Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Opens 2007 Campaign at Northwestern Lakeside Classic this Weekend
8/28/2007 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2007
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Coming off a Patriot League title and an NCAA Tournament win to end last year, expectations are high for the Bucknell men's soccer team as its 2007 slate gets underway this coming weekend. The Bison will play at the Northwestern Lakeside Classic, taking on a pair of 2006 NCAA Tournament teams in Northern Illinois and nationally ranked Northwestern. The season opener is Friday afternoon against Northern Illinois, while Bucknell completes the weekend with a match against the host Wildcats, who advanced to the national quarterfinals last fall.
The Bison will enter the weekend fresh off being picked second in the Patriot\ League\ Preseason\ Poll. They picked up 85 points and collected four first-place votes. Only defending regular-season champion Lehigh, which totaled 95 points and 11 first-place votes, was chosen higher. Lafayette, with one first-place tally, was the only other team to receive a vote for first place.
Bucknell, which posted a 9-8-6 record last year, will have to wait until its Sept. 11 home opener against Binghamton to show off its new facility at Varsity Soccer Field.
Following is a season preview of the 2007 Bucknell men's soccer team:
SEASON PREVIEW
The fourth-seeded Bucknell men's soccer team surprised the Patriot League last November as it knocked off the top two seeds in the league's four-team postseason tournament and advanced to its first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. It will be much more difficult to shock the league in 2007 as the Bison graduated just one senior - Andrew Loia - from the talented squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"The locker room talks aren't going to be the underdog speeches I have been giving for years," joked Bucknell head coach Brendan Nash, who has piled up 72 victories in his eight years at the helm of the Bison.
As has become commonplace for Bucknell under Nash, the strength of the team should once again be on the defensive side of the field. In fact, Nash thinks the squad's defense has the ability to be the best during his tenure.
At the back of the stingy defense is senior goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach, who played every single second in goal last year when he piled up a career-high 116 saves to rank 10th on Bucknell's single-season list. The 2006 campaign was Kuterbach's first full season as a starter and he shined, piling up eight shutouts and allowing no more than one goal in a match until the 15th game of the year. His most impressive display came during the postseason when he made a diving save of the final penalty kick against Lafayette to seal the Patriot League title. Kuterbach allowed just one goal in the Patriot League Tournament and was named MVP as he made seven saves and helped the Bison win back-to-back games in shootouts.
"We know we are going to get 100% out of Joey," praised Nash. "He has worked hard to be fit and improve. We know for however many games we play, Joey is going to get the job done for us in net."
With Loia, who was the vocal and emotional leader of the defense, gone, there is a hole in front of Kuterbach that must be filled. Nash expects senior Joe Mellott to step into that center back position. The Highland, Md., native tied for the team lead with four assists last year and started 22 games to bring his career total to more than 50.
"I think Joe, who has been starting since his freshman year, will be the leader on defense," predicted Nash. "He is one of our hardest working guys and understands the game well."
Junior Dirk Swaneveld, who has 24 career starts, and sophomore Patrick Selwood, who started the final five matches last year, including all four postseason games, should also see significant playing time at defense, as will sophomore Sean King, who appeared in 12 games off the bench and contributed one assist in 2006.
The midfield contingent of veterans Corey Curnutte, Andy Kummer, Mark Schmiegel and Justin Wolf is perhaps the most experienced group on the team.
Curnutte, who will be a second-year co-captain in 2007, dished out two assists last year to bring his career total to six. He has started 56 games in his career, the most of any current Bison.
Wolf is a newly elected captain in 2007 and has been one of Bucknell's best performers throughout his career. A three-year starter, he has totaled two goals and eight assists in his career. The Bartlett, Ill., native was third on the team with seven points last year and recorded assists on both of Bucknell's postseason goals against Lehigh and George Mason.
"I hope this is the year Justin finally gets recognized by the rest of the Patriot League," commented Nash. "He is not somebody who necessarily shows up in the statistics, but everyone on our team knows how important he is to our success."
Schmiegel is a junior and has started all 41 games in his career and has compiled three goals and four assists. The most important of his three career goals came in overtime against George Mason in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year when he helped the Bison to their first NCAA victory in more than 30 years.
"We always have high expectations for Mark," explained Nash. "I think he is one of the hardest working outside midfielders in the Patriot League, and maybe all of Division I. He takes personal pride in trying to be out there for 90 minutes and wearing his opponent down."
Another member of the successful seven-person senior class that has experienced 24 victories in its first three years is Kummer. The Pittsford, N.Y., native has seen increased playing time each year. After not appearing in a contest as a freshman, he saw action in 15 as a sophomore, including one start. Last year Kummer was part of the starting lineup nine times and came off the bench another 10.
"Andy is our glue," described Nash. "We can put him at midfield or outside back and know he will produce. His best role is coming off the bench so he can digest the game and know exactly what we need from him when he checks in."
Along with the veteran midfielders, sophomore Conor O'Brien should have a breakout year, according to Nash. One of just five Bison to start every game in 2006, O'Brien tallied one goal and tied for third on the team with three assists. A strong playmaker in the midfield, O'Brien's best game as a freshman came against Army when he registered one goal and one assist in the 2-0 win over the Black Knights.
Once again Alex Russo and Nathan LaGrave will be counted on to score goals up front for the Bison. A sophomore, LaGrave led the team with six goals and 16 points as he earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year plaudits. His six scores were the most by a Bison freshman since Scott Gilroy tallied eight in 1996.
Russo teamed with LaGrave to form a potent combination. The junior registered five goals to rank second on the team as he finished with 13 points despite missing five games throughout the season.
Nash thinks other veterans like Anthony Ferraro and Kevin Holmes will use their speed to their advantage and could increase their offensive output as well. Both Ferraro and Holmes found the back of the net twice in 2006. Additionally, Chris Hennings and Jason Soto could help on the offensive half of the field with another year of experience under their belts.
"We didn't have Alex and a number of other veterans the entire spring season, so other guys had to step up," said Nash. "We received contributions from different guys throughout the spring and that is how I envision this season going. We have four guys defending and six guys attacking and of those six, anyone can get it done on any given day."
While there are plenty of familiar faces that will return to Varsity Soccer Field this fall, Nash brought in another terrific recruiting class that features six talented newcomers.
"We are very excited about the incoming class, but we also don't want to totally rebuild something that is working so well at this point," explained Nash, who is the second-winningest coach in Bison history. "They are all coming in with high expectations, but we are able to tell them they have to earn their minutes and work their way into the lineup.
"Two guys we are expecting big things from are Ross Liberati and Tommy McCabe. They fit our model of working hard on offense and defense and being able to play multiple positions."
