Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Ready To Kick Off 2001 Season
August 28, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2001
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Boston College (0-0-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST)
vs.
Syracuse (0-0-0, 0-0-0 BIG EAST)
Newton Campus Soccer Field
Friday, August 31, 2001
3 p.m.
Series Records
Series record: BC leads, 10-9-1
Current Streak: BC, one game
Last BC win: Oct. 22, 2000 at Syracuse (1-0)
Last Syracuse win: Oct. 17, 1999 at BC (3-0)
BC Seniors Against Syracuse: 1-2
SEASON OPENER
Friday's game will mark the first game of the 2001 season for both Boston College and Syracuse. BC is 5-7-1 in season openers under Ed Kelly. Last year, the Eagles dropped a 1-0 decision to Stony Brook at home to open the season.
AGAINST SYRACUSE
BC leads the series with Syracuse, 10-9-1, since the 1982 season. The Eagles lead the series 9-8-1 in the regular season, while the team split their two postseason meetings ... BC won last year's meeting in Syracuse, 1-0, behind a Chris Cleary goal in the 34th minute on Oct. 22 ... the Eagles have won seven of the last nine meetings between the two schools ... the last seven games have been shutouts, five against Syracuse and two against BC ... Cleary (goal) and Kenny Adams (assist) are the only two active Eagles with points against Syracuse.
THIRTY-FIFTH SEASON
The 2001 season marks the 35th annual campaign for the Boston College men's soccer team. The Eagles have an all-time record of 267-260-66. Under head coach Ed Kelly, the team has amassed a 108-103-24 record in 13 seasons.
CAPTAINS NAMED
Head coach Ed Kelly has named three captains for the 2001 season: senior back Paul Bourke, senior midfielder Chris Cleary and junior forward Casey Schmidt. Bourke is the program's first three-time captain after regaining a year of eligibility from a 1998 season marred with injuries. He was also a captain in 1999 and 2000.
EAGLES PICKED FOURTH
Boston College was chosen fourth in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll. Defending national champion Connecticut was selected first with 11 first-place votes. St. John's followed in second, proceeded by Rutgers who garnered the two remaining first-place votes. BC was followed by Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Providence, Virginia Tech and Villanova.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Though not noted in the official National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) men's college poll, Boston College was ranked 24th by College Soccer News in its preseason poll. The Eagles were one of four BIG EAST teams to earn a ranking by the publication, joining Connecticut, St. John's and Rutgers on the list.
THE COACHING STAFF
Head coach Ed Kelly and his staff - assistant coaches Zach Samol and Dusan Obsajsnik - will guide the Eagles this season. Kelly is entering his 14th season at Boston College and his 17th season overall as a head coach. At the Heights, Kelly has accumulated a 108-103-24 record, a substancial portion of his 148-116-30 career mark. Samol begins his second season as the Eagles' assistant, while Obsajsnik will return to BC after a year away from the program to work with the goalkeepers.
SCHMIDT TABBED PRESEASON FAVORITE
Junior forward Casey Schmidt was named the BIG EAST's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's 13 head coaches. He also earned a place on the preseason All-BIG EAST team. Last season, the Newbury Park, Calif. native scored 19 points (eight goals and three assists) to lead the Eagles for the second year in a row on his way to BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
In addition to his league honors, Casey Schmidt was also selected as a preseason honorable mention All-American by collegesoccer.com, the preeminent on-line soccer publication. Schmidt joined three other BIG EAST players on the honorable mention list. College Soccer News, another on-line soccer publication, tabbed Schmidt a third-team preseason All-American.
OTHER PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Two players - junior midfielder Bobby Thompson and freshman midfielder Bill Arnault - were tabbed as "players to watch" by College Soccer News.
Thompson joined the list of 17 "Midfielders to Watch in 2001". Last season, the Framingham, Mass. product earned BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades after notching two goals and two assists in the 2000 BIG EAST Tournament. He tallied five goals and five assists in 20 games last season after coming on strong in the last quarter of the schedule.
Arnault, fresh off his tour of service with the United States' Under-18 National Team this summer, was selected as a "Freshman to Watch in 2001" by the publication. A NSCAA high school All-American and academic All-American, Arnault will look to make a significant impact in the lineup from the outset of the season.
NEW FACES
Boston College's starting line-up will feature several new faces when the team takes the field. Three starters - goalkeeper Chris Hamblin, back Kevin Boyd and midfielder Sjur Gundersen - have graduated leaving their places to a bevy of new and talented players.
