Boston College Athletics
No. 15 Men's Soccer Hits The Road On Saturday
September 06, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 6, 2001
Boston College - Seton Hall Game Notes in PDF Format
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No. 15 BOSTON COLLEGE
at
No. 18 SETON HALL
Saturday, September 8, 2001
Owen T. Carroll Field
1 p.m.
SATURDAY'S GAME
Boston College enters Saturday's game with a 2-0-0 season mark and a 1-0-0 record in BIG EAST games. The Eagles are ranked 15th in the latest NSCAA poll (Sept. 3). In its last outing, the team defeated St. Francis (N.Y.), 1-0. BC defeated Syracuse in its first match of the season, 5-1. Casey Schmidt leads the team in scoring (three goals), followed by Adam Pfeifer (two goals, one assist) and Bobby Thompson (one goal, one assist).
Seton Hall enters the game with a 1-0-1 overall mark and ranked 18th in the latest coaches poll. The Pirates defeated Virginia Commonwealth, 2-1 in overtime, on Greg Strohmann's goal. Strohmann (one goal), Phil Swenda (one goal) and Luke Vercollone (two assists) lead the team in scoring.
AGAINST SETON HALL
Boston College and Seton Hall will meet for the 14th time in program history on Saturday. The Eagles lead the overall series 7-5-2 mark, including a 5-4-2 mark in regular-season play. BC also holds a 2-1-0 advantage in BIG EAST Tournament games, including a 2-1 victory in last season's conference tournament title game. Boston College won both meetings in 2000, taking 1-0 and 2-1 wins. The Eagles' seniors own a 2-1-1 mark against the Pirates in their three years at the Heights.
LAST TIME OUT
The 15th-ranked Eagles defeated St. Francis (N.Y.), 1-0, at the Newton Campus Soccer Field on Wednesday. Casey Schmidt tallied the game's lone goal in the 87th minute after knocking in a Neil Krause header at the doorstep of the left post. Ramon Smith sent the original pass in from the top of the box. Both teams played a defensive first half, but the Eagles exploded in the second, out-shooting the Terriers 18-2 in the stanza. The Terriers played with 10 men for the game's final 36 minutes as a man was whistled off for a violent tackle on Kirt Dorsett. Danny Caruso registered his first career shutout and improved his career record to 3-0-0 with the win. His defense did not allow a shot on net in the game.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Boston College surged into the national rankings this past week as the NSCAA ranked BC 15th in the nation for the week of Sept. 3. The ranking marks the highest-ever listing for an Ed Kelly-led program at the Heights.
WEEKLY HONORS
Two players - Casey Schmidt and Adam Pfeifer - were honored for their play last week against Syracuse. Schmidt was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Rutgers' Dustin Sheppard, after scoring two goals against Syracuse. Pfeifer was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week after netting two goals and an assist against the Orangemen.
WHO'S HOT
The Eagles' defense allowed just four shots - and none on net - in the team's last game against St. Francis (N.Y.) ... the unit has also only allowed two goals in the team's last five games, including three exhibition matches ... Casey Schmidt has tallied three goals in the last two games, including both game-winners ... Adam Pfeifer has netted four goals in the team's last three games, including an exhibition win over New Hampshire.
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 remaining two first-place votes. BC was followed by Seton Hall, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Providence, Virginia Tech and Villanova.
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 110-103-24 record, a large portion of his 150-116-30 career mark. Samol begins his second season as the Eagles' assistant, while Obsajsnik will return to BC to work with the goalkeepers after a year away from the program.
KELLY HITS 150 WINS
Head coach Ed Kelly recorded his 150th career win with the Eagles' 1-0 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday, Sept. 5 at the Newton Campus Soccer Field. Kelly's 150 wins have been accumulated at two different schools -- Boston College (110) and Seton Hall (40) -- over 17 years as a head coach.
SCHMIDT TABBED LEAGUE 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.
... AND A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
In addition to his league honors, 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 "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 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 State Under-18 National Team, 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.
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 back when his 1998 season was marred with injuries.
Last year, the two players were the only Eagles to start all 20 games of the season. The defensive unit, including Bourke and Cantillo, ranked eighth nationally in teams goals against average in 2000.
OFFENSIVE VS. DEFENSIVE POWER
The 2000 Eagles squad was ranked eighth in the nation in team goals against average, 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 as BC has already posted six goals in two games.
The Eagles return 91.3 percent of their goal scoring (including their 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 tied 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. The Eagles added a later score for the final 3-0 victory.
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 is the lowest tiered league of the USL, serving as an summer amateur training outlet for the nation's best collegians. 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
This season, two players will bring special playing experiences to the field having already earned international caps for their national junior teams. 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 from Costa Rica to Florida when he was younger. Sophomore Kirt Dorsett is from Trinidad, while sophomore Ramon Smith originally come from Jamaica. Freshman Junior Desrosiers was born and raised in Guadeloupe, but moved to Cambridge five years ago.
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 269-260-66. Under head coach Ed Kelly, the team has amassed a 110-103-24 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 a captain in 1999, 2000 and this season.
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 12-6-3 mark on the field since its dedication on Sept. 12, 1999, including a 7-2-1 mark in 2000 and a 2-0-0 mark so far in 2001. The Eagles have amassed a 6-0-1 record in their last seven games at the Newton Campus Soccer Field. Over that stretch, BC has outscored their opponents by a 14-3 margin. The team has also posted five shutouts, including four 1-0 wins and a 2-0 win.
