Men's Soccer Preview, Part 1: Wright State

Aug. 17, 2007

The 2007 Wright State men's soccer squad will have a good balance of returning talent and a talented group of newcomers. The Raiders lost the majority of their defensive backfield, but return their top four scorers from 2006.

The Raiders will return nine starters in 2007 and 17 of the 26 players were members of last seasons roster. Wright State will look to continue their offensive production after ranking 35th nationally in scoring average with 1.72 goals-per-game. The 2007 edition will look to continue their non-League success after posting a 7-3 record outside of league play last season. This year's squad will look to compete for the Horizon League crown after posting a 1-6 record against league foes last season.

Goalkeepers
Wright State will return a trio of netminders from their 2006 roster, including starter Tebias Mason, and will add freshman Aaron Ritter into the mix in 2007. Mason gobbled up the majority of the minutes in goal for WSU last season, playing 1662 minutes in net. The senior ranked third in the nation last year in saves-per-game (5.83) and led the league with 105 total stops.

Junior Eric Guild appeared in one game last season, notching almost 16 minutes of work, and redshirt freshman Matt Koewler was also on the Raiders roster in 2006.

Newcomer Aaron Ritter will join the Green and Gold after a stellar prep career at Vandalia Butler High School. Ritter garnered all-conference accolades twice while at VBHS and recorded 24 shutouts during his four seasons with the Aviators.

Forwards
The Raiders return a platoon of experience at the forward position to start the 2007 slate. The Green and Gold will return their top two scorers 2006 in sophomores Braden Fleak and Adam Harp. Four of the other five forwards on the 2007 roster have been with the Raiders for at least one season.

Fleak will return as the Raiders top goal scorer since their inception to Division I. The 13 tallies he netted during his freshman campaign ranked second in the league and earned him Horizon League Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-League accolades. The sophomore started all 18 games last season and complied 29 points during his rookie season. Harp contributed throughout the 2006 season as well, netting six goals and handing out one assist. Harp tied for second on the team in points with 13 and tallied two game-winning goals.

Senior Brian Decker, Juniors Kwaku Gyimah and Josh Grossman and sophomore Drew Eby all return to the frontline for WSU. Grossman tied for second on the 2006 team with 13 points, including a team high five assists, while Gyimah dished out three assists and netted one goal. Decker made 13 appearances for the Green and Gold last season with two starts.

Newcomer Jordan Haggit will compete for playing time on the frontline after a solid four year prep career at Pickerington North High School. Haggit was a two-time all-conference player and is a member of the Ohio South Olympic Development Program.

Midfielders
The Raiders return four starters in their midfield this season and add a pair of newcomers into the mix. Jonah Longino and Milovan Milosevic return for their second seasons with the Green and Gold, while senior Tony Labudovski and junior Josh Zimmerlin return after injuries in 2006.

Milosevic started 16 matches for the Raiders last season and recorded three assists. The junior will look to control action in the midfield for the Raiders this season. The quick Longino also dished out three helpers during his rookie campaign, appearing in 15 matches with nine starts.

Labudovski missed the majority of 2006, starting two matches, but will look to return to form after his 2005 season consisted of nine goals and two assists. Zimmerlin will look to help the Raiders after an injury in 2006, as well. The junior appeared in 13 games during the 2005 slate with two goals and one assist.

Newcomers Brian Cothern and Carl Ebers will look to crack the starting 11 with solid summer workouts. Cothern, who was high school teammates with Fleak, earned all-conference, all-district and NSCAA all-region honors as a senior and helped Big Walnut High School to the elite eight in the OHSAA state tournament. Ebers joins the Raiders from Malmo, Sweden and played his club soccer for SV Oberjesingen in Germany.

Defenders
The Raiders defensive backfield will consist of five returning players and three newcomers to start the '07 season. Juniors Anthony Smerk and Roger Downing have the most experience of the group, while Uros Grujic and Jon Miley each saw action last season.

Smerk started 13 matches last season for the Green and Gold at the defender position and Downing appeared in all 18 matches, recording a goal and an assist. Grujic started nine games for WSU during his rookie season, hading out an assist, and Miley walked on to the Raiders squad and appeared in five matches. Redshirt freshman Joe Flach will look to contribute after training with the team last season.

The group of newcomers include freshman Miles Kruzich and Andrew Eakle and sophomore Josh Baker. Kruzich was a three-time all-conference selection during his prep career at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. Eakle joins WSU after helping Concord (IN) High School to back-to-back conference championships and a pair of trips to the state semifinals.

Schedule
The Raiders will entertain four non-conference opponents at home this season and host four Horizon League matches at Alumni Field. The Green and Gold will start the season with six straight road games, traveling from coast-to-coast, starting with the Michigan State Soccer Classic. WSU will square off with Western Kentucky and Oregon State to start the 2007 season. Wright State then takes on Pittsburgh and Robert Morris in the University of Pittsburgh's Soccer Classic before heading to the west coast to square off with St. Mary's (Calif.) and Cal Poly.

The Green and Gold will return home for a five match homestand, starting with matches against Bowling Green, Dayton and Akron. The Raiders will then open their Horizon League slate with a pair of matches against Green Bay and Milwaukee before playing Loyola, UIC and Detroit away from home.

Horizon League home matches with Cleveland State and Valparaiso are interrupted by a trip to take on non-league foe IPFW to close out October. WSU will travel to square-off with Butler to November and close out the season with a home match against IUPUI before the start of the Horizon League Tournament.

Story provided by WSU Office of Sports Information