Getting back to the playoffs is certainly a goal on the mind of Northwest men's soccer coach Charlie Baldwin.

Since taking command of the Rangers two seasons ago, Northwest has compiled an overall record of 14-13-2 and hosted the first round of the playoffs in 2013.

Despite finishing just short of a postseason berth last season, the Rangers are looking to work their way back into the playoff picture. In order to do that, however, Baldwin says that it all begins with competitiveness.

"Everyone wants to win state and make the playoffs," Baldwin said. "(But) it starts with being competitive in every game. All the teams in our division are quality opponents and every game is going to be a cat fight."

Northwest will feature a young team this season, as the Rangers return only six sophomores from last season's squad.

Among them is leading scorer Armando Barron. The MACJC All-State midfielder scored six goals with three assists for 15 points in 2014. Also returning is goalkeeper Matthew Williams, who played in seven games between the posts last season behind Josh Delgado. Despite playing as a backup, Williams collected 16 saves and will be relied upon to bring a veteran presence to an otherwise young team.

Other sophomores that are returning include midfielder Wyatt Sacks, forwards Jacob King and Karim Mueller and defender Kirill Safrin. 

In terms of playing time, Baldwin is expecting the incoming freshmen to challenge the sophomores for starting spots.

"We have some good freshmen coming in," Baldwin said. "Whether or not they start over the sophomores will remain to be seen."

Speaking of freshmen, the Rangers will welcome a total of 13 newcomers to the roster this season. Lance Crabtree scored 20 goals with 13 assists as a senior at Saltillo High School, leading his team to a 10-4-1 record and a second round appearance in the Class 5A state playoffs. Among some of the other freshmen looking to make an impact are midfielder Bryant Young of Hernando, Jonathan Felix of Southaven and defender Robert Mims of Caledonia. 

"What we have is six or seven quality players coming in that can score a goal at any time," Baldwin said. "That's something that we haven't really had in the past, so we're looking forward to that."

Northwest will open the season with a weekend road trip at Copiah-Lincoln and Southwest on Aug. 21-22. From there, the Rangers will play three consecutive games at home, capping off the homestand by opening division play against Hinds. Northwest will close out the season with five of its final seven regular season games at home.

For Baldwin, the key to this season all goes back to competitive efforts on the field.

"There were some teams last year that we shouldn't have beaten," Baldwin said. "Then there were some games last year that we probably should have won. It goes back to competitiveness. If we get beat 1-0, I want to know that we were in the game the entire time."