2002 Soccer Preview: Orangemen Ranked 23rd in Preseason Poll
8/23/2002 10:24:21 AM | Men's Soccer
Mission, Kans. - The Syracuse men's soccer team is ranked 23rd in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Preseason Top 25 poll released on Thursday.
The Orangemen were one of five BIG EAST teams to be ranked in the preseason. St. John's is the highest-ranked conference squad, occupying the third spot. Connecticut (6th), Rutgers (7th) and Boston College (18th) are also among the preseason top 25.
Syracuse opens the 2002 season on August 30 at Virginia Commonwealth. The Orangemen's first home game is Saturday, September 7 versus Georgetown at 1 p.m.
2002 Preview
Experience and maturity are the buzzwords being tossed around to describe the 2002 Orangemen soccer team. No longer will Syracuse rely on a group of freshmen and sophomores to help guide the squad through the trials and tribulations of the BIG EAST and the tough non-conference slate that features a pair of 2001 NCAA participants and key New York Region matchups.
"The last couple of years we have been sort of bottom heavy in the makeup of our team. It's really consisted of mostly freshman and sophomores," Syracuse Head Coach Dean Foti said. "In the last two seasons we found ourselves in the top 25 two-thirds of the way through the season, but due to inexperience and injuries we wouldn't be there at the end. Now we're top heavy with a group that has had those experiences, which hopefully will carry the day for us when we run into some difficult situations where we need to keep our composure."
The Orangemen return six starters, five of whom are upperclassman, from last year's team that went 7-8-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the conference. The team will also be buoyed by the return of junior captain Chris Aloisi. Aloisi, a co-captain in 2001, missed last season with a knee injury suffered in a preseason scrimmage. Aloisi is back at full strength and has already begun to assert his leadership on the team.
"Chris Aloisi has really set the tone, making sure that the players are doing everything in their power to have success this fall. That's all you can really ask of a captain," Foti said.
Syracuse also returns its two top scorers, a top defender and two goalkeepers from last season's team that peaked at number 18 in the national polls. This experience and a new sense of urgency have the Orangemen primed for success in 2002.
""We feel like we have a good blend of talent, experience and youth. This group of players, especially over the last year, has been able to accumulate a lot of valuable soccer experiences," Foti said. "The thing that separates this group from some others that we've had is that they are very hungry to have a breakout season that will set them apart from some of the recent teams here."
The Orangemen's front line should have opposing goalkeepers tossing and turning in their sleep. As a team last season, the Orangemen ranked sixth in the conference in scoring overall and were the BIG EAST's most prolific scoring team in conference play with 21 goals. Led by first-team All-BIG EAST and first-team All-New York Region forward Kirk Johnson and 2001 Soccer America Freshman of the Year Jarett Park, SU returns more than 70 percent of its goal scoring from last season.
Johnson led the team for the second consecutive season with 13 goals and 34 points. It was the largest point total for an Orangemen since 1991 (35, Paul Young). Johnson finished the season second in the league in overall scoring and ranked first in the BIG EAST during conference play.
"Kirk has proven he can score goals," Foti said. "He's led the team in scoring for two years now and last year led the conference in scoring. He is certainly going to be a marked man, but having another front runner like Jarett that can score will certainly take pressure off him."
Park had one of the most productive rookie campaigns ever by an Orangeman in 2001. He led the team, the conference and the nation with an SU freshman record 14 assists (0.93/game) en route to the BIG EAST's Rookie of the Year award. Park also scored five goals and finished second on the team with 24 points.
"Jarett is going to have work twice as hard to put up the same numbers he did last year because he is no longer an unknown entity," Foti said. "Being the national freshman of the year draws a lot of attention and distinguishes you from the normal group of players."
Another proven player who could see time up front is senior Guido Cristofori. Cristofori spent most of his time in the midfield a year ago, but may see time at forward in 2002. A third-team all-conference and all-region pick in 2001, Cristofori scored two goals and had three assists despite missing the season's first three games with an injury.
"The nice thing about Guido is that he is very versatile," Foti said. "We can use him in the middle of the midfield or we can push him forward. His size and strength make him a handful to defend."
Jeff Evans, a promising freshman from Springfield, Va. may also push for time on the Orangemen's front line.
"Our forwards should be a strength for us this season," Foti said. "We have some guys who are proven scorers in Jarett Park and Kirk Johnson. Having that sort of size, speed and goal scoring ability up front gives us a lot of options."
Despite the loss of co-captain and all-region midfielder, John Andrade, a solid corps of veterans will also give the Orangemen some punch from middle. Along with Cristofori, SU returns senior Ryan Hall and junior Ari Schneider. Syracuse also welcomes back sophomore Ryan Hickeywho has battled injuries during his two seasons at SU, sitting out all of last year with a groin injury.
