Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer: 2009 Outlook
September 01, 2009 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 1, 2009
The 2009 Boston College soccer season will mark a new beginning of sorts.
Returning to the roster for the team's season-opening game on the first of September at Rhode Island are eight letterwinners and three starters from last fall's 11-7-3 squad. That team finished tied for third in the league standings, advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship and the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gone from the program is a formidable group of 11 seniors who exhausted their collegiate eligibility last fall. Their graduation marked the program's first four-year group of Atlantic Coast Conference competitors, a strong contingent that directly effected the recent successes of the program.
The seniors finished with a combined record of 39-28-8, including a striking mark of 12-4-0 in the last two seasons of league competition. As juniors in 2007, the soccer squad captured Boston College's first-ever ACC titles (the team won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships that fall).
A sizeable corps of newcomers 12 players strong will adjust to new surroundings and a fresh team dynamic. Coupled with the leadership of co-captains Mor Avi Hanan and Karl Reddick, and the return of seasoned stalwarts Jeremiah Gallington, Conor Fitzpatrick and Edvin Worley, veteran head coach Ed Kelly maintains a keen position of optimism.
"We have to be cautious in the sense that we have a lot of young kids," said Kelly, now in his 22nd season at BC. "We have to keep an understanding that there will be a learning curve and a lot of teaching and development will be required. It's a good class, but they're young so we have to be patient."
Also new to the Boston College sideline are two coaches - lead assistant Marco Koolman, who came to Boston College following the departure of Kevin Anderson for the head coaching position at Columbia University, and goalkeeping specialist Sergio Saccoccio.
Koolman brings a wealth of coaching experience, having served in the head position at Franklin Pierce for the last nine seasons before joining Kelly's staff. Koolman guided Franklin Pierce to six consecutive berths in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament and two trips to the tournament's Final Four (2005 and 2007). Franklin Pierce captured its first NCAA Division II Men's Soccer national championship in 2007.
Saccoccio comes from nearby Northeastern, where he starred in the Huskies' net from 2002-05 and joined the coaching staff shortly thereafter, serving as an assistant for each of the last three seasons.
IN GOAL
Starters Returning/Lost: 0/1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 0/1
Newcomers: 2
"Goalkeeper could be our strongest area. We have four goalkeepers and two are newcomers. Tunde has never played for us. Justin Luthy comes in with an impressive resume. He played with the U.S. Under-18 National Team and he's rated as one of the top prospects in the country." - Ed Kelly
For the first time in four seasons, 6-foot-5-inch, two-time All-Conference pick Chris Brown will not be patrolling the BC goal crease. This team's goaltending situation is fresh, yet its roster features a deep and highly-competitive corps.
Brown started each of the BC's last 51 games over the last three seasons. The Pleasant Hill, Calif., native concluded his collegiate career ranked second on the school's all-time win lists (29) and third on its career goals against average list (0.91).
Returning to the team are two veterans - senior Michael Lawless and sophomore Max Zimmerman. Lawless is a three-year member of the program and incredibly gifted student-athlete who earned Dean Scholar honors as well as the program's prestigious Thomas McElroy Award this past spring. The honor is given annually to the player who demonstrates excellence in character and performance on and off the field. Zimmerman is a 6-foot, 160-pound product of St. Paul, Minn., who returns for his sophomore season. He earned All-Tri-Metro League honorable mention honors as a senior goalkeeper at St. Paul Academy in 2007.
New to the roster, but a familiar face within the program, is junior transfer Tunde Ogunbiyi. The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pound goalkeeper came to Boston College from the University of New Hampshire and sat out last fall's soccer season for NCAA compliance regulations. A Gwynedd, Pa., resident, Ogunbiyi has starred with the Ocean City Barons of the Premier Development League during the last two years, capturing defensive Most Valuable Player honors in 2009.
First-year enrollee Justin Luthy, one of the top goalkeeping prospects in the country, will look to make an immediate impact. The Dublin, Ohio, native played each of the last two years at the Premier Soccer Academies (Lorain, Ohio) while attending Amherst High School. There, the 6-foot, 165-pound goalkeeper captured NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America honors. He was selected to the 2008-09 U-17/18 Development Academy Central Conference Starting XI and also played with the U-18 MNT in the Northern Ireland Milk Cup in July 2009.
