Men's College Soccer: St. Edward's University: Season Preview
2016 season preview
men's soccer 2016 MEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW In 2015, St. Edward’s University men’s soccer won its fourth-straight Heartland Conference title and second-straight tournament title, and head coach Brian Young led his squad to its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Although the team bowed out in the round of 32, Coach Young is determined to take the Hilltoppers further in 2016 than ever before. “Our goal this season is to improve and move the program forward by earning another at-large NCAA Tournament bid,” said Young. “We want to go further than any team has in Hilltopper men’s soccer history. The team, on paper, is very capable of achieving a lot this season. Our quality in the starting 11, and a very deep bench, give us a lot of potential. Assistant coach Matt O’Sullivan and I have recruited hard, and we have also developed our younger players over the spring.” With eight starters returning for the 2016 campaign, the Hilltoppers are in an advantageous position to accomplish their goal. However, the key to a historic run is not just quality personnel but also a dedication to hard work. “The players continue to work harder and harder,” said Young. “With fitness at an all-time high this past spring, and their desire to learn more about the game, they’ll help us move the program forward this year. We also have a large group of players in our senior leadership who will play key roles on the field this season.”
THE TEAM FORWARDS Leading the attack up top will be a trio of Hilltoppers with Samuel Jackson and Dylan Armstrong leading the way. The duo ate up a majority of the minutes in 2015 and combined for 13 goals. Haiden Stiles returns with senior leadership and goals in all three of his prior seasons. Also, expect to see Matthew Parker and Andrew Canales add depth to this position. MIDFIELDERS Although this position is traditionally played five-wide, it returns the most depth and scoring potential of any spot on the field. Senior captain Jack Blanton will serve as the anchor of this group, entering his third-straight season as the steady holding midfielder. Pablo Covarrubias, All-American Josh Taylor and Grant Mobley form the rest of the midfielder’s corps. It is a corps that has seen great success over the summer. Covarrubias helped the Houston Dutch Lions deep into the postseason. Taylor became one of the top-10 players in the PDL, and Mobley caps off his first complete collegiate season with a quality spring and summer season in PDL as well. Daniel Wakeham, Jarrod Tomasek and Jackson Morgan will beef up the holding midfield positions to make a well-rounded group. The graduation of four-year starter Karl de Zoeten leaves a spot to be filled on the left side. However, Steve Aoudou, who took up much of the time in relief last year, returns for his senior season. Julian Sanchez, Layne Broihier and Drake Lovelady will add depth in attacking midfield
roles along with newcomers Parker Fyfe and Cody Spitzer. Battling back from injury-plagued seasons are Pierce Searles and John Matthew Blay-Tofey, whose blazing speed can be used on both wings. DEFENSE On defense, the Hilltoppers will be without Kyle Pujats and Ryan Dendinger due to graduation, but the team loses very little beyond that. Ty Mobley will help hold down the middle with junior captain and returning All-American Owain Hoskins. On the left side, Nate Coons will bring potential to attack out of the back, with George Berkes and Antonio Arana hoping to fill the opening left by Dendinger. Freshmen Liam Miller, Harry Merz and Jacob Meacham will be out to prove their worth to a St. Edward’s defense that had 14 shutouts in 2015. They will be joined by returner Hunter Williams. Like the midfielders, the defensive group also had a quality summer. Mobley started every game for the Midland-Odessa Sockers, and Hoskins was named to the PDL Team of the Week. GOALKEEPERS In goal, All-American Kevin Leib will mind the net. The senior captain returns for his final season with back-to-back Academic All-America honors. Leib was also a national statistical champion with the NCAA Division II’s lowest Goals-Against Average in 2015. William Tuffin also plays in the mix and provides depth at the position alongside Emmanuel Prado. “Although we had a record-setting year defending the goal last season, I still feel this is a massive strength that we can improve on in the fall,” said Young. “We need to improve our defending against the top teams in the region. This year, we have a group of attacking players who know how to work with each other and play each other’s position.” “There will be a lot of leadership starting and playing in each match at each position, not just captains but our entire senior leadership group,” said Young. “From my experience, this will really help the team throughout the year. The returners learned a lot in 2014 and 2015, and I believe they now know and have the tactical experience to handle a packed defense and how we want to play against high pressure.”
