Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Wed., Aug. 29, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Men's Soccer

Devils look for another encore season

FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Each of the last two seasons have been among the best in a long storied history of Fredonia State soccer.

After an improbable NCAA Elite Eight run in 2005, the next likely step might have been a rebuilding year. Not so in 2006. After a near-miss in the SUNYAC championship game vs. Geneseo, the Devils rebounded in grand style. They eliminated Union in the ECAC Upstate New York semifinals and then followed up with a championship game shootout victory over Oneonta on its field.

Another banner to hang in Steele Hall, right? Not so fast. This banner will be strung up at University Field, the new $4 million dollar soccer stadium completed in the off-season. The state-of-the art facility with seating for 1,000 will officially open this fall.

“As I walk around the fields sometimes I stop and pinch myself,” head coach P.J. Gondek said. “With the success we have had recently, our new facility, and the quality of the returning players we have, it would be nice to have it all come together in 2007.”

Gondek is talking about a SUNYAC championship and an automatic NCAA tournament berth. Last year was his team’s third trip in seven years to the final game.

The Blue Devils open the regular season Friday at Nazareth in the Doug May Classic, followed by a meeting Saturday vs. Rochester Institute of Technology. After a road game at Medaille next Tuesday, the team returns home to open for its University Stadium opener, Sept. 7, vs. Penn State Behrend, at 7:30 p.m.

Even with a great returning core there will be some gaps to fill, most notably, via the departure of two-time All-Northeast Region and All-SUNYAC selection Matt Mahaffey, who, as a forward, stands tied for 13th all-time in scoring. At 6’2”, Mahaffey has been a mainstay for four years for the Devils and it will be difficult to fill has rather large shoes.

In addition, SUNYAC all-tournament selections Jordan Berg, a two-year starting center midfielder, and left back Kevin Swain are gone, along with Alex Parker, who appeared in over 80 games for the Blue Devils, and midfielder Victor Ianni (career 9 goals/9 assists).

Now for the good news. Fredonia State returns center midfielder Rob Esposito, a First Team All-SUNYAC, First Team D3kicks.com Northeast Region and Second Team National Soccer Coaches Association All-Northeast selection in 2006. “ I believe,” Gondek said, “Rob to be one of the top three players in our conference.” Esposito had four goals and six assists last season, his first with the Blue Devils after playing as a juco.

Esposito had company when it came to landing post-season awards in 2006. The others were defender Lee Wilson and forward Ryan O’Donnell, both of whom were chosen Second Team All-SUNYAC; and forward Trevor Ianni, an honorable mention choice for the second straight season; as well as Mahaffey. In addition, Scott Bergen was chosen Most Valuable Player following the Blue Devils’ ECAC Upstate New York Tournament win over Oneonta.

Add to the mix six other players who started at least one game and that makes 11 players with starting experience. They will be pushed by a solid group of recruits.

Here is a position-by-position breakdown:

GOALKEEPER – It is straight forward here. Bergen, a senior, was statistically the top keeper in SUNYAC in 2006 with a 0.99 goals-against average with a 83.9 save percentage. Providing he is healthy, he will start the bulk of the contests this year. Backing him up will be sophomore Tom Cavanaugh, who Bergen is helping groom for years to come. The emergency back-up is Andy Feldmann.

DEFENSE – The skipper at the center of the back will be Lee Wilson, a senior and only the second two-year captain in Gondek’s seven-year tenure (assistant coach Bryon Thoin was the other). Flanking him on the right should normally be high-energy junior Jeff Moretti, while sophomore Brendan Maghran has a shot on the other flank off a solid showing late last season and during spring drills. Other candidates in the back are freshmen, Eric Kurzdorfer and John O’Connor.

MIDFIELD – This is where things get complicated. After seniors Esposito and Ianni, Gondek has choices to make. Another senior, Jeff Morsch, is a candidate at the defensive mid position, while junior Chris Huber -- recovering from a knee injury -- is another option. Returners who should see time are junior Chris Lindner, who started 13 of 17 games last season, and fellow juniors Scott Chimileski and Sam Stewart, both of whom started at times in 2006. Newcomers expecting a fair amount of playing time include Brett Wysocki, Matt Carlson, John Grabowski, Eli Lubberts, Alex Proukou, the aforementioned Feldman, along with returning sophomore Mike Crossett.

FORWARD – This is as cut-and-dried as it comes. The only returning forward sophomore O’Donnell who anchors the core. His sidekick will include freshman Pete Dagel, a Fourth Team All-State player as a high school senior. Backing them up will be Andy Sharman, Jason Renfro and Ryan Schamber. Don’t be surprised to see Ianni up front, too.

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