2007 Men's Soccer Season Preview
8/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
Following its 18th winning season in the 19-year Manfred Schellscheidt Era, the Seton Hall men’s soccer team will take aim at the BIG EAST Championship and a sixth NCAA Tournament berth in seven seasons in the 2007 campaign. The Pirates return four starters off last year’s squad that went
“I am looking forward to preseason in particular because we have more new players coming in than ever,” said Schellscheidt. “With 12 to 13 new guys, it is going to be very competitive for spots on the team. Losing ten to graduation last year and nine the year before, that’s almost like a complete new face for us. Therefore, this year’s preseason is extremely interesting, and hopefully in a short time we get it together so we have a group that may not be the most experienced but can get us to where we want to go.”
“Clearly when we saw the incoming freshmen play they did very well,” Schellscheidt continued. “Some of them had bigger report cards than others. But when the games come around, we put these things behind us. Its great to have them but it’s a new beginning and a new team and you’ve got to do it all over again.”
The Pirates 1.61 goals per game ranked third in the BIG EAST a season ago, but three of the top four goal scorers have departed. The only returnee is junior Eliseo Giusfredi, who tied for the team-lead in goals with nine while finishing second in points with 22. The First Team All-BIG EAST and Second Team All-Northeast Region forward will once again be counted on for his tremendous scoring ability.
“Eliseo has been a very productive guy for us as far as scoring goals, and hopefully he can add a few more,” added Schellscheidt.
Sophomore forward Marko Ciklic appeared in 11 games a year ago, making one start up front. He and junior Mike Ruecktenwald will look for increased playing time in 2007. Freshmen Dritan Sela and Andrew Welker could also contend for action as rookies.
Senior captains Justin McGrath and Jonathan Lewandowski lead the returning midfielders. McGrath started all 18 games in 2006, but was held without a point after totaling six goals and four assists in 2005. Lewandowski had two goals and two assists while starting 17 games. Junior Christian Vercollone, a player with excellent vision, appeared in all 18 games a year ago, making 11 starts. He picked up one assist. Sophomore Austin Nyquist registered one goal and one assist as a rookie a year ago and will again be a factor in the midfield.
The freshman class is poised to make a significant impact at the midfield position. Brayan Martinez, a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-American, was named the 2006-07 Gatorade National Player of the Year. A local product from
Senior Yomar Gonzalez leads a defense that gave up 1.63 goals per game last season. Gonzalez started in 11 of his 17 appearances a year ago and was credited with two assists. Junior Kevin Kelly saw action in nine games in 2006, while sophomore Erik Breuhaus made five appearances. Freshmen Kurt Cameron and Spencer Lawrence and sophomore Kyle Giuliana should see time as well as the Pirates look to replace defensive stalwarts Kljestan and Matt Gilbert.
“The three captains (Gonzalez, Lewandowski, and McGrath) have a lot to do with where this thing is going,” said Schellschiedt. “Can they in their final year set a standard that is comparable to what we had in the past?”
Sophomore goalkeeper Paul McHenry is the most experienced returnee in net, having posted a
“It is hard to predict strengths and weaknesses at this time because of the many new guys,” said Schellscheidt. “We hope it wont take too long before we can settle in and find out who will take care of the attacking part, how we will get through the midfield, and how we keep the other team from scoring. These are always the issues. How as a team do we defend ourselves, and how do we get goals? There are no set answers at this time. This cast has to find their own answers to those questions.”
Schellscheidt took the Pirates’ fifth-place ranking in the BIG EAST Coaches’ Preseason Poll in stride. “I would think that is a fair assessment,” he said. “When you lose ten guys, and seven starters, that tells the other coaches something. But its always good when we don’t have any pressure. That’s the expectation but I hope we can do better than that.”
Despite the many uncertainties as the season approaches, Schellscheidt and his team remain confident. “The goals here never really change,” said Schellscheidt. “We want to go as far as we can in the BIG EAST, possibly even winning it, and hopefully get an invitation at the end of the year to the playoffs. That is the goal. Will we get there? Time will tell. But we sure will be at it everyday to make it possible.”
“But in the end it is not all about winning and losing, its how we enjoy the sport, how we as a team have a fun time playing soccer and enjoy what we are doing. I think that also needs to be a part of the agenda. The game should be fun. It is something the players should look forward to, the training and matches, so when we get out of bed in the morning we don’t mind where we are going. That’s always been an item here, and I think we can accomplish that.”
