2007 Men's Soccer Season Preview

Jul 31, 2007

Allegheny College’s men’s soccer team (11-5-3, 5-4 NCAC in ’06) brings in a veteran squad consisting of nine seniors, six returning starters, and 18 letterwinners, including senior captains Ryan Larkin, Eric Sloan, and Andrew Stutzman.

“Our seniors are going to play a big part in our system this year and will log some significant minutes,” said seventh year head coach Angelo Panzetta.

“These guys have a lot of experience that will benefit the team. Not only will I expect them to perform well for us, I also expect them to help mentor the young guys coming into the system. Overall, I feel very comfortable with the level of leadership on this club.”

In 2006, the Gators began the year on a tear, marching through its non-league slate with a 6-0-2 record and moving as high as No. 16 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas® national rankings. During the conference season, the blue and gold hit an icy patch in the road but held on for the number four seed in the NCAC tournament. They advanced to the title game for a third consecutive season after upsetting Ohio Wesleyan, who came into the game ranked fourth in the nation. In the championship contest the Gators fell to Denison despite a furious comeback in which the Gators scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of the game, before falling in overtime.

“I was really pleased with our performance from start to finish last year,” said Panzetta. “We faced some tough competition in our early season tournaments, which made us well-prepared for the NCAC portion of the schedule. I felt like we hit a slight lull during the middle of the year, but we came on strong and played our best soccer at the end of the season.”

Panzetta, the two-time NCAC Coach of the Year, already ranks second on the all-time Allegheny wins list with a 66-36-14 record. He has also guided the Gators to top four finishes in the conference in each of his six seasons. The blue and gold is one of only two NCAC squads to reach the postseason in each of the past four years.

The top area of concern for the Gators is the loss of the team’s top two scorers from a season ago, forwards Mark Dobish and Alan Carr. “One of the things we will have to figure out is where the goals will be coming from this year,” noted Panzetta. “I am not overly concerned because of the experienced bunch we have coming back - there is a lot of potential in this group.”

Panzetta pointed to several key forwards he feels can fill the void, including seniors Robert Del Greco and Yusufu Sulai, juniors Jim Beyer and Alex Habay, and sophomore Thomas Ludwig. Both seniors in the forward group started 16 games last fall while Beyer tied for the team lead with five goals. Habay missed most of the season due to injury, but did see action in 17 contests during his freshman season in 2005. Ludwig saw significant minutes as a freshman last season.

The Gator midfield will feature a pair of All-NCAC returnees, Eric Sloan and Nathaniel Yates. Sloan has earned All-NCAC accolades in each of his three seasons as a Gator, including first-team honors last fall after totaling three goals and one assist. He was also named to the All Great Lakes Region Third Team. Yates, a second-team All-NCAC selection, recorded three scores to go along with a pair of assists last fall.

Allegheny will also look to seniors Andrew Stutzman and Todd Maurer, junior Chris Cantwell and sophomores James Fulton and Adam Spisak to aid in the midfield attack. Stutzman has played in all 39 games over the past two years while Fulton tied for the team lead with three assists.

Panzetta feels the Gator backfield is the most experienced unit on the 2007 team, with senior defenders Pat Bowman, Brent Chaney and Jeremey Garbutt, and juniors Phil Burdette, Patrick Doherty and Ryan Floyd. The Gator defense recorded eight shutouts overall last year and allowed only 16 goals scored.

In goal, Ryan Larkin returns, having started 18 games last year with 59 saves, ranking fifth in the NCAC in save percentage (.787).

Panzetta is also looking forward to his incoming freshman class this season. “We have a group of guys who played in competitive leagues and club teams, and I expect them to come in and push for playing time.”

The coach pointed to several guys he felt could contribute immediately, including forward Pete Subasic, midfielders D.J. Egan, Seth Young, Ryan Fetteroif, and defender Brian Terpin.

The Gators once again face a tough schedule in 2007, combining top non-conference competition with an always competitive NCAC slate. The top three teams from the Great Lakes Region in 2006, Ohio Northern, Case Western Reserve, and Ohio Wesleyan all appear on the Gator schedule; however, Panzetta feels the team can achieve its ultimate goal of reaching the NCAA tournament.

“We set our goals very high each year, and we realize we have a realistic chance of obtaining them,” said the head coach. “Our conference is very tough from top to bottom. We have to stay healthy and continue to mature. In the end, we hope to be successful in reaching the conference tournament, and at that point anything can happen.”

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