Men's Soccer Opens Under the Lights on Saturday

RALEIGH, N.C. The 2008 NC State men’s soccer season will get under way this weekend, as the Wolfpack will play host to Mercer on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The 2008 season at NC State will be a memorable one, as the Wolfpack moves into the new NC State Soccer Stadium located right in the heart of campus. For the first time in school history, the Pack will no be able to play night games.

The 2008 season also has the possibilities of being an exciting one on the new pitch. After a two-year hiatus from the NCAA Tournament, the Wolfpack will return a strong core of offensive fire-power this season, in addition to its starting goalkeeper and three defensive starters all back from last year’s squad. In his 23rd season, head coach George Tarantini will have a lot of new faces for this year’s squad, including six transfers looking to step on the field from day one.

THE GOALKEEPERS
Redshirt junior Christopher Widman (Greensboro, N.C.) returns to the nets after starting each of the last two seasons for NC State. Widman played every minute for the Pack last season in goal, and finished with career highs in saves, shutouts and goals against average. Also competing for playing time will be Will Mackvick (Raleigh, N.C.). Mackvick redshirted last season with the Pack, and was an all-state selection at local Broughton High School during his prep career.

THE DEFENDERS
Last season, NC State had to break in three new starters on defense, but all three return in their same positions for the 2008 season hoping experience will improve the overall play of the backline. Senior Stanley Mathurin (Maimi, Fla.) transferred to the Pack last season from Jefferson College, and started 16 games as a central defender. A pair of freshmen stepped up last season as NC State’s two outside defenders, and both will be looking to reprise those roles this season as sophomores. Tyler Lassiter (Wake Forest, N.C.) earned ACC All-Freshman team honors starting all 18 games on the year, while Lucas Carpenter’s (Apex, N.C.) 11 starts were the second-most among NC State’s freshmen a season ago. Kris Byrd (Huntersville, N.C.) will be looking to make an impact this season for the Pack, as he was forced to redshirt his freshman season last year due to an injury suffered in the preseason. Byrd will be looking to fill one of the defensive positions, as he has previous experience during his prep career at both the Adidas Elite Soccer Camp and the IMG Soccer Academy.

THE MIDFIELDERS
Junior Alan Sanchez (Miami, Fla.) returns to anchor the Pack’s midfield. Sanchez has led the Pack in scoring in each of his first two seasons with the Wolfpack, including a team-high eight assists last year. He will reprise his role as NC State’s attacking center midfielder. The Pack will also have seniors Marianito Montero (Mooresville, N.C.) and Clint Pires (Wincester, Va.) in the mix for playing time in the midfield, as both found their way into the starting lineup last season a combined 12 times. Sophomore Chris Zuerner (Charlotte, N.C.) has shown improvement from his rookie season, and has been seeing action as a central midfielder this preseason.

THE FORWARDS
After sitting out last season with a knee injury, NC State returns one of its top offensive players in forward Ronnie Bouemboue (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Bouemboue was named to the 2005 ACC All-Freshman Team and the 2006 ACC All-Tournament Team, and will be playing up top in 2008 after seeing action as a defender and midfielder during his first two seasons. Last time he was on the field, he scored four goals in only eight games during the 2006 season, including a hat trick in the Pack’s ACC Tournament win over Virginia Tech. Providing depth on offensive will be Daniel Fish (Raleigh, N.C.) who started nine games last season at forward after moving from the defense.

THE NEWCOMERS
NC State will have plenty of new faces in 2008, as six transfers and eight freshmen will be added to the squad. The NC State coaching staff was looking for some immediate help in its starting lineup, and believes as many as four of the new transfers will be starters at the beginning of the season.

Korede Aiyegbusi (London, England) looks to claim one of the outside midfield positions. Aiyegbusi was named a 2007 NJCAA Second-Team All-American and helped Essex Community College finish No. 8 nationally last year. Chrystel Bakong (Douala, Cameroon) is a strong candidate for the other outside midfield job, as he comes to the Pack from Louisburg College after earning all-region honors in helping his team to a top-10 finish nationally. The Pack will also be adding two more international players to the mix, with Federico Nachmann (Buenos Aires, Argentina) looking to fill one of the forward positions and Romulo Manzano (Caracas, Venezuela) looking to step in as a central defender.

Adding depth up top will be Lenoir-Rhyne transfer Amar Brkic (Winston-Salem, N.C.) Brkic earned All-Appalachian Region first-team honors when he led his team with 13 goals and the conference tournament championship last year. Chris Franczkowski (Ellicott City, Md.) will battle for playing time on defense, after spending the past two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Wolfpack will welcome the Gatorade North Carolina player of the year, Watt Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) from local Broughton High School. A NSCAA and EA Sports All-American as a senior, Williams helped Broughton finish the season ranked No. 1 nationally as he posted 16 goals and 33 assists. NC State added more depth in the midfield with two other freshmen, Bryan Booth (Colleyville, Texas) and Farouk Bseiso (Raleigh, N.C.). Booth earned all-district honors his last three seasons at Colleyville Heritage High School, while Bseiso, a NSCAA Scholar All-American, was named conference player of the year as a senior after scoring 19 goals and leading local St. David’s School to back-to-back state title.

The Pack also brought in a trio of freshmen defenders, with at least a pair expected to see immediate playing time. Zane Tharakan (Raleigh, N.C.) was named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Best XI for the 17/18 Atlantic Region, and was a member of the ’89 CASL Elite squad that finished second nationally. Chandler Knox (Charlotte, N.C.) was a member of the two-time state cup champion Charlotte United Gold, and should see playing time both in the midfield and on the backline. Jelani Allen (Raleigh, N.C.) is yet another local product, he earned all-state honors as both a junior and senior at Southeast Raleigh High School.

A pair of freshmen keepers will also be in the mix for playing time in the net, Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Vasilios Dimopoulos (Wilmington, N.C.). Doyle earned all-state honors as a senior, and also played for the Florida Premier Soccer Club.

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