Men's Soccer Release (2005) - Outlook - Guilford College

• 2005 MEN'S SOCCER OUTLOOK

      Greensboro, NC  (8/10/05) -- For the second consecutive season, Guilford graduated four senior All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) honorees from a team that reached the league semifinals.  With these key losses, the Quakers may start as many as six freshmen in 2005.  However, coach Liam Behrens has no doubt that Guilford will field a competitive team due to solid goaltending and the skills of the incoming freshman class.  Behrens expects his squad to again challenge for the ODAC championship along with perennial powers Roanoke and Virginia Wesleyan.

      With the loss of four of the top five scorers from the 2004 squad that went 9-7-4, the Quakers will likely focus more on defense this season.  One of the many challenges facing Behrens is how to replace the offense that was provided by all-region picks Matt Feraci '05 (42 points) and Steffen Schollaert '05 (17 points), plus First Team All-ODAC honoree Darriel Cannon '05 (14 points).  The club will again feature a 3-5-2 scheme but the emphasis will switch from attacking to defending due to the team's lack of established scoring prowess.  Behrens is counting on the team's athleticism and skill level to make up for the lost offensive firepower.

      By counting so heavily on defense, the Quakers need strong netminders.  Junior Zane Campbell returns for his third season as the starting goalie.  Campbell posted a 1.35 goals-against average (GAA) last season, the third-lowest mark in Guilford history.  Senior Matt McCall provides excellent depth at the position.  McCall, who has started seven games in his career, has a lifetime 1.22 GAA.  Greensboro native David Mattocks, a freshman, rounds out the squad's goaltender trio. 

      Senior co-captains Lenny Niedosik and Andres Miranda lead a talented back line for Guilford.  Behrens is counting on Miranda to shut down the opposing team's best player.  Six-foot-three senior Zach Helms, back from injury, will also add a strong presence to the defense.  Freshmen George Bowen and Quinton Hurdle also figure to see extensive playing time on the unit.

      Senior Greg Haver (10 points in 2004) along with senior Colin Harnish and sophomore Mike McCaffrey, who each scored two goals last season, will be counted on to pick up the departed scoring load.  Behrens is excited by the potential of freshman Innocent Geoffrey, who combines excellent fundamentals along with good vision and creativity.  Fellow newcomers Bryce Hunsucker, Brendan Kennedy and Ryan Vary will all vie for playing time.

      Behrens plans to challenge his young squad with an aggressive preseason schedule, which should help identify top combinations.  Guilford will scrimmage Greensboro, last year's third-ranked Division III team in the South, Louisburg, which finished fourth at the 2003-04 National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament, and Cape Fear before embarking on its regular-season slate.  As a side benefit, the competition for starting berths among the 31-man squad should lead to great depth.  Behrens is confident that a switch to defensive-minded soccer will serve Guilford well as it seeks its first ODAC soccer championship.