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 Erick Perez-Segnini, last year's DC College Cup MVP, leads six returning starters into GW's 2008 season opener against George Mason Friday. |
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Men's Soccer Defends DC College Cup Title to Open 2008
Aug. 27, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington men's soccer team opens the 2008 season against George Mason in the first match of the eighth annual DC College Cup at American University's Reeves Field Friday at 2:00 pm. The Colonials, who also face Howard Sunday at 12:00 pm, captured their first DC College Cup title last fall.
GW, American, George Mason and Howard comprise the DC College Cup field for the second straight season. Each team will play two matches with the champion to be determined by a point system based on wins and draws. In the event of a tie, the champion will be crowned using a tie-breaking formula that includes head-to-head meetings as well as goal differential. In addition to the GW/George Mason match on Friday and the GW/Howard contest on Sunday, host American will meet Howard at approximately 5:00 pm on Friday and George Mason at approximately 3:00 pm on Sunday to round out the tournament slate.
2008 DC COLLEGE CUP SCHEDULE (all matches at American's Reeves Field)
Friday, August 29, 2008
GW vs. George Mason - 2:00 pm
Howard at American - 5:00 pm
Sunday, August 31, 2008
GW vs. Howard - 12:00 pm
George Mason at American - 3:00 pm
The Colonials head into 2008 with six starters and 16 letterwinners back from last year's 9-8-2 squad. GW's roster also is highlighted by a nine-player recruiting class ranked 27th in the country by College Soccer News.
The Colonials began 2007 with victories over American (2-0) and Howard (3-2 2OT) to capture the program's first DC College Cup title. Erick Perez-Segnini had five points in the two wins, including the Cup-clinching goal with two seconds left in double overtime in the victory over Howard, to earn MVP honors. Returning starters Andy Stadler and Luke Wildy also were named to the All-Tournament Team.
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After earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2006, George Mason slumped to a 5-11-2 mark in 2007. The Patriots return eight starters and 19 letterwinners from a season ago and added the nation's 31st ranked recruiting class according to College Soccer News.
Howard, which posted a 3-8-5 record in 2007, returns eight starters and 14 letterwinners for first-year head coach Michael Lawrence.
GW is 8-5-1 in the seven-year history of the DC College Cup, highlighted by last year's victories and Craig Tartasky Trophy awarded to the Cup's champion. GW trails George Mason (10-21-2) and Howard (13-18-4) in its all-time series with the two programs.
2008 MEN'S SOCCER SEASON PREVIEW
The George Washington men's soccer team experienced a number of banner moments during the 2007 season:
* Preseason training at English Premier League powerhouse Chelsea FC in London, England.
* The 2007 DC College Cup title, the first in program history, via Erick Perez-Segnini's thrilling double-overtime goal against Howard.
* Overtime victories against North Florida, Mount St. Mary's and Richmond.
* Winning seven of its first 11 matches and posting the program's most non-conference victories (six) since 1991.
* Nine weeks in the Middle Atlantic regional rankings.
However, a series of injuries to key players during league play kept GW one victory shy of a most important banner moment - qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Armed with 16 returning letterwinners and a nine-player recruiting class rated in the Top 30 in the nation by CollegeSoccerNews.com, the George Washington men's soccer team is ready to seize its moment and return to the A-10 Championship and NCAA Tournament in 2008. The league is already beginning to take notice of GW's prospects for success in 2008, picking the Colonials to finish sixth and qualify for the A-10 Championship in the preseason coaches' poll.
FORWARDS
After ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring in 2006, the Colonials possessed one of the nation's most potent attacks in 2007, ranking in the Top 10 in the country in goals scored throughout most of the season. The turnaround can best be attributed to the emergence of junior Andy Stadler, who led GW and finished among the league's leaders with 20 points last fall.
