Men's Soccer Weekly Report #1
Aug. 27, 2007
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News From Around the League -- Team Capsules
UIC Flames(2006: 13-3-5 overall, 5-1-1 Horizon League)UIC won its first regular-season League title in six years last fall and is the nearly-unanimous pick to remain atop the standings in 2007, according to the coaches' preseason poll.
The Flames bring back seven starters from last year's squad that led the nation with a 0.36 goals-against average which ranked sixth in NCAA Division I history. Sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja anchors that effort, after setting a school record with ten clean sheets (plus three shared shutouts) last season while compiling a 0.37 GAA. He allowed only eight goals in 1,930 minutes of action.
UIC must replace the League's Player of the Year in (graduated) midfielder Tonci Skroce, but still features senior midfielder Pavle Dundjer, who could become the League's first-ever four-time, First-Team All-League selection this fall. Dundjer scored eight goals a year ago and joins senior midfielder Cesar Zambrano (five goals) to create a potent attack.
The Flames also gain the services of redshirt freshman Matt Spiess, a prep All-America selection who missed all of 2006 with a knee injury.
Coach John Trask's crew, which defeated eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara last fall, faces another daunting non-League schedule with dates at Akron (Sept. 13) and at Indiana (Oct. 3).
Green Bay Phoenix(2006: 14-6-0 overall, 5-2-0 Horizon League)Green Bay boasted the League's top-scoring offense (43 goals) last year, using a late charge to finish second in the regular-season standings, compiling a 14-6-0 ledger and reaching the final match of the League Championship for the first time since 1998. The Phoenix is tabbed for a second-place finish again, based on the League's preseason poll.
Joshua Okoampa led the League with 14 goals and 36 points last season, but his departure leaves the scoring burden to junior forward Tosaint Ricketts in 2007. Ricketts played for the Canadian U-20 national team this summer after posting eight goals and collecting 17 points last fall.
Senior midfielder Dan O'Brien and sophomore midfielder David Znaty are expected to pick up some of the scoring slack after each hit the net four times in 2006. O'Brien also set up six strikes, while junior forward Mike McCormack scored four more goals for the Phoenix.
Green Bay featres an experienced tandem between the pipes in junior Adam Stilk and senior Josh Loyd. The two netminders combined for a 1.32 goals-against average in 2006.
The Phoenix opens the 2007 slate with four consecutive road matches before playing four in a row at home prior to its League-opener, Sept. 26 versus Valparaiso.
Loyola Ramblers(2006: 11-8-2 overall, 4-2-1 Horizon League)Loyola won the League Championship in 2006, advancing to the NCAA Championship for the first time in school history. The Ramblers hope for a quick return to the national summit this fall.
Senior forward Keum Sung Kim scored only one goal in 2006, but picked the perfect time for it---to defeat Green Bay 1-0 in the League title match. Kim's eight assists tied for the League lead, setting the stage for freshmen Alex Jones and Michael Ferguson to experience auspicious debut seasons. Jones scored six goals and Ferguson added five, with each posting three match-winners a year ago.
Defensively, Loyola will rely on senior back-liner Iradj Farahmand to overcome the loss of goalkeeper Sean Bond. Farahmand was the Most Valuable Player of the League Championship, adding that award to his résumé that also included a First-Team All-League honor and Second-Team All-Great Lakes Region acclaim from the NSCAA in 2006. Farahmand helped the Ramblers record ten shutouts last fall.
Loyola opens at home with contests versus Cincinnati (Friday) and Jacksonville (Sunday) before heading to Kansas City, Mo., for a pair of matches next weekend. The Ramblers open League play Sept. 16 versus Valparaiso at Toyota Park, home of the MLS's Chicago Fire.
Milwaukee Panthers(2006: 8-9-2 overall, 4-2-1 Horizon League)Milwaukee has eight returning starters, hoping that an added year of experience will prevent some of the one-goal defeats that plagued UWM a year ago, when eight one-goal setbacks ended the Panthers' string of four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Junior forward Colin Baker led the Panthers with four goals last season, with senior midfielder Martin Castro adding three and junior defender Travis Phillips providing four assists. They represent the top scoring threats after the graduation of veteran standouts Craig Mallace, Steve Sperl and Billy Meier, who combined for nine of the Panthers' 19 goals last fall.
