Men's Soccer Preview, Part 1: Cleveland State
Aug. 14, 2006
For every chapter that closes, a new one begins. For Cleveland State that new chapter in the school's rich men's soccer history began when former Viking Ali Kazemaini took over the reigns as the program's ninth head coach on Dec. 15, 2005.
After suffering through an 0-17-1 campaign a season ago, Kazemaini has taken to the task of rebuilding the Vikings with the same intensity and determination that helped him reach All-America status as a collegiate player and later as one of the most-popular professional soccer players in Cleveland history and most recently the most-successful head coach in school history at John Carroll.
Kazemaini's inaugural Viking team features a strong mix of returners along with an extremely deep and talented group of newcomers -- the key ingredients for what Kazemaini hopes will be a rousing start to rebuilding the proud men's soccer tradition.
Kazemaini has started the rebuilding process by looking locally and regionally for the best soccer talent. His success in this philosophy is clearly evident by the fact that the roster is dominated by 16 student-athletes from Northeast Ohio, including 11 of the 15 newcomers to the squad.
The process of implementing this plan to build a championship level program a reality will depend on how well a group of 11 returnees mesh with 15 newcomers to grow as a team.
Goalkeepers
Competition is often said to be the best means for a leader emerge to from the pack. For the Vikings this season, the battle to become the team's starting goalkeeper is one which may not be decided until shortly before the 2006 campaign gets underway against Robert Morris on Aug. 25.
Competing throughout fall camp to secure that assignment will be returnees junior Chris Black and sophomore Kasey Gray along with freshman Dan Duric.
Both Black and Gray saw limited action last season for CSU as the duo each appeared in two matches, with Black making a pair of starts. Duric comes to the Vikings after playing his prep career at Mentor High School.
"The competition to identify who will start for us in goal is wide open with each of the players starting out on the same page," Kazemaini said. "It will come down to the preseason to see who establishes himself as the most consistent."
Defenders
Depth and experience may be two of the best words to describe the Vikings' core of defenders this season. CSU returns four of its six starters on defense as sophomore K.C. Bockmiller, junior Tom Sadd, sophomore Steve Trapp and senior Mark Zambra combined to make 54 starts in Cleveland State's 18 matches. Also back in the fold after sitting out the 2005 campaign will be junior Seth Matisak, who played for the Vikings in 2004.
The coaching staff is looking for Sadd to establish himself as a team leader this fall as he will be asked to anchor the defensive efforts. In 17 matches a year ago, he recorded one goal while getting off 22 shots, the third-best total on the team.
Making the move from the front to the back will be Trapp, who had a successful 2005 campaign in which he recorded two goals while dishing out a team-high four assists.
As a sophomore for CSU in 2004, Matisak appeared in all 19 matches, including 10 starts. He finished tied for second on the team with three goals and ranked fourth on the team in points (7).
Rounding out the returners are Bockmiller and Zambra. Bockmiller is working his way back this fall after suffering a tear of his ACL in December while Zambra, one of two returning seniors, has demonstarted very good leadership skills. The duo appeared in 17 and 14 matches, respectively, with Zambra registering a pair of goals.
Kazemaini is looking for strong contributions and continued development as the year goes on from freshmen defenders Anthony Baraldi, Mike Barton, Mitch Boyer and Eric Tattersall.
Midfielders
The Viking midfield has the appearance of being one of the youngest groups in the Horizon League. The thing about appearances are they can be deceptive as Kazemaini has established a core of players who have the ability to help transform the midfield into a strength of the Vikings.
Returners in the middle for CSU are juniors Roshard Gilbert and Vincent Rosati. Gilbert turned in a solid sophomore campaign a year ago as he started 17 matches and recorded two goals along with two assists. Rosati started seven of the 10 matches he played in and posted one goal.
Infused into this mix will be six newcomers in freshmen Barton, Marco DiFranco, Bryan Henson, Pete Wagner and Josh Williams along with senior Anthony Segreti. Their athleticism and versatility will provide a wide array of options for the Vikings.
Forwards
An area without question which will be asked to step up its individual and collective efforts under Kazemaini will be the Vikings' frontline.Directing this group will be sophomore Nenad Stojkovic, the team's 2005 leading scorer along with the return of senior David Stewart.
Stojkovic provided Cleveland State with an immediate impact as a freshman as he led the team in goals (5), points (11), shots (26) and shots on goal (13) while appearing in all 18 matches. He finished 10th in the Horizon League in goals.
Stewart is making his return to the Vikings after sitting out the 2005 season. In 2004, he led the team in assists (3) while ranking second in goals (3), points (9), shots on goal (11) and third in shots (24).Adding to this line will be freshmen George Kephart, Andrew Gutting and Mark Barbicas.
The Schedule
In Kazemaini's inaugural season leading the Vikings, Cleveland State faces a challenging 17-match schedule, including contests against 2005 NCAA Tournament participants, Robert Morris and UW-Milwaukee.
Seven contests on Krenzler Field highlight the home slate, including visits from conference foes UW-Green Bay, Loyola and the defending Horizon League regular season champion, Detroit. Rounding out the non-conference opponents paying a visit to Cleveland this fall are Canisius, Niagara, Robert Morris and Western Michigan.
The Vikings face a rigorous 10-match road schedule is marked by a trio of Big East foes in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Rutgers along with regional rivals Marshall, Valparaiso and IPFW. Additionally, CSU will travel to conference matches at Wright State, Butler, UIC and defending Horizon League tournament champion, UW-Milwaukee.
The campaign all sets up for the 2006 Horizon League Championship which will be hosted at campus sites from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5.
Story provided by CSU Office of Sports Information