A second team All-Atlantic 10 and third team All-Middle Atlantic region selection in 2007, Stadler managed his team-leading scoring total in just 14 of GW's 19 matches due to injury. When healthy, though, Stadler is one of the league's most exciting players, combining elusive dribbling and precision shooting.
Redshirt junior Mike Rollings contributed two goals and an assist in 15 matches in his return to action in 2007 following a redshirt season in 2006. The speedy, evasive striker should see plenty of time alongside Stadler.
Sophomore Steve Wujek played in just five matches during his rookie season due to a knee injury, but the former Ohio All-State selection recorded an assist in his collegiate debut against Coastal Carolina.
Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team selection Yoni Berhanu is expected to provide an immediate spark to the Colonials' attack this season. One of CollegeSoccerNews.com's "100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On in 2008," Berhanu was last year's Washington, DC High School Player of the Year after leading Sidwell Friends School with 99 points (40g/19a) as a senior.
Also competing for playing time up front among this year's recruiting class are Mike Burke, Aldin Dervisevic and Khaled El Sayad. Burke totaled 52 points to earn All-State honors at Concord-Carlisle High in Massachusetts last fall, while Dervisevic helped New York's Beacon School to a public school title.
MIDFIELDERS
The bulk of GW's experience returns in the midfield, where seven letterwinners - all of whom started at least one match last fall - return to the fold, led by a group of two-year starting juniors - Kyle Albrecht, Mike Briscoe, Andrew Kroculick, Erick Perez-Segnini and Luke Wildy.
Perez-Segnini enjoyed a breakout sophomore season, finishing third on the team with five goals and among the conference leaders with six assists while playing in all 19 matches. The flanking midfielder earned All-Tournament and MVP honors at the DC College Cup following his golden goal in Cup-clinching victory over Howard last fall.
A true talent, Wildy has fallen victim to season-ending knee injuries in each of his first two seasons wearing the Buff and Blue. The Colonials were 4-3-0 overall with Wildy in the lineup last season, which included All-Tournament Team selection at both the DC College Cup and Longwood Lancer Invitational. In just eight career games, Wildy has already scored four goals, but it is his commanding presence in the middle of the pitch that GW will welcome back the most.
Briscoe has started 24 of his 32 career matches and will likely patrol the defensive center midfield slot once again this fall. His four assists last season, several of which came via his long throw-in capability, rank third best among the team's returning players.
Albrecht started six of 18 matches played in 2007 and shifted between central midfield and the flank in Wildy's absence. That versatility will translate into more minutes and scoring chances for Albrecht, who chipped in a goal and two assists as a sophomore.
Also helping out on the outside midfield is Kroculick, a tough, skilled player who netted a goal in 16 appearances last fall. Redshirt sophomore Will Doar, who started three matches in his first season of action in 2007, and sophomore Marcus Ranney, who scored the golden goal in last season's victory over Mount St. Mary's, will provide depth.
Rookie Theo Terris, the Boston Globe's Division 2 Player of the Year at Concord-Carlisle High, rounds out the wealth of Lidster's options in midfield.
DEFENDERS
The Colonials backline will look slightly different without four-year starter Matt Davis anchoring the central defense, but Lidster has plenty of experience returning to his back four.
Senior David Leon has been a mainstay at left back the past two seasons, playing in all 36 matches with 27 starts. A consistent defender, Leon's impact also is felt in the attack after leading all GW defenders in scoring the past two seasons, highlighted by two goals - including the game-winner - in a 3-2 victory over Fordham last fall.
Juniors Byron Walker, Nikolay Aleksandrov and Mike Holland all started 11 matches in defense in 2007 and will be entrusted with leading the defensive unit in 2008.
Sophomore Kory Trott was thrown into the mix early last season and proved to be a valuable addition in the back. Trott made nine starts and played in 16 matches in his rookie campaign and proved to be a fearless tackler on the right side.
