Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Soccer Opens Season Wednesday at Home vs. Villanova
8/31/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 31, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- After a record-setting season, the Bison men's soccer team opens its 2010 slate Wednesday night against Villanova. Game time is 7 p.m. at Emmitt Field at Holmes Stadium.
Bucknell was picked as the overwhelming favorite in the Patriot\ League\ preseason\ poll, receiving the maximum 14 first-place votes, and the team was picked No. 26 in the College Soccer News national preseason poll. Those predictions come on the heels of a 2009 season in which the Bison finished 17-6 and won the Patriot League title and an NCAA first-round game for the second time in the last four years.
Large crowds have been the norm at Holmes Stadium since the facility opened three seasons ago, and another big turnout is expected Wednesday night as the Bison take on a talented Big East opponent. Villanova finished 9-8-2 overall and 5-5-1 in the Big East last season, and in 2010 the Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the Big East Red Division. Coach Tom Carlin's squad returns nine starters from last year.
Bucknell went 2-0 against the Big East last season, defeating Syracuse (1-0) in Oneonta, N.Y., and Marquette (2-1 OT) in Milwaukee. Despite the proximity of the two schools, Bucknell and Villanova have never met in men's soccer.
The Bison are slated to play eight regular-season home games in 2010, but after the Villanova game they won't be at home again until Sept. 28 against Drexel. That kicks off a run of seven out of eight games on Emmitt Field.
Below is a more detailed season outlook heading into the 2010 campaign.
One of the dilemmas facing coaches coming off record-setting, championship seasons is how much to draw upon that success the following year. For Brendan Nash and the Bucknell men's soccer team this preseason, there has been very little chatter about a 2009 campaign that featured program records for wins and shutouts, Patriot League regular-season and tournament championships, and a first-round NCAA Tournament win over Princeton.
Under the leadership of Nash and senior co-captains Ross Liberati and Travis Rand, the Bison are approaching 2010 with the thought that last year's dream season, while certainly something to be extremely proud of, can't interfere with the hard work that will be required to repeat that success.
"There has been no mention of 2009 at all," said Nash, the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year who is entering his 12th season as head coach of the Bison. "The guys came back and said, `let's work hard, find our identity and prepare for the tough games ahead of us.' We have taken some of the lessons learned in 2009 and applied them to this season. But we know that the bar has been raised, and that we have to re-raise it this season, in terms of the standard of our play, the atmosphere for our home games at Holmes Stadium, and taking the recognition given to the program and translating it into our recruiting."
One remnant of last season that the Bison will have to deal with is the large bulls-eye on their backs set by opponents who walked off on the short end of one of Bucknell's 17 victories. The very first league game on Sept. 25 will be a rematch of last year's Patriot League championship match against American, this time in Washington, D.C. In fact, the Bison will have to face each of the other three 2009 Patriot League Tournament participants - American, Lehigh and Lafayette - on the road this season.
"We know that we will be facing some teams that might not be real happy with last year's result and are going to come out flying against us," said Nash. "We are going to have to be prepared for that and rise to the challenge."
Fortunately, Nash has plenty of talent and experience remaining in the program. Bucknell will need to find replacements for All-America midfielder Conor O'Brien, All-Patriot League center back Patrick Selwood and a "glue" player in all-league midfielder Sean King. Those are not easy pieces to replace, particularly O'Brien, who tallied 11 goals and nine assists and accounted for seven game-winning goals, many in dramatic fashion. Selwood was more than just a technically sound defender, he was the vocal captain of a defense that produced a school-record 12 shutouts last season. Nash admits that he might not have an individual to step in and replace the production of an O'Brien or a Selwood, but he also says he has a much deeper squad this year and much of that coverage will end up being a group effort.
"We always try to look at depth as a strength," said Nash. "We have players who are good enough and fit enough to play all 90 minutes, but we have no problem going to our bench. This year we have tremendous depth at every position, which is going to make for some tough choices."
Even at the goalkeeper position, where the Bison return a Second Team All-Patriot League choice in junior Tommy Caso, the team has multiple weapons. Junior Marc Hartmann and freshman Orman Kimbrough are both legitimate Division I keepers, giving Nash peace of mind in the event Caso were unavailable.
Caso is coming off a tremendous sophomore season, when he broke the program record with 15 wins and tied the school mark with 10 shutouts. He posted an .814 save percentage, and his goals-against average was under 1.00 for most of the year until the 5-0 loss to Virginia in the NCAA Tournament second round bumped it up to 1.03. The lefty already has 33 career starts entering his junior campaign, and he is coming off a terrific postseason in which he posted three straight clean sheets against Lafayette, American and Princeton.
"Last year was a breakout year for Tommy, and it has done wonders for his confidence," said Nash. "We have had a strong tradition of outstanding goaltending at Bucknell, and entering his junior year Tommy is trying to join the company of guys like Joey Kuterbach and Adam Edwards. Tommy has the ability to be one of those guys. He has done a very good job of maturing and becoming a leader back there."
In front of the goalkeepers is a defensive unit that offers Nash plenty of options, yet remains a bit unsettled heading into the opener. Nash is still tinkering with positions within his back four, only because in his defense-first philosophy he knows just how important finding the right combinations will be to the overall success of the team.
"The success of our season will depend on how well our back four gets adjusted," said Nash. "We are looking for consistency, whose skills best fit each spot, and who will replace the great leadership provided by Pat Selwood."
Senior co-captain Travis Rand, junior Andrew Powell and sophomore Jermaine Jarrett are all returning starters, although Powell and Jarrett have been dealing with some nagging injuries in the preseason. Sophomores Vinny Cinotti and Collin Costello and promising freshmen Mayowa Alli and Joe Meyer are challenging to replace Selwood.
