PHOENIX – After making more than 50 appearances in his first two seasons in Arizona, the 2017 USL season offered something unusual for Phoenix Rising FC goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski, who saw his time limited as Josh Cohen took the No. 1 spot between the sticks under Head Coach Patrice Carteron.

Now back as Rising FC’s starter, Woszczynski has come out strongly to start the new season, fulfilling the goal he set for himself after Cohen’s offseason move to Sacramento Republic FC opened up a competition for the starting position going into this season.

“It feels great,” said Woszczynski. “As a goalkeeper you have to remain confident. It's a big confidence position. If you get down on yourself, you're not going to play well, and bad things will happen. Last year I was ready to go whenever Josh went down or made a mistake, and I think I carried that mentality into this year knowing I wanted to prove that I could be the No. 1 option.”

Woszczynski recorded his first shutout of the year last weekend as Phoenix remained undefeated with a 1-0 victory against Reno 1868 FC. The 29-year-old has recorded eight saves on 10 shots on goal so far this season, a solid performance for sure, but also a testament to the solid work Rising FC has done overall in its undefeated start to the season.

With Phoenix having become one of the stingier sides in the USL last season after Carteron took charge of the squad, Woszczynski’s positive numbers shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. He himself is full of praise for his teammates and an attack that has scored six goals in three games.

“I think the offense helps a lot,” said Woszczynski. “The more we attack, the less we have to defend. So, we appreciate the offense first and foremost. Defensively, we focus on it every day in film. We break down the good plays we made and the mistakes and then go to work on fixing that in the next week.”

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But Woszczynski’s installment as starter is also a testament to him. With former Colorado Rapids goalkeeper John Berner and experienced USL veteran Zac Lubin competing alongside him in training, Carteron has made sure everyone remains on their toes when it comes to retaining a place in the lineup, including in goal.

“We have four really good options at goalie,” said Carteron. “It's what I wanted. I want to act like any MLS team that has fantastic competition between its ‘keepers. But right now, Carl has had three fantastic games and we'll look to keep that going through the end of the season.”

Woszczynski and Rising FC will face another good early-season test this Saturday as Real Monarchs SLC visits the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex (10 p.m. ET | Match Center) for one of the high-profile games in Week 4 of the 2018 regular season. According to Woszczynski, the work to improve and be ready for the challenge the defending USL Regular Season champions pose has been evident over the past few days of preparation.

“Things are still getting chippy in training,” he said. “Guys are still working hard for their spots. So even though we are unbeaten through three, guys are still striving to be better. I think we'll come out on Saturday and show that.”

A popular figure with the club’s fans since his arrival, Woszczynski is among those striving to make his mark on the field again.