The defense will be enhanced with the addition of four newcomers, highlighted by prize recruit Brice Carr. Joining Berhanu as a preseason All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team selection and among CollegeSoccerNews.com's "100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On in 2008," Carr brings a solid work ethic and international playing experience to GW. An alternate for the United States U-17 World Cup team in 2007, Carr was twice named a NSCAA Youth All-American and graduated early from heralded IMG Academy to get a jump-start at GW.
Ryan Ruffing, one of the Northeast region's top club players, and Dave Thompson, a Massachusetts native who played in Canada's national youth system, also are expected to pay immediate dividends. Jake Davis, Matt's younger brother, will also vie for playing time.
GOALKEEPERS
Redshirt senior Matt Scheer enters the 2008 season as the incumbent in goal following a strong junior season that saw him post a 1.28 goals-against average in nine matches. Scheer recorded back-to-back shutouts in victories over intra-district rival Georgetown and A-10 foe Richmond to help the Colonials rise to 7-4-0 overall and fifth in the NSCAA Middle Atlantic regional rankings. Scheer worked on improving his speed and agility in the offseason in the hopes of guiding GW back to the postseason for the first time since 2004.
Testing Scheer is redshirt sophomore Scott Goossens and redshirt freshman Erik Haug, a pair of solid goalkeepers who have spent time training with Coach Davis and learning behind Scheer and three-year starter Greg Yahr.
SCHEDULE
GW kicks off its 44th season of intercollegiate soccer Friday, Aug. 29, against George Mason in the opening match of the DC College Cup at American's Reeves Field. The Colonials then face Howard Sunday, Aug. 31. GW topped Howard, 3-2, on Erick Perez-Segnini's (Montgomery Village, MD/Watkins Mill) game-winning goal with three seconds left in double overtime to clinch the program's first-ever DC Cup title last fall.
The Colonials play five of six remaining non-conference matches away from the District to help prepare for the road-heavy Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule. GW travels to Farmville, VA, on Sept. 5, to face Longwood for the third straight season. The Colonials have split their two meetings with the Lancers, including a 2-1 home victory last fall.
GW hosts defending MAAC champion Loyola (MD) in its lone non-conference tilt at Mount Vernon Field Saturday, Sept. 13, at 3:00 pm. The Colonials were one of only three teams to score at least two goals against the Greyhounds in a 3-2 loss in Baltimore last season. Loyola (MD) finished 19-3-1 overall and lost to Maryland on penalty kicks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
The Colonials begin a stretch of six consecutive road matches with Navy on Tuesday, Sept. 16. GW then visits District-rival American Saturday, Sept. 20, before heading to Mount St. Mary's a week later. The Colonials are 2-0-1 in their last three meetings against the Eagles and knocked off the Mount, 3-2, in overtime at Mount Vernon in 2007.
GW faces its most difficult test of the season Tuesday, Sept. 30, against NCAA semifinalist Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. The Hokies finished 14-4-5 overall and No. 3 in the final national rankings after advancing to their first-ever College Cup, where they fell to ACC-rival and eventual national champion Wake Forest, 2-0, in the semifinals. The Colonials lost to the Hokies, 4-3, in double overtime in the programs' last meeting in 2005.
The nine-match A-10 schedule begins with contests at Xavier and Dayton on Friday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 12, respectively. GW returns to Mount Vernon the weekend of Oct. 17, for matches against Temple and Saint Joseph's.
The Colonials close October with a Northeast road swing to Rhode Island and defending A-10 champion and 2007 NCAA semifinalist Massachusetts. The Rams and Minutemen have combined to capture seven of the last nine A-10 Championships, with the Colonials claiming the other two conference crowns in 2002 and 2004. GW plays its final regular-season road match at Richmond Saturday, Nov. 1, before wrapping league play with home matches against Duquesne and St. Bonaventure the weekend of Nov. 7.
Duquesne's Rooney Field will host the six-team Atlantic 10 Championship beginning Thursday, Nov. 13.
