Bucknell University Athletics
Bison Men's Soccer Team Has Sights Set on Patriot League Title
8/28/2001 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Last year, the Bucknell men's soccer team was picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League. That squad, however, had a different plan in mind. Recording a 9-10-2 overall record and going 4-2 in Patriot League play, last season's team shared a piece of the Patriot League regular season title and made it to the conference tournament for the first time in seven years.
In a preseason poll of league head coaches and sports information directors, Bucknell was chosen to finish fourth in the eight-team field. Patriot League newcomer American University and Lehigh each picked up 82 points and shared 12 of the 16 first-place votes. American edged out Lehigh in the first-place vote category, garnering nine to Lehigh's three. Lafayette picked up 67 points to place third in the voting, followed by Bucknell (58 pts.) and Navy (57 pts.). Lafayette and Bucknell each picked up two first-place votes. Holy Cross ranked sixth in the pre-season poll with 44 points, followed by Army with 32 points and Colgate with 26 points.
Despite losing five seniors to graduation, the Bison have much to be optimistic about with the return of seven starters and 16 letterwinners. In addition, the program welcomes eight freshmen to the fold in what head coach Brendan Nash has called "our best recruiting class in my five years with the program."
One of the biggest challenges of the season will be filling the void left by the graduation of four-year starter and two-year captain, Bill Epley. Looking to prove up to the challenge is senior midfielder Andrew Aurand (Middleburg, Pa./Middleburg). Aurand will be the lone captain on the 2001 squad, bringing his leadership skills to a team that consists of four seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores and eight freshmen.
A part time starter for the past three seasons, Aurand faces an increased test after suffering a knee injury in the preseason and undergoing surgery just weeks before the season opener. He is coming off of the most successful offensive season of his career, scoring four goals and adding two assists for the second highest point total on the team at ten. His four goals tied for the team lead and his six points against Patriot League opponents was tops on the team.
Three other players join Aurand as members of the class of 2002. Although they were not elected captains, these three seniors will also be counted on to provide leadership and experience on and off the field. Nathan Hopfinger (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) rejoins the team after taking last season off. During his sophomore campaign, the midfielder was an All-Patriot League Second-Team selection, starting in all 17 games and recording three assists. Running the defense will be Greg Stunzenas (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and Ryan Weber (Longmont, Colo./Niwot). Stunzenas came back from knee surgery before last season to start all 21 contests in 2000. Both three-year letterwinners, Stunzenas and Weber take command of a defensive unit that posted six shutouts a year ago and allowed only six goals in Patriot League play.
Returning for the junior class is midfielder Nick Taylor (Fairview Park, Ohio/St. Ignatius), BU's leading scorer from the 2000 season. Taylor had a breakout year offensively, scoring leading the team with four goals and four assists for 12 points. He is Bucknell's only returning all-league player, earning All-Patriot League First-Team honors for the first time in his career.
Joining Taylor as members of the class of 2003 are forwards Steve Feather (Maryville, Texas/Maryville) and Elliott Maruffi-Cowley (North Branford, Conn./North Branford), midfielders Brian Johnson (Creamridge, N.J./Notre Dame) and Tom Ryan (Pine City, N.Y./Elmira Southside), and defender Chip Witte (Wall, N.J./Wall).
Maruffi-Cowley makes the move to forward after playing primarily as a midfielder the past two years. The two-year letterwinner scored his first collegiate points last season, tallying one goal and two assists for four points. The team will look for continued improvement from Johnson, who earned the Most Improved Player Award at the end of season banquet last year. After seeing no playing time as a freshman, Johnson stepped into a starting role in 2000, getting the nod in 13 of the 17 games he played in and registering two assists.
A talented and experienced sophomore class returns to the field in 2001, ready to make their mark on the Bison program. Forward Chris Beekman (Neptune, N.J./Neptune) is the leading returning scorer from last year's rookie class. Beekman earned valuable experience, playing in 20 games and starting four while scoring four goals and recording two assists. Another classmate who got involved offensively in his initial campaign was forward Patrick Glennon (South Orange, N.J./Columbia). Glennon scored the only goal of his young career in an exciting 1-0 overtime victory over conference rival Army. Due to a back injury suffered in the preseason, Glennon will miss the 2001 season.
Defender Brian King (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) and goalkeeper Steve Whitaker (Wayne, Pa./Conestoga) are two experienced players returning for their second season. King made an immediate impact on the squad, starting 19 of the 20 games he played in at the defensive position. Whitaker became a pleasant surprise for the 2000 Orange and Blue team, earning a starting role six games into the season and maintaining a national ranking in both goals against average and saves per game for the majority of the year. Classmates Kevin Clifford (Marlton, N.J./Holy Cross) and Keith Sheldon (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) will challenge Whitaker for the starting role at goalkeeper, while midfielder Mark Mascarenhas (Marietta, Ga./Marist) battles for a spot in the midfield rotation.
A very talented rookie class joins the 2001 Bison team. The program welcomes nine freshmen hailing from eight different states. Ori Adrabi (West Hills, Calif./El Camino Real), Greg Buzzell (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Area), Dennis DeLuca (Far Hills, N.J./Delbarton), Alexander Far (Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow), Jonathan Hemmert (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Prep), Michael Lookingland II (Fallston, Md./Loyola), Andrew Richardson (Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee) and Otto Tancraitor III (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) all aspire to be instant contributors to the team. Matthew Arias (Jackson, Miss./Jackson Prep) comes in with the class of 2005, but will miss the season with a torn ACL and MCL suffered in the preseason.
The 2001 Bison men's soccer team will endure another challenging schedule, opening the season at Penn State on August 31. The team will stay on the road to face Mount St. Mary's on September 5, before opening the home ledger against Robert Morris on September 8. Holy Cross is the first Patriot League rival the Orange and Blue will face as they host the Crusaders on September 15. BU spends a majority of its time at home in October, playing host to new Patriot League opponent, American, on October 7. After traveling to Saint Peter's on October 16, the Bison put their home strength to the test, hosting five straight games in a two week span, before finishing the season on the road at conference rivals Navy and Army on November 4 and 9, respectively.
Bucknell made it to the Patriot League tournament last year for the first time in seven years and made an early exit after a disappointing 1-0 loss to Lehigh in the first round. With an experienced nucleus returning from a year ago, and a group of fresh, young talent joining the squad, the 2001 men's soccer team will look forward to another successful year.
The Orange and Blue squad kicks off its season with a game at Penn State on Friday, August 31 at 7:00 p.m. before traveling to Mount St. Mary's on September 5 for a 3:30 p.m. game. The Bison open the home ledger on Saturday, September 8 with a 4:00 p.m. game against Robert Morris.