(Continued on page 2)
2016 season preview
men's soccer (Continued from page 1)
SCHEDULE St. Edward’s will start the 2016 season where the 2015 campaign abruptly ended — in Colorado. A season opener against Metro State in Denver leads to a showdown against Colorado Mines, the team that eliminated the Hilltoppers from postseason play last year. Coach Young will then bring his team home to face Fort Lewis College and Colorado Mesa. Following the regional non-conference action, the Hilltoppers open Heartland Conference play with a balanced home and away slate, leading all the way to the Heartland Conference Tournament. “We played the No. 1 strength of schedule in the South Central Region in 2015,” said Young. “We follow that with another very difficult schedule in 2016. If we win enough games, the strength of schedule should help with a NCAA Tournament selection at the end of the season. The only unfortunate part of our schedule is that we are reduced to playing our regional rival, Midwestern State, only once in the regular season. We also try and play the best out-of-conference teams that are willing to face us. This year, we have slated Mines and Metro State on our opening weekend. We’ll also bolster our schedule by returning home to face three-time national champion Fort Lewis and recent national semifinalist Mesa.”
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE The 2016 season ushers in a new era in the Heartland Conference, as Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, UT–Permian Basin and West Texas A&M come over from the Lone Star Conference to compete as affiliate members of the league. The addition of these teams is currently set to last two years and also introduces a new schedule format. Under the new rules, teams will be divided into three pods; they will face each team in their pod twice during the season, and every other team once. St. Edward’s still stands as the team to beat, but Midwestern State’s arrival and the increased quality across the league could change the landscape. “It should be an exciting year,” said Young. “The addition of the Lone Star men’s soccer teams makes the Heartland one of the best conferences in the country. The quality in the league is so strong. I think five or six teams have a chance to win it all. It also gives the conference six teams in the tournament, which potentially allows for three more games. The addition of games against quality opponents could be helpful with teams from the league getting selected for the NCAA Tournament.”
Learn more about Hilltopper men's soccer at:
GoHilltoppers.com
FINAL THOUGHTS “Players and staff from St. Edward’s have been looking forward to the start of the season since we lost in Golden, Colorado, last season,” said Young. “The team had an excellent spring season, and a lot of players have been playing PDL this summer. All of these combined, as well as a class of 11 incoming freshmen, should make the fall a remarkable experience. Hopefully our season will be one to remember as well.”
men's soccer 2016 MEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW In 2015, St. Edward’s University men’s soccer won its fourth-straight Heartland Conference title and second-straight tournament title, and head coach Brian Young led his squad to its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Although the team bowed out in the round of 32, Coach Young is determined to take the Hilltoppers further in 2016 than ever before. “Our goal this season is to improve and move the program forward by earning another at-large NCAA Tournament bid,” said Young. “We want to go further than any team has in Hilltopper men’s soccer history. The team, on paper, is very capable of achieving a lot this season. Our quality in the starting 11, and a very deep bench, give us a lot of potential. Assistant coach Matt O’Sullivan and I have recruited hard, and we have also developed our younger players over the spring.” With eight starters returning for the 2016 campaign, the Hilltoppers are in an advantageous position to accomplish their goal. However, the key to a historic run is not just quality personnel but also a dedication to hard work. “The players continue to work harder and harder,” said Young. “With fitness at an all-time high this past spring, and their desire to learn more about the game, they’ll help us move the program forward this year. We also have a large group of players in our senior leadership who will play key roles on the field this season.”