"We have a lot of experience in the midfield as well with Guido Cristofori, Ryan Hall, Ari Schneider and Ryan Hickey. That group knows how to find the people up front," Foti said. "The nice thing is that this whole group, with the exception of Jarett, has played together for two, and in some cases three years. They have the experience and they know what they need to do to be successful."
Hall is coming off a year in which he set career highs with four goals and nine points. His biggest tally of the season came at Rutgers when he put home the game-winning goal in SU's 3-2 overtime win versus the eighth-ranked Scarlet Knights. With so much attention being paid to SU's strong group of front runners, Hall should be able to become more of an offensive threat.
"Ryan, who generally comes out of the midfield, has proven to be a dangerous player who can get in behind defenses. He scored some big goals for us last season, and we expect him to get even more involved in the scoring in his senior year," Foti said.
Schneider, who started 33 games in his two-year career, will have to take over some of the poise that Andrade provided. Schnedier tallied a goal and an assist last season.
"Ari provides us with a calming influence in the midfield," Foti said. "He really anchors that spot for us."
Hickey has struggled to stay healthy in his two seasons at Syracuse. He played in 15 games as a freshman, but missed the 2001 campaign after undergoing surgery.
"We're really looking forward to seeing Ryan play at full strength," Foti said. "We expect big things from him and eventually we see him as a guy who can sit in the middle and run the show for us."
A trio of newcomers will also be in the midfield mix. Freshmen Ilias Calatizidis and Mike McCallion, along with junior Chuck Sullivan, a transfer from St. John Fisher College, will all push for playing time.
Aloisi's return will be one of the biggest keys to Syracuse's season. After allowing only 1.4 goals per game in 2000, the Orangemen defense gave up 2.1 tallies per contest last season with him out of the lineup. Aloisi, a two-time all-region defender, and senior Eric Chapman give Syracuse the ability to close down opposing offenses. With both players on the field during the 1999 and 2000 campaigns, the Orangemen blanked the opposition 10 times. Last season, SU mustered only two shutouts.
"We feel like we have two of the best defenders in the BIG EAST with Chris Aloisi and Eric Chapman," Foti said. "Chris and Eric have been iron men for us on defense. When we've had good years it has been because those two guys have locked down the back and limited our opponents' scoring chances. Hopefully, with Chris back in the lineup, we can get back to that."
The upside to the injury problems last season was the development of three players that could help on defense. Sophomores Brian Dell and Derek McGeehan saw plenty of action in the back, including a combined six starts. Senior Kevin Boyle, also a possibility in the midfield, played a career-best 11 games, recording an assist. He followed that up with a strong spring that could earn him plenty of field time this fall. Newcomer Matt Chew also figures to be in the defensive mix quickly after arriving on campus.
The only position on the Syracuse roster where youth could be a factor is between the posts. A pair of sophomores and a freshman will be fighting to replace Anthony Peters, last year's starter who was lost to graduation.
Sophomore Rich Scheer played in four games last season, starting two. He allowed four goals in just more than 220 minutes of play for a 1.63 goals against average. Scheer went 1-1 and had the Orangemen's only complete-game shutout, a 5-0 win versus Providence.
Sophomore David Rabazzi also played in four games as a freshman, making three starts. He made 16 saves and compiled a 2.49 goals against average in 216 minutes of play. Rabazzi also went 1-1 last season. He was the starting goalkeeper in the 2001 season opener at Boston College.
"We're young in the goal, but by the end of the season that should be a strength for us," Foti said. "Rich and Dave both came out of last fall with playing experience. Rich finished the spring season as our starter, but Dave will be right there pushing him in the fall. (Assistant coach) Jaro (Zawislan) made tremendous strides with both of them this past spring."
Freshman Alim Karim, a member of the Under-20 Canadian National Team, will also be a factor in goal and battle both Scheer and Rabazzi for playing time.
The Syracuse schedule features seven teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament, four that advanced to the round of 16 and a Men's College Cup final four participant. The non-conference slate starts on August 30 in Richmond, Va. versus Virginia Commonwealth. While in Virginia, the Orangemen will also face Big South champion Coastal Carolina. Other non-conference tilts include regional rivals Colgate, Adelphi, Hartwick and Army, as well as NCAA-participant Loyola (Md.).
The always-tough BIG EAST schedule begins on Sept. 7 with a home game versus Georgetown. SU will face five of the six BIG EAST teams that made the NCAA postseason in 2001. The good news is that the Orangemen get three of those teams, Rutgers, Boston College and St. John's, at home. Syracuse's other conference home game is versus Villanova. The Orangemen must travel to league rivals Seton Hall, Providence, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Connecticut.
"This is one of the toughest schedules we've put together in terms of playing teams that made the NCAA Tournament," Foti said, "There are a lot of good teams that get left out at the end because of their strength of schedule. We would like to think that every year we put a schedule on the table that, if we win our fair share of games, will get us into the NCAA Tournament."
