Men's Soccer Opens 2007 at Wolstein Soccer Classic
8/30/2007 8:49:25 AM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse Orange open up the 2007 season with two games at the Wolstein Soccer Classic hosted by Ohio State on Friday, Aug. 31 and Sunday, Sept. 2. The Orange will take on a pair of Big 10 foes at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. SU will meet Penn State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in its opening match and square off against the Buckeyes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in its second contest. Live streaming audio of Sunday's match is available via Ohio State's student radio station at ohiostatesportsradio.blogspot.com Live stats for each of the tournament's contests can be found at ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Fellow BIG EAST Conference member West Virginia rounds out the four-team tournament field. The Wolstein Soccer Classic is the first of two regular-season tournaments for the Orange, which also will take part in the Mayor’s Cup in Oneonta, N.Y. from Sept. 7-9.
ABOUT THE WOLSTEIN SOCCER CLASSIC
This season marks the second straight year Ohio State has hosted a tournament honoring Bert and Iris Wolstein, who first brought professional soccer to Ohio in 1979. From 1979 to 1988 Bert (deceased 2004) was the owner and president of the Cleveland Force, a professional indoor soccer team in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Wolstein’s support of Ohio State athletics included a major contribution to the 2001 renovation of Ohio Stadium, which prompted the dedication of the Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Football Center in the southeast tower of the stadium.
The Buckeyes won last season's tournament with a 1-0-1 record.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Head coach Barry Gorman, entering his 20th season at Penn State, returns a group of veterans that includes seven starters and 14 letterwinners. Midfielder Barkley Miller and defender Stephen Reihner are the team’s top returning scorers. Both players notched seven points in 2006. Junior forward and 2007 co-captain Jason Yeisley is the club’s leading active scorer with 29 career points, including 11 goals, but injuries limited him to seven matches last season.
Defensively, Reihner, Geordie MacNeill and sophomore Andrew Parr form the foundation of Penn State’s defense. The trio combined for 54 starts last season and helped the Nittany Lions to a team goals-against average of 1.16. Goalkeeper Conrad Taylor also played a major role in Penn State’s defensive success last year. A two-time, first-team All-Big Ten honoree, Taylor ranks fourth in career shutouts with 21, eight shy of the all-time record, and fourth in career goalkeeping with a 0.98 goals against average. He recorded three shutouts last year.
Ohio State head coach John Bluem is the school’s all-time winningest soccer mentor with 101 victories as a Buckeye.His team returns seven starters and 13 letterwinners from a 2006 team that went 11-7-3 and played in the Big Ten championship game.
The Buckeyes return five of their top six scorers from a year ago, including senior forward Xavier Balc, who led the Big Ten in assists (9) and points (23) on his way to first-team all-league honors. Ohio State also has M.A.C. Hermann Award candidate Eric Brunner back to run the midfield. Brunner tallied six points and was named to the 2006 All-Big Ten First Team. He also earned first-team all-region plaudits.
Senior goalkeeper Casey Latchem led the Big Ten with 10 shutouts last year and ranked second in the conference in saves (74).
FOTI AIMS FOR WIN NO. 125
Syracuse head coach Dean Foti
Foti returned to his alma mater to take the head coaching reigns in 1991, replacing Tim Hankinson. Since then, he has turned out 34 players that have earned All-BIG EAST honors, including two league Rookies of the Year. He has also produced six MLS Draft picks.
Foti played for the Orange from 1979-82 and captained the team as a senior. That season, Syracuse won a school-record 16 matches and captured the inaugural BIG EAST championship.
DYNAMIC DUO
Syracuse returns two of its top playmakers from last season in sophomore forward Hansen Woodruff (Stuart, Fla.)
Hall was one of two SU players to start all 16 games in 2006 and was the only newcomer on last year’s team to do so. He finished with a team-best four assists, including a helper on SU’s game-winner versus DePaul in the 2006 season finale. Hall scored at least one in goal in each of the Orange’s first three contests and ranked second on the team in points (14) and goals (5). Hall tallied a career-best two scores, including the game-winner, at Loyola on Sept. 1, 2006.
BACKLINE BOASTS EXPERIENCE
The Orange defense is the most experienced part of the 2007 team. Three of SU’s four starting defenders are seniors and the fourth is a junior newcomer. Seniors Brad Peetoom (Abbotsford, British Columbia), James Goodwin (Merrimack, N.H.)
The fourth member of the Orange’s backline is junior
Karol Wasielewski (Gdynia, Poland). Wasielewski is a junior transfer from AWFiS Gdansk in Poland. He is an accomplished youth soccer player and has been a member of several of Poland’s youth national teams.SYRACUSE IN SEASON OPENERS
The Orange is 36-31-5 all-time in season-opening games and has won its campaign starter in each of the last two years. SU’s 1-0 shutout of Marist in 2005 ended a string of seven consecutive losses in season openers. Prior to the 2005 season, SU’s last 1-0 start was in 1997 after defeating 25th-ranked Connecticut, 2-0.
Syracuse won six straight season openers from 1934-39 and from 1975-80, the longest season-opening winning streaks in school history.
The Orange is 6-10-0 in season starters under head coach
Dean Foti.Friday’s contest marks the first time since 2003 that the Orange will begin the year on the road.
