North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Set to Open Season
8/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 31, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. - The 2010 edition of the NC State men's soccer team will in no way resemble last year's squad. Gone are seven starters, and nine seniors overall. In their place are 15 newcomers, a recruiting class that was recently ranked No. 19 nationally by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
"With 14 players coming back, and 15 newcomers, it could be a very interesting season in many aspects," said associate head coach Dan Popik. "The key will be how quickly we can come together - that will probably determine how successful we will be."
For the third time in the last seven years, the Pack returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2009. Thanks in large part to a run to the ACC Tournament championship game, the Pack received a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, and entered the tournament as the No. 15 seed overall.
"Last year was not just a one-year process," said Popik. "Hopefully, we created a starting block for what we hope will become the norm - not the exception."
NC State finished the 2009 season ranked No. 23 nationally, and was ranked the final 11 weeks of the season. The Pack first appeared in the national rankings after winning the Duke Classic in early September, and would climb as high was No. 13 on three different occasions. The Pack's season ended with a second round loss in the NCAA Tournament to Portland, finishing with a record of 13-7-2.
"I really feel we can do as much, is not more, than we did last year," said senior defender Tyler Lassiter. "The players coming back know what it took to be successful last year, and the new freshmen coming in are all good players. If we come out and are ready to play and can all get on the same page quickly, we could end up where we finished last year - and maybe go further.
"I've worked harder this offseason than I ever have," said Lassiter. "That's true of all the guys coming back. The commitment level has doubled since I first came here. I think the fact we got so close (to an ACC championship) last year has been a big incentive. And we all want to go back to the NCAA (Tournament)."
But taking the field for the Pack this season will be a young squad. Just four starters return from last season, and of the 29 players on the roster, only 10 are either juniors or seniors.
"We are almost putting a whole new team out on the field now, whereas last year we were a veteran team," said senior midfielder Chris Zuerner. "We'll definitely be a young team this year, but by no means does that mean it is a rebuilding year. It's just a different team with a different style of play and different characters in there."
"The main difference from last year to this year is the makeup of the team," said Zuerner. "We are going to be a little younger, a little more inexperienced, but that can be overcome by hard practices, dedication and commitment to the game. I have no doubt that we will be as successful this year as we were last year."
The Pack will welcome 15 new players to blend with 14 returnees from last year's squad. This year's incoming class features two NSCAA All-Americans, two international players with national team experience, and one Gatorade state Player of the Year among others. With the Pack losing seven starters from last year's team, many newcomers will have the chance to see playing time right away.
"This group has the potential to be one of the best classes in NC State history and also contribute right away," said head coach George Tarantini.
Those newcomers have already gotten plenty of action in the Pack's two exhibition games during preseason camp. Five of the newcomers cracked the starting lineup in the Pack's 3-2 win over High Point on August 26, with junior college transfer Craig Sutherland scoring two goals and freshman midfield Mamadou Kansaye also finding the back of the net that game.
Even though the Pack lost nine seniors from last year's squad, a trio of players with vast starting experience return for the 2010 season. Lassiter has started all 54 games he has played in during his Pack career, and will return to anchor the Pack's defense as a central defender. Lucas Carpenter also brings a wealth of experience to the Pack's backline, as Carpenter has started 40 games the last two seasons as an outside defender. Zuerner has made 37 starts as a central midfielder the last two years, and is the Pack's top returning scorer with 13 points last season.
"We are going to have a lot of younger guys that are going to have to step it up for sure," said senior defender Lucas Carpenter. "They are here to help fill the void of the guys that left. I don't see us dropping off at all from last season. The standard is set from last year. We can't just have a season like last year once every four years."
"Just because we are young does not mean that we don't know how to run things," said Carpenter. "We have our traditions with the same goal and determination we had last year."
One of the main objectives in preseason camp has been finding a starting goalkeeper. Christopher Widman played every minute in the Pack's net last season, and graduated with 65 career starts in his three seasons as a starter. The Pack will turn to either redshirt junior Will Mackvick or freshman Carlos Villa in goal. Mackvick, from local Broughton High School, has been with the Pack since the 2007 season and has made three career starts. Villa comes from Venezuela where he has experience most recently playing with the U-20 National Team.
NC State's season will begin with a pair of top 25 teams over the first three games of the season. The Pack begins the regular season at the Duke/Nike Classic this weekend.
NC State will open with Sacramento State, ranked #28 in the preseason poll on CollegeSoccerNews.com, Friday night. The Pack will then face Louisville, #20 in the NSCAA poll and #24 on CollegeSoccerNews.com, on Sunday. The start of ACC play will also be the Packs home opener, when NC State hosts North Carolina, #2 on CollegeSoccerNews.com and #4 in the NSCAA poll, on September 10 at 7:00 p.m., at the Dail Soccer Field.