Junior goalkeepers Ryan Germann and Grant Fernstrum combined for a 1.07 goals-against average and six shutouts last year. Germann helped spark the late-season surge with a 0.40 GAA in five outings, while Fernstrum led the nation with his 0.47 GAA in 2005.
Freshmen Abe and Aaron Gibbons lead a heralded class of newcomers for the Panthers. The siblings combined for 48 goals and 61 assists as high school seniors in 2006.
Milwaukee opens the season in Madison, Wis., at the Wisconsin Invitational, facing Western Michigan on Friday and Tulsa on Sunday before heading west for a match at defending natinal champion UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 7.
Cleveland State Vikings(2006: 6-10-2 overall, 3-4-0 Horizon League)Cleveland State recorded the largest one-year improvement in Division I last fall, climbing to 6-10-2 under first-year coach Ali Kazemaini after an 0-17-1 campaign in 2005.
The Vikings attempt to continue that push forward, with sophomore George Kephart and junior Nenad Stojkovic pacing the attack. Kephart was a Second-Team All-League selection as a freshman, hitting the net five times and adding two assists to tie for team scoring honors at 12 points. Stojkovic added ten points, with three goals and four helpers a season ago.
Kazemaini has nine returning starters but must replace goalkeeper Kasey Gray. Sophomore Dan Duric and junior Anthony DeMarco battle for the starting nod in net, with Duric logging a 2.50 goals-against average with 25 saves in six appearances last season. DeMarco did not play in 2006 but led the League with 105 saves as a freshman the previous year.
Youth is still being served on the Cleveland State roster, with eight freshmen and 11 sophomores among the 27 players on the CSU roster. Among the four seniors, only defender Tom Sadd (18) started more than two matches in 2006.
CSU opens the season at home Friday versus St. Bonaventure before heading to upstate New York for a Sunday matinee at Niagara.
Butler Bulldogs(2006: 7-11-2 overall, 2-4-1 Horizon League)Butler enters its second season under head coach Kelly Findley, trying to build upon last fall's 7-11-2 record, which included a 1-0 victory over then-12th-ranked UIC on Oct. 15. Butler proved to be a dangerous foe late in the year, also posting a 2-1 victory at Milwaukee in the opening round of the League Championship.
Six starters are gone from the 2006 roster, including veteran goalkeeper Frank Peabody, who played every minute in net last season and posted a 1.49 goals-against average.
The Bulldog attack features junior forward Frank Patano, who tied for fifth place on the League charts with seven goals and 17 points a year ago. Those totals are second only to Wright State's Braden Fleak (13 goals, 29 points) among returning players in the Horizon League.
Junior forward Eduardo Garcia added three goals and a pair of helpers while junior midfielder David GIarratana hit the net twice in 2006, but BU must replace the combined 11-goal total of graduates John DeVae and Tom Turner.
Butler begins the 2007 campaign in Dayton, Ohio, with matches versus Sacramento State on Friday and St. Francis [Pa.] on Sunday. The Bulldogs don't play on campus until a Sept. 30 date versus Evansville. Butler visits in-state rival Valparaiso to begin the Bulldogs' League schedule on Sept. 23.
Detroit Titans(2006: 6-9-3 overall, 2-5-0 Horizon League)Detroit struggled to find consistency last season, dropping to seventh place in the League standings after winning the regular-season title in 2005.
Six starters return for the Titans in 2007, led by junior forward Mark Djurovski. The Titan striker started all 17 contests a year ago, sharing the team lead with seven goals. He is the only returner with more than one, however, with UDM also trying to replace the leadership of First-Team All-League defender Jason Massoglia. Juniors Nick Servedio and Brandon Powell each hit the net once last season.
Detroit's defense suffered another blow when veteran goalkeeper Sasha Boskovic opted not to return this fall. Boskovic recorded five shutouts and 85 saves last season. Sophomore Bryan Kloss appears poised to take the starting role, after playing 107 minutes in his collegiate debut, a 2-2 tie versus Oakland on Oct. 22, 2006.
That lack of experience will place added pressure on senior Jordan Veit, as the leader of the Titan defense. Veit started 17 matches in 2006.
