Soccer kicks off season with solid victories

Young, healthy, fresh, and ready to play. No, this isn't an advertisement for puppies or kittens. In fact, it's not an advertisement at all. It's a description of this year's men's soccer team, a fiery bunch who let their playing do the talking.

Under the guidance of second-year coach Brian Tompkins, the team plans to improve on last year's respectable 10-6-1 record, which was enough to land them a second- place tie in the Ivy League. As long as the group stays healthy, Tompkins insists that the team can finish first in the league and compete in the NCAA tournament.

The squad tried out a new lineup last Sat., Sept. 13, against the Lafayette Leopards. After fighting hard for 90 minutes, the teams remained tied and were forced into a sudden-death overtime. Less than two minutes into overtime, however, Jac Gould, CC '00, tapped in a cross-field pass from Craig Yacks, MC '98, that gave the Bulldogs the victory.

"We couldn't establish a rhythm and seemed a little flat on the whole," midfielder Hiro Suzuki, BR '00, said.

The Bulldogs revamped for the second game, and their offense went on a roll. At Providence on Wed., Sept. 17, the team ignored the distractions of a noisy group of cheering fans and fought their way to a 3-1 victory. The goals, scored by Gould, Neill Guilbert, SY '00, and Greg Bassmann, DC '99, demonstrated that the offense is capable of an all-out destruction of the opponent if they play up to their potential. The next opportunity to test their strength will be against Adelphi tomorrow.

"We were much more cohesive as a team and more comfortable playing together. We've gotten past our first-game jitters, and if we continue to improve like we did this week, we should destroy Harvard in the Ivy League opener [next week]," Gould said.

Coach Tompkins was more cautious, "The competition is going to be extremely tough this year. We need to first achieve a high level of play and maintain it for the whole season."

The team is built around a combination of experience and young talent. Sam Powers, DC '98, is the second goalkeeper in three years to be elected as captain of the squad. While he and fellow goalkeeper David Boehmer, SM '00, work on shutting down their opponents at one end of the field, they will depend on a wall-like defense and fleet-footed offense to keep the ball in the other end. "As long as we stay consistent and mentally strong, we will be able to maximize our talent and go places this year," Boehmer said.

Leading this year's defense will be Andy Ferguson, PC '98, an experienced and skilled veteran who was the only player to start all 17 games last year. A variety of players, including Doug Spelman, PC '99, and Steve Macaluso, BK '98, will fill the other defensive slots. Newcomers Sunil Patel, PC '01, Mike Amann, SY '01, and Kurt Ahlstrand, MC '01, will add depth and fresh talent to the defense.

The return of several experienced midfielders this year will provide the necessary spark to keep the pressure off the defense, while simultaneously feeding the offense. Despite the loss of first-team All-Ivy selection Julio Guzman, ES '97, these players are confident that they will be able to fill the void rather quickly. Bassman, Suzuki, and Yacks are joined by Justin Carr, MC '99, Chung-Ming Ip, CC '00, and Mario Iveljic, SY '99, in the midfield.

When asked what he would like to see happening in the midfield, Suzuki said, "We need to move the ball around a bit more, establish a rhythm, and be sure we're not standing still during play."

The offense will be one of the team's strongest features. Gould, last year's Ivy League-leading scorer, will head an ardent crew of individuals on the attack. Along with Gould and Guilbert, David Garlick, JE '98, and Phil Harris, SM '00, will be on the front line. The fast pace of the offense should work to their advantage as long as they continue to implement consistent, well set-up plays with overpowering energy.

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