Sophomores take up for departed seniors
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Men's Soccer
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The departure of a large and talented senior class might cause casual observers to conclude the 2008 Fredonia State men’s soccer team is in a rebuilding mode.
Well, yes and no. Head coach P.J. Gondek is the first to admit he has some big shoes to fill. Lee Wilson was a all-region defender while he, goalkeeper Scott Bergen, and central midfielders Rob Esposito and Trevor Ianni were all-conference players while the Blue Devils were in the process of winning the SUNYAC championship and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Those four plus classmates Jeff Morsch and Andrew Sharman either started or saw significant minutes last year, while a group of freshmen went largely unnoticed due to lack of playing time. That’s about to change. When the Blue Devils open their season Friday at Clarkson, the sophomore class will be well represented.
Starters as freshmen, forward Peter Dagel and midfielder Eli Lubberts are back, while midfielders Steven Ahern and John Grabowski, and defenders Matt Carlson and Brett Wysocki, are expected to play significant roles during their second collegiate season. There are also other sophomores waiting for their chance.
“What most people don’t know,” Gondek said, “is that we had a pretty strong freshman class that didn’t see a lot of playing time because of the quality of our (2007) senior class. We should hit the ground running with those guys (the sophomores).”
Gondek’s teams over the years have been blessed with strong defense and all-conference goalkeeping (Bergen last year and Matt Borchard and Chris Case before him). A junior, Tom Cavanaugh, will start in goal when the season opens. Playing behind Bergen the past two years, Cavanaugh has appeared in six games for just over 60 minutes of field time. Senior Andy Feldmann and freshman Bobby McGinnis will push him for playing time and one or the other may emerge as the starter as the season progresses.
“It is our biggest question mark,” Gondek said of the battle at goalkeeper. “We have three all on even playing field (in that) they all have very little college soccer experience.”
Two experienced defenders return – senior Scott Chimileski and fellow senior and co-captain Sam Stewart. The pair formed half a solid unit last season that helped limit opponents to 11 second-half goals all season.
Meanwhile, Wysocki and fellow sophomore Carlson have moved their names up the depth chart in places formerly held by graduated seniors – most namely Wilson and Morsch, who combined to make 38 of a possible 42 starts last season. Carlson has emerged during pre-season drills after spending last season is mostly a reserve role, while Jack Flechaus, Eric Kurzdorfer, and John O’Connor give Gondek two other sophomores options. The unit will be bolstered by the addition of sophomore Jose Balseca, a 6’ 3” transfer from Canisius College, as well as freshman Shawn Creviston.
“We’re learning a new (defensive) system,” Gondek said. “They quicker we get on the same page, the better we’ll be.”
Two starters also return to the midfield – the sophomore Lubberts and senior co-captain Chris Huber. Huber started every game last year while Lubberts appeared in 19 games, 11 as a starter. Two more sophomores, Ahern and Grabowski, received game exposure and occasionally started as freshmen.
Even without additions, the group appears solid heading into the season. But there have been additions. Gondek has brought in a quartet of freshmen to compete for playing time in Rejean Archambeault, Cory Paine, Luke Spencer, David Thoin, and Craig Wean. It makes for a healthy situation.
“This (the midfield) is where we are deepest,” Gondek said. “We’ve got our first group of older guys, and the younger guys are the reserves.”
While defense has been the Blue Devil hallmark during Gondek’s tenure, that started to change last year. Dagel and junior Ryan O’Donnell both emerged as offensive threats. Dagel led the team with seven goals while O’Donnell had five to go along with team-highs in assists (7) and points (17). Both players were named to the 2007 All SUNYAC Second Team.
They will be joined by freshman Matt Grabowski, a Class A New York all-state player his senior year in high school, as well as freshmen Justin Gmeinweiser and Kevyn Rustici.
“It was a different dynamic,” Gondek said of new-look Blue Devil offense. “The last couple of years we’ve been really good defensively, but last year we started to score a little bit more with Dagel and O’Donnell. It’s been an evolutionary process.”
How evolutionary?
“That (the offensive attack) is the strength of our team,” Gondek allowed. “I expect us to be able to score. On speed and skill alone, (we) should be able to get chances against almost anyone we play.”
Gondek has been around long enough – this is his ninth season as head coach of the Blue Devils – to realize that with so many new faces in the lineup, there might be some growing pains early in the season. He also foresees the challenges of a strong non-conference schedule and the usual battle for supremacy in the SUNYAC.
He will not, however, concede anything. He likes his roster and is confident the Blue Devils can extend the current streak of 14 winning seasons while they attempt to defend their SUNYAC title.
“Put all these names together,” he said, “and we don’t see this as a rebuilding year. We may be younger, and slightly less experienced, but I don’t see us as any less talented.”