan Thomas, senior attackman Drake Summers, goalie Nick Meola, as well as our talented incoming freshman and transfer class.

In early March, you played three tournament teams in two days -- a win over NDSU, a one-goal loss to Missouri State and a two-goal loss to eventual national champion Dayton. What was the most important thing you, and the players, learned from the trip/experience?

SN: We took a lot from that trip, mainly the experience of playing three talented teams in two days. Obviously, we would have liked to come out on top versus Missouri State and Dayton, but both squads showed us what is needed to win a national championship.

The MCLA tournament is one of the toughest tournaments to come out on top of because of the back-to-back games and the level of competition you have to face. We are ready to parlay that experience into a longer run come May.

What's the schedule look like? Any big trips or home dates? Is the team ready for the showdown with FGCU again?

SN: The Owls’ 2024 schedule will be our biggest challenge yet. With 13 games and seven Top 20 opponents on tap, we will get a true test of our resolve, and a good read on the kind of team we are.

Our schedule will feature trips to Ohio for a rematch with Dayton and Missouri State, as well as a trip to Minnesota for games versus UMD, St. Thomas and St. Johns.

FGCU has gotten the better of us in overtime the last two years by the same score. All the credit goes to Coach Valentine and the team he built. Obviously, it hurts to lose a game like that two years in-a-row, especially with everything that hangs on the result, but our guys are taking the season one game at a time.

When a prospective student-athlete comes down to do a visit in Boca Raton, what's the recruiting angle? Do you just go to the beach? What's your pitch?

SN: The beach is a great talking point for us when we have a prospective recruit, but our beautiful campus and home field are huge pulls as well.

Our biggest pitch to incoming guys is that they will have the opportunity to come in and compete for minutes. We are lucky to have such talented athletes on our roster, but at the end of the day, we do not care who gets the job done.

We want guys that want to win. Our team has a common goal in mind and as we often say: you are either on the train or you are in the way.

[Want to participate in the "Fall Check In" series as a coach or player? Email [email protected] to request your five questions]