Detroit hits the road for its first seven contests, including a trip to California this weekend for matches at Cal State Northridge (Friday) and Cal State Fullerton (Sunday). Coach Morris Lupenec's team doesn't play at home until Sept. 23 versus Buffalo.
Wright State Raiders(2006: 8-9-1 overall, 1-6-0 Horizon League)Wright State endured an injury-riddled 2006 campaign, dropping six contests by one goal apiece with two defeats in overtime.
The Raiders enter 2007 with the reigning Newcomer of the Year in sophomore forward Braden Fleak. The First-Team All-League honoree finished second among all Division I freshmen with 13 goals and 29 points last fall, ranking 14th in the nation with a rate of 0.72 goals per game. Sophomore forward Adam Harp added six goals, and junior forward Josh Grossman provided four goals and five assists in 2006.
Wright State also welcomes back senior midfielder Tony Labudovski, who played only two matches last year before opting for a medical redshirt season. He collected nine goals and added two assists to gain Third-Team All-Great Lakes Region acclaim in 2005, and owns 17 goals in his Raider career.
Senior goalkeeper Tebias Mason led the League with 105 saves last season, compiling a 1.68 goals-against average between the posts for veteran coach Mike Tracy. Mason recorded three shutouts in his first season at WSU.
The Raiders open the schedule at East Lansing, Mich., taking on Western Kentucky on Friday afternoon as part of the Michigan State Spartan Classic. The weekend also features a Sunday matinee versus Oregon State.
Valparaiso Crusaders(2006: 7-10-0 overall, 2-4-0 Mid-Continent)Valparaiso officially joins the Horizon League this fall, giving the circuit a total of nine schools sponsoring men's soccer. The Crusaders finished 7-10-0 in their final run through the Mid-Continent Conference last fall, marking the school's best finish since 1997. The Crusaders went 2-4-0 to place fifth in the Mid-Con race.
Former Louisville assistant Mike Avery takes the reins of the program, inheriting a team that features eight returning starters. Junior midfielder Paul Leitelt leads the way after collecting four goals and three assists for 11 points last fall, while sophomore defender Steve Shively also comes off a four-goal campaign in 2006. Junior defender Andrew Stewart and junior midfielder Clifton Brown each had two assists a year ago.
Goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz set a Valpo freshman record with four shutouts in 2006, logging 77 saves and a 2.25 goals-against-average in 15 outings. Defender Joel Wagner's work in front of the net earned Mid-Con All-Newcomer Team notice last year.
Valpo begins the 2007 campaign in North Carolina at the Wolfpack Classic. The Crusaders visit North Carolina State on Friday before facing Duke on Sunday to close the weekend. Valpo plays its first League match on Sept. 16, challenging defending loop champion Loyola at Toyota Park.
Horizon League tries to continue successThe Horizon League placed two teams in the NCAA Championship last fall, with UIC joining loop champion Loyola in the 48-team field. It was the first time since 2001 that the League had two representatives, and the Flames' 3-0 victory over Western Illinois marked the fifth consecutive year a League institution has reached the second round. Milwaukee won opening-round matches in each of the four previous years.
UIC won the national statistical title for goals-against average, allowing only eight goals last fall. The Flames defeated perennial national power Saint Louis and eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara on the way to the No. 7 spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's national rankings (Sept. 26), the best in school history and the first League entry in the top ten since 2002.
Loyola won the League Championship to earn its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, while Green Bay compiled an impressive 14-6-0 overall record and finished second in the regular season and the League summit. The Phoenix joined the two Chicago schools to give the League three teams among the NSCAA's top-ten rankings in the Great Lakes Region.
As a group, the eight Horizon League schools (not including Valparaiso) posted a 42-33-9 overall record. UIC ranked 24th in the NCAA's final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) listings.
2007 Coaches' Preseason PollTeam (first-place votes) - Points1. UIC (8) - 64 2. Green Bay (1) - 533. Milwaukee - 484. Loyola - 455. Butler - 316. Cleveland State - 277. Detroit - 258. Wright State - 239. Valparaiso - 8
NOTE: The League's nine head coaches vote in this poll. Teams received eight points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, etc. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own squads.