THE TEAM FORWARDS Leading the attack up top will be a trio of Hilltoppers with Samuel Jackson and Dylan Armstrong leading the way. The duo ate up a majority of the minutes in 2015 and combined for 13 goals. Haiden Stiles returns with senior leadership and goals in all three of his prior seasons. Also, expect to see Matthew Parker and Andrew Canales add depth to this position. MIDFIELDERS Although this position is traditionally played five-wide, it returns the most depth and scoring potential of any spot on the field. Senior captain Jack Blanton will serve as the anchor of this group, entering his third-straight season as the steady holding midfielder. Pablo Covarrubias, All-American Josh Taylor and Grant Mobley form the rest of the midfielder’s corps. It is a corps that has seen great success over the summer. Covarrubias helped the Houston Dutch Lions deep into the postseason. Taylor became one of the top-10 players in the PDL, and Mobley caps off his first complete collegiate season with a quality spring and summer season in PDL as well. Daniel Wakeham, Jarrod Tomasek and Jackson Morgan will beef up the holding midfield positions to make a well-rounded group. The graduation of four-year starter Karl de Zoeten leaves a spot to be filled on the left side. However, Steve Aoudou, who took up much of the time in relief last year, returns for his senior season. Julian Sanchez, Layne Broihier and Drake Lovelady will add depth in attacking midfield
roles along with newcomers Parker Fyfe and Cody Spitzer. Battling back from injury-plagued seasons are Pierce Searles and John Matthew Blay-Tofey, whose blazing speed can be used on both wings. DEFENSE On defense, the Hilltoppers will be without Kyle Pujats and Ryan Dendinger due to graduation, but the team loses very little beyond that. Ty Mobley will help hold down the middle with junior captain and returning All-American Owain Hoskins. On the left side, Nate Coons will bring potential to attack out of the back, with George Berkes and Antonio Arana hoping to fill the opening left by Dendinger. Freshmen Liam Miller, Harry Merz and Jacob Meacham will be out to prove their worth to a St. Edward’s defense that had 14 shutouts in 2015. They will be joined by returner Hunter Williams. Like the midfielders, the defensive group also had a quality summer. Mobley started every game for the Midland-Odessa Sockers, and Hoskins was named to the PDL Team of the Week. GOALKEEPERS In goal, All-American Kevin Leib will mind the net. The senior captain returns for his final season with back-to-back Academic All-America honors. Leib was also a national statistical champion with the NCAA Division II’s lowest Goals-Against Average in 2015. William Tuffin also plays in the mix and provides depth at the position alongside Emmanuel Prado. “Although we had a record-setting year defending the goal last season, I still feel this is a massive strength that we can improve on in the fall,” said Young. “We need to improve our defending against the top teams in the region. This year, we have a group of attacking players who know how to work with each other and play each other’s position.” “There will be a lot of leadership starting and playing in each match at each position, not just captains but our entire senior leadership group,” said Young. “From my experience, this will really help the team throughout the year. The returners learned a lot in 2014 and 2015, and I believe they now know and have the tactical experience to handle a packed defense and how we want to play against high pressure.”
(Continued on page 2)
2016 season preview
men's soccer (Continued from page 1)
SCHEDULE St. Edward’s will start the 2016 season where the 2015 campaign abruptly ended — in Colorado. A season opener against Metro State in Denver leads to a showdown against Colorado Mines, the team that eliminated the Hilltoppers from postseason play last year. Coach Young will then bring his team home to face Fort Lewis College and Colorado Mesa. Following the regional non-conference action, the Hilltoppers open Heartland Conference play with a balanced home and away slate, leading all the way to the Heartland Conference Tournament. “We played the No. 1 strength of schedule in the South Central Region in 2015,” said Young. “We follow that with another very difficult schedule in 2016. If we win enough games, the strength of schedule should help with a NCAA Tournament selection at the end of the season. The only unfortunate part of our schedule is that we are reduced to playing our regional rival, Midwestern State, only once in the regular season. We also try and play the best out-of-conference teams that are willing to face us. This year, we have slated Mines and Metro State on our opening weekend. We’ll also bolster our schedule by returning home to face three-time national champion Fort Lewis and recent national semifinalist Mesa.”
HEARTLAND CONFERENCE The 2016 season ushers in a new era in the Heartland Conference, as Eastern New Mexico, Midwestern State, UT–Permian Basin and West Texas A&M come over from the Lone Star Conference to compete as affiliate members of the league. The addition of these teams is currently set to last two years and also introduces a new schedule format. Under the new rules, teams will be divided into three pods; they will face each team in their pod twice during the season, and every other team once. St. Edward’s still stands as the team to beat, but Midwestern State’s arrival and the increased quality across the league could change the landscape. “It should be an exciting year,” said Young. “The addition of the Lone Star men’s soccer teams makes the Heartland one of the best conferences in the country. The quality in the league is so strong. I think five or six teams have a chance to win it all. It also gives the conference six teams in the tournament, which potentially allows for three more games. The addition of games against quality opponents could be helpful with teams from the league getting selected for the NCAA Tournament.”
Learn more about Hilltopper men's soccer at:
GoHilltoppers.com
FINAL THOUGHTS “Players and staff from St. Edward’s have been looking forward to the start of the season since we lost in Golden, Colorado, last season,” said Young. “The team had an excellent spring season, and a lot of players have been playing PDL this summer. All of these combined, as well as a class of 11 incoming freshmen, should make the fall a remarkable experience. Hopefully our season will be one to remember as well.”