IN THE BACK
Starters Returning/Lost: 0/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 4/5
Newcomers: 5
"Chris Carey has stepped up and he looks like he could secure the right fullback spot. We're moving Conor Fitzpatrick out of the midfield to give us some depth. We also have some additional help in Guillaume Aramat ... We have two very good center backs in freshmen Stefan Carter and Sacir Hot." - Ed Kelly
Four BC defenders - Paul Gerstenberger, Stephen Hepburn, Jamie Melas and Idan Shefler - graduated, having started nearly every match - precisely 226 - since sophomores in 2006.
Three returning fullbacks - senior Chris Carey, junior Myles Gerraty and sophomore Patrick Chin - coupled with the maneuvering of versatile sophomore Conor Fitzpatrick and the healthy return of veteran Ernie McAlister constitute the team's returnees at the fullback position.
Fitzpatrick, a starter in the center midfield in all 21 games during his freshman campaign last fall, is poised to make the switch to a defensive wing in 2009.
"Last year, Conor played in the midfield all the time," the coach said. "Now we can release him to go a little further back. We think that is his best spot anyway. He got a lot of playing time last year because he was pressed into a starting role. But that was not the original plan. Now we can afford to do what we were thinking of to begin with in putting him on the backline."
Carey returns for his senior season having played in 30 matches over his first three years in the system. He has started 12 games, including eight games as a sophomore during the team's run to the ACC regular-season and tournament titles in 2007.
Gerraty, a junior, is now in his second year on the team. A resident of Nutley, N.J., and star on St. Benedict's state and national championship teams in 2006, Gerraty saw action in five games during his first season with the Eagles last fall. He made his collegiate debut against Boston University in the team's 2008 season-opening game and will continue to compete for playing time this fall.
Chin, an Arcadia, Calif., native, returns for his sophomore season after a productive freshman campaign in which he played in seven games and made four (consecutive) starts along BC's backline. The 5-foot-10-inch defender saw action in four ACC matches as a freshman last fall.
McAlister is in his fourth year in the program. He played in six games as a freshman and suffered knee injuries during both his sophomore and junior campaigns.
Four highly-regarded newcomers - Guillaume Amarat, Stefan Carter, Boitumelo Gugushe and Sacir Hot - will also look to fill the void in the graduating class and make an immediate impact.
Amarat, a native of Paris, France, attended Dauphine University in Paris for each of the last two years before enrolling in Boston College's School of Management as a junior this fall. He is a seven-year veteran of the Athletic Club of Boulogne Billancourt.
Carter, a forward at Half Hollow Hills West who will make the switch to fullback at the collegiate level, completed his career with a school-record 165 points - 51 goals and 63 assists. The 5-foot-11-inch 175-pound freshman earned NSCAA/adidas High School All-America honors last fall and twice captured NSCAA All-Region II (East) and All-State honors.
Gugushe, a local product from Stoughton and Worcester Academy, earned NSCAA/adidas All-Region I (New England) honors as a senior fullback. He also captured NESPAC all-star accolades and earned team MVP honors as senior captain in 2008.
Hot, a 6-foot-1-inch, 180-pound center back, served as team captain for the U-16 and U-18 New York Red Bulls. A resident of Fair Lawn, N.J., he was invited to participate in the U-18 Men's National Team Mega Camp (Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009 in Carson, Calif.) and played with the Red Bulls in the U-17 Clubs World Cup in Spain in August 2007.
IN THE MIDFIELD
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/4
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 2/5
Newcomers: 4
Perhaps one of the most interesting developments of the 2009 preseason will be within the Eagles' midfield. Two-time All-America selection Alejandro Bedoya and four-year starter Mike Konicoff have graduated. The team's returnees consist of two letterwinners - juniors Jeremiah Gallington and Karl Reddick - who are expected to play significant roles as central midfielders.
Reddick, a 6-foot, 165-pound product of Pottstown, Pa., has played in 41 of BC's 42 matches over the last two seasons. An All-Conference Freshman Team honoree in 2007, he is expected to provide solid veteran leadership and a significant defensive presence in the center of the pitch.
