North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Soccer All Set For 2004 Campaign
7/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 27, 2004
Raleigh, N.C. - The 2004 edition of the NC State Wolfpack will be looking to build upon last season's success with a lot of its core players returning. A total of nine starters and 18 overall letterwinners return from last season's NCAA Tournament squad. In addition to all the returning talent, NC State will bring in five freshmen and one transfer to complete the roster.
FORWARDS It's no secret the NC State offense usually runs through junior Aaron King (Denver, Colo.). King was the first NC State player since 1999 to earn All-ACC First-Team honors last year after he scored 11 goals and added four assists. He led the ACC with his five game-winning goals, and finished second in the conference in goals and points. King had a total of three games with two goals, and his best performance came against Georgia Southern where he scored twice and also added two assists. In addition to starting all 20 games, including all 39 for his career, NC State was 7-1 in games in which he scored a goal.
Looking to recover from an injury filled season a year ago will be junior Bryant Salter (Miami, Fla.). Bryant was limited to just 13 games due to a hamstring injury, but started seven of those contests. Had one goal in the season opener against Georgia Southern, and also added two assists on the season. Bryant is a versatile player who has seen action as both a forward and outside midfielder, and will be looking return to full speed and match or better his six goals and 15 points he posted as a freshman.
Chris Wheaton (Raleigh, N.C.) made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, seeing action in all 20 games at the forward position. Wheaton scored a goal against Campbell, and will be looked up on this season to be one of the Pack's main targets in the air.
MIDFIELDERS For the second straight season, Federico Peria (San Isidro, Argentina) was one of the Pack's top playmakers, as he saw action as both a center midfield and at forward. He once again led NC State with eight assists on the season, second in the ACC with 0.50 per game, and had a span of five assists in three games. Peria missed time early on with a groin injury, but recovered to finish second on the Pack with four goals, including one in each of the final two games of the season.
Another import into the midfield from Argentina is sophomore Santiago Fusilier (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Fusilier was named to the ACC's All-Freshman team last season as a starting center defensive midfielder. He finished the season with one goal and one assists, scoring the game-winner in the Pack's win over #24 Clemson. Fusilier started 13 of the 14 games he appeared in, missing time with a leg injury, but still played the most minutes out of all of NC State's freshmen.
Rami Ghanayem (Durham, N.C.) saw his playing time increase as the season went on, starting the final nine games of the season as the right midfielder. He played in 19 games overall, with 13 starts, and notched an assist in the win over Howard.
NC State also returns a good core of young midfielders who all saw action in their freshmen campaigns last season. Casey Conner (Denver, Colo.) got the most playing time out of this group, playing in 12 games including making two starts as an outside midfielder. Kevin Averette (Raleigh, N.C.) scored the game-winner for NC State in the win over Gardner-Webb, and came off the bench in a total of eight games. Classmate Joey Bracker (Massapequa, N.Y.) played in 12 games, and saw action both in the midfield and at forward. Haddon Kirk (Winston-Salem, N.C.) played in two games, and was used in the role as a defensive midfielder.
Sophomore Laye Traore (Ambler, Pa.) tore his ACL in the Pack's Red/White scrimmage last year, and was forced to miss the entire season. Traore is a strong presence in the midfield helping out on the defensive end.
DEFENDERS The Wolfpack defense was the main reason NC State had such a successful 2004 campaign. The Pack gave up only 28 goals, compared to an average of 45.0 over the previous three seasons. NC State also recorded seven shutouts, the most since the 1989 season, and allowed only three opponents, out of 20 total, to score over two goals in a game. NC State returns all four starters from last season, plus the Pack will have two players back with starting experience who were forced to miss most of last year with injuries.
The two returning starters in the middle of the defense are senior Chris Catlett (Cary, N.C.) and junior Kyle Fragakis (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.). Catlett, a junior college transfer last season, had 14 starts and 17 games played on the back line. He started the last 14 games of the season after playing sparingly early on, and notched an assist in the win over #24 Clemson. Fragakis tore his ACL in the Pack's game against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament and missed the final two games of the year plus the spring season. He started 17 games before the injury, and was also voted the team's MVP last season.
On the outside of the defense, senior Justin Branch (Cary, N.C.) started on the left side, and junior John Queeley (Denver, Colo.) was the starter on the right. Branch started all 20 games last season as the left outside defender, and had two assists in the season opening win over Georgia Southern. Overall for his career, Branch has 50 starts in 54 career games entering his senior season. Queeley had a strong season a year ago, making 19 starts, and has becoming one of the Pack's top players. He finished the season with two goals and two assists, finishing four on the team with six points. Queeley scored on a long direct kick in the win over Gardner-Webb, and also added a goal in the NCAA Tournament against Old Dominion.
