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Men's Soccer Season Preview
CHESTERTOWN, MD -- With nine starters returning and a total of 11 juniors and seniors on the roster, the 2011 Washington College men's soccer team isn't short on experience. At the same time, with an influx of young talent, the Shoremen isn't short on potential either.
Four of this year's Shoremen started all 17 games a year ago - defenders Justin Geho (Westminster, MD/Cardinal Gibbons), Colin Kidwell (Potomac, MD/Winston Churchill), and Tim Marcin (Wilmington, DE/Concord) and goalkeeper Chris Phipps (Newark, DE/St. Mark's). Geho, a junior, tied for the team lead in goals last season with four, registered one assist, and led the team in shots with 31. Kidwell, a junior, and Marcin and Phipps, both seniors, are this year's captains. Phipps led the Centennial Conference with 140 saves and was the team's Most Valuable Player in 2010, while Kidwell had one goal on 12 shots and Marcin tallied nine shots.
Kidwell and Phipps are two of the Shoremen's four seniors; forward Jordan Haas Wyomissing, PA/Wilson) and midfielder Nick Anderson (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) are the others. Haas made nine starts in appeared in all 17 games in 2010, scoring two goals and tallying one assist. His 30 shots on the season were second only to Geho. Anderson played in eight games.
Geho and Marcin are just two of the Shoremen's seven juniors. Defenders Robert Gavora (Falls Church, VA/Flint Hill School), Trevor Wittman (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall), and Ryan Duffy (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill Academy) have all seen time in the starting line-up. Gavora was named the team's Most Improved Player in 2010, scoring one goal while starting 13 times and playing in all 17 games. Wittman made eight starts in 13 games, while Duffy had one assist while making six starts in eight games. Forward Matt Sedney (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) registered 15 shots while making one start in 14 games, while goalkeeper Tyler Cabot (Hightstown, NJ/Peddie School) made three appearances as an understudy to Phipps.
Washington's sophomore class is awash with midfielders as five of the Shoremen's six second-year players man a midfield spot. Chris Nardo (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) led the Shoremen in total points in 2010 by sharing the team lead in goals with four on 25 shots and adding two assists. Nardo made 14 starts and played in all 17 games. Sam Wild (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West) added three goals and two assists while starting 16 of his 17 games played. Twins Trevor Francis (Bel Air, MD/Calvert Hall) and Tyler Francis (Bel Air, MD/Calvert Hall) both saw significant time as freshmen. Trevor made three starts in 17 games and scored one goal, while Tyler made 16 appearances. Josh Goheen (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll) registered two assists and made five starts while playing in all 17 games. Breaking the sophomore midfielder trend is defender Sal Melillo (Nutley, NJ/Don Bosco Prep), who played in 16 games in 2010.
The Shoremen had a dozen freshmen in camp and were close to a final roster when the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene interrupted preseason.
Head coach Drew Hoffman returns for his sixth season at the helm of the Shoremen. Also back on the sidelines are third-year assistant Brian Schultz '09 and sixth-year assistant Briggs Cunningham. Joining the coaching staff this season is veteran youth and development coach Peter Kaminskas.
The Shoremen's season opener is scheduled for Saturday, September 3rd, when they will host Randolph-Macon at 4:00 p.m. Centennial Conference play begins September 17th with a 7:00 p.m. home game against Dickinson.