"Karl Reddick is going to be a huge part of our midfield," the coach said. "Karl looks fantastic right now and we're expecting him to continue to impress. He offers a tremendous amount of energy on defense and assumes responsibility there, which is huge for us."
Gallington has seen significant playing time off the bench during his first two seasons in the Eagles' system and is now poised to assume a starter's role in the midfield this fall. A goal-scoring threat who possesses outstanding speed and quickness, the 5-foot-10-inch, 180-pound Gallington scored one of BC's most memorable goals in 2008, netting the decisive score into the left corner as the final buzzer sounded to lift the team to a 2-1 win at Yale on Oct. 14.
"Jeremiah Gallington is the one who has stepped it up in the preseason and is the biggest surprise in preseason camp," the coach said. "We have moved him back to midfield and he has been absolutely great. If he continues to develop, we will have a real player here. It will take some time getting used to the new position, but he has been exceptional."
Also among the returnees in the midfield is junior Aidan Buick. Buick is entering third year as a member of the program.
New to the active roster, but certainly not to Boston College soccer, is senior midfielder Luke Kelly. An exceptional midfielder during his high school playing days at Holliston and the Holderness School, Kelly joined the team after serving as its video coordinator for each of the last three seasons.
Consistent with the opportunity for playing time created by the 10-member graduating class, three first-year enrollees - Kyle Bekker, Colin Murphy and Isaac Taylor - will have just that (an opportunity to play) in the BC midfield.
Bekker is a 5-foot-9-inch, 165-pound product of Oakville, Ontario, where played the last two seasons in the Sigma Elite Training Center (ETC) program with the U-18 team. He traveled with Sigma to the Netherlands in March 2007 for eight matches against professional clubs and his stellar play earned him an invitation to return to train at AFC AJAX's famed youth academy.
Murphy played each of the last two seasons at Northfield Mount Hermon and earned All-New England honors as senior captain in 2008. A native of Onehunga, New Zealand, the 5-foot-10-inch midfielder has 14 international caps, including three while playing for New Zealand in the FIFA U-17 World Cup (in South Korea).
Taylor, an Ashton, Md., resident, played one season - 2008 - at Choate Rosemary Hall, earning Western New England Prep School Soccer Association all-star honors, before coming the Heights. Prior to enrolling at Choate, Taylor was a four-year starter at Loyola Blakefield High School where he served as team captain and captured All-Baltimore County and All-MIAA accolades in 2007.
UP FRONT
Starters Returning/Lost: 1/0
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 3/5
Newcomers: 3
Two letterwinners - Mor Avi Hanan and Edvin Worley - join capable junior Dave Dale as the returnees up front.
Avi Hanan has seen action in 37 career games and has registered 10 starts during his three-year collegiate career. Exceptionally gifted with his left foot, the Kiriat Ono, Israel resident, is the team's top returning scorer, having totaled 18 points - six goals and six assists. The 5-foot-10-inch forward lifted BC to a berth in the semifinals of the ACC Championship in Cary, N.C., last fall after converting on a free kick in an overtime victory over Clemson.
Worley returns for his sophomore campaign having played in all 21 matches and earning All-ACC Freshmen team accolades last fall. The Jenson Beach, Fla., native finished second on the team - behind two-time All-America selection Alejandro Bedoya - with 16 points - five goals and six assists - in 2008.
"Edvin looks sharp," the coach said. "He's had a good preseason and hopefully, he'll improve upon the five goals he had last year."
Dale enters his second season with the team and is in his third academic year at BC. An Eagan, Minn., resident and 2006 Pioneer Press Player of the Year, Dale will compete for playing time in 2008.
Also competing for a starting role and playing time are highly-regarded newcomers Kevin Mejia and Charlie Rugg.
Mejia, a 6-foot-1-inch, 178-pound resident of Pasadena, Calif., is a former member of the Los Angeles Futbol Club who gained 2008 NSCAA Youth All-America honors. Mejia joined the U.S. U-18 national team for a two-week trip to South America where the team competed against Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela.
Rugg, a product of Roslindale, Mass., who attended the Rivers School, enters his first year in the program as a highly-decorated high school soccer star. The 6-foot, 175-pound forward gained NSCAA/adidas Massachusetts Player of the Year laurels, Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year recognition and NSCAA/adidas high school All-America honors in 2008.