A pair of Wolfpack defenders were limited last season with injuries, but should return this season to help provide more depth on defense. Senior Chiedu Chukwumah (Columbus, Ohio) was limited to just six games a year ago due to a knee injury. Prior to last season, Chukwumah started 30 of the 32 games his first two seasons at NC State. Sophomore Matt Lytle (Miami Beach, Fla.) came right into the Wolfpack program and started three of the first four games as a freshman. Unfortunately for the Pack, Lytle suffered a knee injury against Gardner-Webb and was unable to play the rest of the rest of the season. Sophomore David Suffern (Chapel Hill, N.C.) also returns for the Wolfpack defense. Suffern played in 16 games as a freshman, with four starts, playing mostly as a central defender, and added an assist versus Campbell.
GOALKEEPERS The situation in goal for the Wolfpack entering last season was a bit cloudy to say the least. NC State had to replace a four-year starter, and the school's all-time saves leader, in Mitchell Watson, and none of the keepers coming into the season logged any game action as Watson played every minute of his final two seasons.
The Wolfpack got a major boost from junior Jorge Gonzalez (Guatemala City, Guatemala) in his first season as the starter in the Wolfpack nets, as Gonzalez will once again look to reclaim that spot for the 2004 season. Gonzalez started all 20 games in goal, and played 99.3 percent of the total minutes on the season. He finished with a GAA of 1.37 and made 103 saves to go along with his seven shutouts. He earned a spot on the ACC's All-Tournament Team in the Pack's memorable run. In the ACC Tournament, Gonzalez racked up 16 saves and allowed only two goals to tow of the top-10 teams in the nation. He also came up huge in the penalty kick round against #8 North Carolina, making two saves and helping the Wolfpack advance.
Also battling for time in goal for the Wolfpack this season will be junior Aaron Sanders (Tulsa, Okla.). Sanders sat out last season after transferring from Coastal Carolina. At Coastal Carolina in 2002, Sanders earned first-team All-Big South honors for a team that went 19-2-3 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Sanders posted a GAA of 0.83 that season, and logged over 1,500 minutes in goal.
NEWCOMERS Hugh Cronin (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was named one of TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top-100 incoming recruits, and will look for playing time in the Wolfpack defense. He is a 2003 Adidas All-American and was named North Carolina Player of the Year in both 2002 and 2003.
For the third straight season, NC State brought in yet another talented midfielder from Argentinia in Ernesto Di Laudo (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Di Laudo will man teh center of the field for NC State, as he was a prolific goal scorer in many tournaments while growing up in Argentina.
Origanlly from the Ivory Coast, El Hadj Cisse (New York, N.Y.) will add toughness to the Pack this season. Cisse, selected for the U-17 Ivory Coast National Team, should see action right away as a defensive center midfielder.
A local product from right down the road at Athens Drive High School is Jonathan Bui (Raleigh, N.C.). Bui had a strong career as a forward, he scored 55 career goals with 27 coming as a senior. During his senior campaign, he helped Athens Drive win teh state 4A championship, and won MVP honors on the way.
Bryan Wright (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) is another in-stte product who enjoyed a very successful prep career. a four-year starter, Wright tallied 132 goals and added 104 assists for his career, on his way to being named conference player of the year as both a junior and senior.
Providing additional depth in the nets this season will be Paul Mitchell (Miami, Fla.). Mitchell spent the last three seasons at Syracuse, one as a redshirt. He played in one game last year against Cornell, and in high school he helped his squad to state titles as both a sophomore and junior.
THE SCHEDULE Last season the Atlantic Coast Conference reached new heights, with six of the seven teams qualifying for the 2003 NCAA Tournament, including getting three of the top-four seeds. One of the top soccer conferences in the country, the ACC grew even better with the additions of Virginia Tech for the 2004 season and Boston College in 2005. Both of those squads played in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
At home this season, the Wolfpack will host ACC rivals Maryland (Sept. 19), Wake Forest (Oct. 10), Duke (Oct. 17), and new ACC member Virginia Tech (Nov. 6). NC State will also have the advantage of having the ACC Tournament right down the road. For the third straight year, the ACC Tournament will be played at SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary, N.C., November 11-14.
NC State will kick off its 2004 campaign by hosting the annual Adidas Wolfpack Classic. The Pack will begin the season by hosting St. Francis (Pa.) on September 4, and then playing Temple the next day. Other non-conference home games this season are Brevard College (Sept. 1), Maryland-Baltimore County (Sept. 15), and SUNY-Stony Brook (Oct. 13).