Junior Danny Caruso will be the first new steady goalkeeper in the net since Hamblin arrived in 1997. Along the back line, two new players - sophomore transfer Paul Chase and freshman Guy Melamed are ready to join senior mainstays Paul Bourke and Martin Cantillo. Freshman junior national team player Bill Arnault has joined the midfield unit, along with senior Chris Cleary, junior Bobby Thompson and sophomore Kirt Dorsett. The forward positions should remain unchanged as junior Casey Schmidt and sophomore Adam Pfeifer return, but sophomore transfer Neil Krause will be pushing for playing time as the season progresses.
BACK FOR MORE
Two mainstays on the Eagles back line - fifth-year seniors Paul Bourke and Martin Cantillo - have returned to the field for the Eagles in 2001 after having a year of eligibility remaining after last season. Cantillo did not play during the 1999 season preserving a year of playing time, while Bourke regained a year when he played only four games in 1998 season due to injuries.
Last season, the two players were the only Eagles to start all 20 games of the season.
OFFENSIVE VS. DEFENSE
The 2000 Eagles squad was ranked eighth in the nation in team goals against, allowing 0.81 goals per game. In 20 games, the BC defense allowed just 17 goals and posted nine shutouts. With the potential for a more improved defense in 2001 comprised of a more proven crop of players, the Eagles will again be looking to be among the nation's best defensive teams.
The one component from the 2000 team that could be different in 2001, however, is the offense. Last year, the Eagles posted 23 goals, but the outlook is fine for an improved output.
The Eagles return 91.3 percent of their goal scoring (including its top four goal scorers: Casey Schmidt, Bobby Thompson, Chris Cleary and Ramon Smith ), 75.0 percent of their assists (including the top three assist men: Adam Pfeifer, Thompson and Schmidt) for a total of 83.3 percent of its offense.
EXHIBITION ACTION
Boston College played three preseason games in 2001, compiling a 2-0-1 record in the scrimmages.
On Sunday, Aug. 19, BC ties perennial Division II power Southern Connecticut State, 0-0, at the Newton Campus Soccer Field.
Later that week on Wednesday, Aug. 22, the Eagles topped the FC Greater Boston Eagles, 3-1. Sophomore Adam Pfeifer tallied two goals, while senior Chris Cleary added the third score. Freshman Bill Arnault had two assists in the game, while junior Casey Schmidt and sophomore Ramon Smith each added an assist.
The final game on Saturday, Aug. 25 saw BC defeat New Hampshire, 3-0, at home. Smith began the scoring on a feed from Pfeifer and Arnault. Schmidt knocked in a long feed from freshman back Guy Melamed and junior goalkeeper Danny Caruso right before the end of the first half. Junior Zach Bouchard closed the scoring after converting a Gabe Margolis pass.
MY SUMMER VACATION
Six Eagles spent the past summer with several high-profile teams. Junior Casey Schmidt and sophomores Paul Chase and Adam Pfeifer were members of the Cape Cod Crusaders of the Premier Development League, Bill Arnault played with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, and former goalkeeper Chris Hamblin and assistant coach Zach Samol played for the Boston Bulldogs of the D3 Pro League of the United Soccer Leagues.
Schmidt and Chase spent the whole summer with the Crusaders, while Pfeifer played in the team's first few games. The PDL serves as an summer training outlet for the nation's best collegians and amateurs. Arnault's team competed in international tournaments in both Holland and Germany this summer. Hamblin and Samol's Bulldogs were the D3 Pro League's Northern Conference champions and advanced to the D3 Pro League's national semifinals.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Besides Bill Arnault who was a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team in 2001, freshman back Guy Melamed was also a member of his native countries junior national entries. Melamed played on Israel's aUnder-16 and Under-18 teams before serving a three-year mandatory tour of service in the Israeli army.
WORLD FLAVOR
Several Eagles offer the team an international seasoning, hailing from countries other than the United States. Senior captain Paul Bourke is a native of Cork, Ireland, while senior forward Eyvind Aasen was born and raised in Norway. Senior back Martin Cantillo's family emigrated to Florida from Costa Rica when he was younger. Sophomore Kirt Dorsett is from Trinidad, while both senior Chris Powell and sophomore Ramon Smith originally come from Jamaica. Freshman Junior Desrosiers was born and raised in Guadaloupe before moving to Cambridge five years ago.
HOME SWEET HOME
Boston College home field - the Newton Campus Soccer Field - has been a kindly addition to the Boston College facilities list. The Eagles boast a 10-6-3 mark on the field since its dedication on Sept. 12, 1999, including a 7-2-1 mark in 2000.
