2005 Men's Soccer Season Preview
8/30/2005 5:02:19 PM | Men's Soccer
To say the 2004 Syracuse men’s soccer season had a lot of close calls would be an understatement. Sixteen of SU’s 17 games were decided by one goal. All 12 of the Orange’s defeats in 2004 were by one goal, including a school-record eight 1-0 losses The Orange welcomes back 12 letterwinners and 10 starters from last season’s team, including three of the top four scorers who will try to turn those near misses into victories.
The biggest challenge for the Orange in 2005 will be to find the back of the net. While the defense kept opponents to just more than one goal per game, SU’s offense tallied 15 goals in 17 games.
"The parity in college soccer is unbelievable," said head coach Dean Foti, who is entering his 15th season at the helm. "We play nationally-ranked teams and it’s only a one-goal difference. We play teams with losing records and it’s only a one-goal difference. What separates the best teams from the rest of the pack is the ability to score goals. That’s definitely an area we need to improve."
The top of the Syracuse offense is young, but potentially dangerous. Sophomore Isaac Collings brings his two goals and team-best three assists back to the Orange lineup. Collings should be even more effective in 2005, his second season back from torn ACL that kept him out in 2003. Redshirt freshman Pete Rowley gets a second crack at his rookie season after suffering a broken leg just four games into the season last year. In his short time on the field, Rowley netted two goals. The rest of the forward group has a total of five games of collegiate experience, all belonging to sophomore Justin Van Houten. Van Houten lost the final 12 games of the 2004 season with a leg injury.
"We’re looking for big things from Pete Rowley," Foti said. "We’re hoping he can be fully recovered and pick right up where he left off before the injury. Isaac is completely recovered and back to his pre-injury form. He was a little sluggish last year, but really came into his own the last two weeks of last season and this past spring. Justin is a guy who is capable of scoring goals. We’re confident he will be back to his pre-injury status for the season."
Junior Marcel Laniado and freshmen Spencer Schomaker and Gareth Pugh are all in competition for playing time. The would-be veteran of the group, senior Jeff Evans, the Orange’s active career scoring leader with seven goals and four assists, will miss the 2005 season after hurting his knee during the offseason.
Midfield
The Orange’s midfield features a mix of versatile veterans and newcomers. Several players that saw significant playing time last season are back, including team offensive MVP Mike McCallion. The senior netted a career-best three assists last season. Sophomore James Goodwin was one of just three players to start all 17 games last season, splitting time between the midfield and the defense. Junior Richard Asante battled injuries last season, but played in 12 games in both the midfield and defense. In addition, Collings could be moved back into the midfield.
"We’re looking for a lot of leadership in the midfield because the guys we have in there are pretty experienced," Foti said. "We’re going to rely on guys like Rich Asante and Mike McCallion to be the leaders of the midfield and help us create some scoring opportunities. This group has been together for at least a year, in some cases more. They’ve been through the BIG EAST battles and hopefully now know what to expect."
Sophomore Aric Johnson played in three games a year ago, tallying one assist. Redshirt freshmen Mauricio Laniado and Anton Nicholls will also be vying for playing time. Newcomers who could potentially make an impact are Eric Kleiman, Jim Linus, and Daniel Cheatham.
Defenders
The Orange allowed just 1.2 goals per game last season and returns many key components of its back line. Senior Ezra Prendergast headlines the group, having earned third-team All-New York Region honors in 2004. Sophomore Brad Peetoom also returns. Peetoom scored a team-high four goals last season and spent part of his offseason with the Canadian U-20 National Team that qualified for and competed at the FIFA Youth World Championship in the Netherlands.
"The two anchors are Brad and Ezra," Foti said. "Between their strength at winning balls in the air and their ability to read games and react, they’re two pillars to build on. We’re looking for consistent high-level play from all of our defenders."
Senior Pat Gallagher had a goal and an assist in 13 games, splitting time between the back and the midfield. Junior Aaron Bonser and sophomore Edvin Hot were also mainstays in the back, combining for 21 starts. Bonser will be a question mark to start the season while recovering from a leg injury suffered in the spring. Goodwin and Asante are also experienced in the back if needed. Redshirt freshman Tyler Stoviak showed signs of improvement in the spring after redshirting in 2004. Ryan Teager, who redshirted last season, also impressed the coaching staff with a solid spring season.
"In the back half of the team, we feel like we have a solid base to build a good defending team on. We have some good resources on attack. They haven’t proven themselves, but the talent is there. It may take us some time offensively, but we’re hoping we can pick up some shutouts along the way until we can get the offense up and running."
Goalkeepers
The Orange returns both of its starting goalkeepers from last season. Seniors Rich Scheer and Alim Karim split the goalkeeping duties nearly down the middle in 2004. Scheer had a 1.04 goals against average in 781 minutes, while Karim posted a 1.36 GAA in 793 minutes. The two combined for three shutouts.
"We split time last year, but that wasn’t necessarily by design. We tried to go with who was hot," Foti said. "We expect the same kind of duel to go on this season. We’re pretty fortunate to have two guys with as much game experience. They’re also going to be pushed by the new guys."
There are three newcomers on the roster, including sophomore Ed Nicoloso, who joined the team last spring. Freshman Robert Cavicchia comes to SU after being a fixture on several Ontario Provincial all-star teams.Freshman Andrew Usyk made 627 saves in his scholastic career in Florida.
Schedule
The new BIG EAST Conference has changed the Orange’s schedule dramatically. The addition of Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida has put the league at 16 teams. The conference has been split into two divisions. The Orange will play in the same division as Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Rutgers, St. John’s South Florida and Villanova. Each team will play every member of its division plus four cross-divisional games. Of the four interdivision games, two will stay the same every year. The Orange’s permanent parterns are Connecticut and Providence. The other two crossover games in 2005 are Marquette and Notre Dame. In addition to new and quality opponents, most league games will be played on Friday and Sunday putting each team’s depth to the test.
"The conference is going to be competitive as ever," Foti said. "It may be the toughest conference to compete in in the country because we have so many teams. The intensity level in league games is so high, and now we have more of those types of games. Depth is going to be an issue. With the Friday-Sunday games, the question is going to be can you field a good team on both Friday and Sunday? Deeper teams will definitely have an advantage with the two games in three days format."
The Orange’s schedule has a definite home-field flavor. Twelve of the 18 matches on the schedule will played in the friendly confines of the SU Soccer Stadium.
Syracuse opens the campaign with six straight home games, beginning on Sept. 2 versus Marist. SU will also face Loyola, Cornell, Adelphi, Oneonta and Colgate in non-conference home games. The Orange’s only non-league road game is at Hartwick on Sept. 28.
The league slate begins on Sept. 16 with a home game versus Marquette. The Orange also hosts BIG EAST rivals Notre Dame, St. John’s, South Florida, Cincinnati and Villanova. Syracuse will play at Providence, Connecticut, DePaul, Louisville and Rutgers.
The league tournament format has also changed. Twelve teams will make the postseason in 2005, all but the last two teams in each division. The top two teams in each division will receive byes into the quarterfinal round, while the third and fourth place teams in each division will host first-round games. The semifinals and finals will be played at Connecticut on Nov. 11 and Nov. 13.