Rand earned a starting nod at right back last year and had a solid, consistent season for the Bison. Powell was also a first-year starter, bringing a new dimension of height and athleticism to the back line. The Patriot League decathlon champion last spring, Powell was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in soccer in 2009. Jarrett played in 20 games, starting 17, as a freshman and did very well after being thrust into the limelight right away.
The Bison boast two big and potentially dominant players in the heart of their 4-5-1 in senior co-captain Ross Liberati and junior Luke Joyner. Liberati began his career as a fullback, and both he and Joyner could play in the back in a pinch if needed. Both are very dangerous in the air and are threats to score goals in the box, but both are also responsible defenders.
Liberati was an NSCAA Third Team All-Region and First Team All-Patriot League selection last year, and he is one of the team's most vocal leaders. Joyner set career highs for goals (3), assists (6) and points (12) last season.
"Replacing both Sean King and Conor O'Brien is going to be a big task, and we'll have to do it by committee," Nash observed. "We have eight or nine midfielders that we can go to, and we feel that our midfield can still be a major strength like it has been in the past. The midfield unit must understand the hard work and energy that is required of them. That work rate is going to have to be what identifies this team."
Nash is thrilled to have junior Brendan Klebanoff back in the mix this season. A talented center mid out of the powerful Baltimore Bays club system, Klebanoff suffered an injury during his club team's run to the U-19 national title in the summer of 2009 and missed all of last season. Sophomore Phil Parsons has improved significantly over the last year, and freshman Josh Butzke is already on the verge of a starting spot somewhere in the middle of the field. Nash is also high on freshman Aidan Hoolachan, a versatile player whom he compares to former Bison Justin Wolf.
The probable starters on the flanks will most likely be senior Tommy McCabe on the left and junior Ryan Sappington on the right. McCabe is one of the most experienced players on the team with 56 career appearances. He crosses the ball well, has a big throw-in and also works back well defensively. Sappington started all but one game as a sophomore last season and is a bundle of energy. He had a goal and four assists last season, while McCabe had a goal and three assists.
Sophomore CK Kumah was a major contributor as a rookie last season, tallying four goals and three assists. He had game-winning goals in the same week against Holy Cross and Marquette, the latter coming in overtime. Sophomores Charlie Pirc and Ryan Foreman did not see as much game action last season, but both have had strong preseasons.
Up top, sophomore Brendan Burgdorf is coming off a monster rookie year and seems poised for even bigger things in 2010. An NSCAA Third Team All-Region selection, Burgdorf ranked second in the Patriot League in scoring behind only teammate O'Brien with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. His goal total ranked No. 9 nationally among freshmen and was the second-highest total ever by a Bucknell freshman. He did it in the clutch, too, scoring in 1-0 wins over American in the Patriot League final and Princeton in the NCAA Tournament.
Amazingly, Bucknell has scored a goal in 55 of its last 57 games - its national-best 27-match scoring streak was snapped by Virginia in the NCAAs - and Burgdorf will have to be a major factor if that kind of consistent offensive production is to continue.
"Brendan was great last year, but he has come back this season as a more complete player," said Nash. "He worked extremely hard in the offseason and is a stronger, more mature player. He is a handful to defend."
Perhaps overshadowed by Burgdorf's breakout rookie season is the fact that classmate Josh Plump was also a major contributor at forward. Plump had a pair of goals, including a critical 81st-minute equalizer at Colgate, and three assists while playing in every game. Plump scored four goals in the team's Orange-Blue scrimmage the week prior to the start of the season.
Junior Nader Sawtarie, who has played primarily in the back over his first two injury-plagued seasons, will likely move up front this year. Sawtarie has a rocket of a shot and outstanding speed when healthy. With Sawtarie and the dynamic sophomore trio of Burgdorf, Plump and Kumah, Nash could go to two forwards for certain stretches to take advantage of that depth.
Another advantage the Bison have enjoyed through years is tremendous home support, particularly since the completion of the beautiful Holmes Stadium facility three years ago. Last season the Bison drew over 1,400 fans for a Fox Soccer Channel-televised game against Lafayette, and the team ranked in the top 40 nationally in total home attendance in 2009.
In addition to an attractive season opener against Villanova, Bucknell will also have non-league home games against a UMBC team that was nationally ranked for awhile last year, Drexel, Adelphi and NJIT. Home Patriot League encounters are lined up against Army, Navy and Colgate.
In the second week of the season the Bison will travel to nearby State College for the Penn State Classic. Two years ago Bucknell tied No. 10 Ohio State and blanked Penn State 2-0 to win that tournament, and the Bison will be taking on the same two teams again this year. They will also play College of Charleston and Furman at the Nike/Aaron Olitsky Tournament in Charleston, S.C., the following week.
Bucknell was picked as the overwhelming favorite in the Patriot League preseason poll, receiving the maximum 14 first-place votes, and the team was picked No. 26 in the College Soccer News national preseason poll.
Nash is certainly appreciative of those accolades, which validate the strides his program has made during his 11-year tenure, but he realizes that only hard work will get his team back to last year's lofty perch.
"This team has so many personalities, and leadership is coming from many different areas," Nash said. "Our captains know the effort that is going to be required to re-raise that bar. Tommy McCabe, our third senior, and Tommy Caso are emerging as leaders with a professional attitude. Guys like Luke Joyner and Ryan Sappington are great teammates. It's probably not fair to compare this year's team to last, but if we are willing to put in the work we have a great opportunity in front of us."
