ETSU Soccer Super Thread
ETSU Men's Soccer
Head Coach: Scott Calabrese (Fifth Year, Bryant College)
Coach's Record at ETSU: 47-32-12 (20-19-4)
Assistant Coaches: Ian Luya (Fifth Year, IPFW), David Lilly (Fourth Year, Milligan), Guilherme Reis (Third Year, ETSU)
Returning Players: 17
Returning Offense: 71% (22 of 31)
Returning Minutes: 60% (12274 of 21237)
Preseason Conference Poll: 2nd (one first-place vote)
Preseason All-Conference Selections: David Geno (Sr., Player of the Year), Blaike Woodruff (Sr., Defensive Player of the Year), Itode Fubara (Sr.)
Schedule
Aug. 30 at South Carolina
Sep. 05 vs Kentucky
Sep. 09 vs Winthrop
Sep. 13 vs Memphis (Birmingham, AL)
Sep. 15 vs UAB (Birmingham, AL)
Sep. 20 vs Furman
Sep. 26 vs Appalachian State
Sep. 29 at Radford
Oct. 04 at North Florida*
Oct. 06 at Mercer*
Oct. 11 vs Florida Gulf Coast*
Oct. 19 at Jacksonville*
Oct. 23 at Northern Kentucky*
Oct. 30 vs USC-Upstate*
Nov. 02 vs Lipscomb*
Nov. 05 at Wofford
Atlantic Sun Tournament: Nov. 13, 14, 16
Analysis
The Bucs lost several "glue guys" in the off-season, particularly Colin Pugh and Alesi Osorio. A couple of younger players will be asked to step up, and Calabrese has brought in a really solid recruiting class to shore things up.
Up front, this team will be all about David Geno. He's the most prolific scorer in the program's short history, and there's no reason going in to believe he will slow down this year. I expect another 10-15 goals from him and a spot in an MLS training camp in the winter.
Who joins him up front? That's a murkier question. My guess would be Anthony Wojas, who transfers in from a French school with two years of eligibility. Wojas played in AJ Auxerre's academy which has a history as one of the more successful youth programs in France (although the club as a whole has fallen on hard times lately). Freshman and Swedish U-17 international William Nordenstrom shouldn't be counted out, either, and Emmanuel Wilson is still trying to make a stronger mark on this team after scoring a ridiculous equalizer against Wake Forest last year. I look for Luis Calzadilla to drop back into the midfield after spending some time there last year. Joao Ramahlo was a very highly-touted prospect coming into 2012, but redshirted last year while rehabbing after knee surgery. Calabrese is pretty high on him, and he could get some PT, as well.
Another Auxerre product comes in on the defensive side with four years of eligibility, center back Thibault Civalier. Call me crazy, but I suspect he'll be the one starting beside Kristoffer Ibsen at the end of the month. He's not big by CB standards at 5'11", but if he can orchestrate play from the back the way Guilherme Reis did during ETSU's championship run (I would contend this kind of player is what ETSU has been missing the last two years), he'll more than make up for it. Elsewhere on defense, Ibsen is a lock for the other CB spot, Hodges will start on the left, and I would tab Blaike Woodruff for the right side. Calabrese loves to get offensive contributions from his fullbacks, and Woodruff is the kind of fullback who likes to get forward and cause problems for the defense.
That leaves the midfield, where everything is in a state of flux. The only fixture I would bank on is Itode Fubara, who has played deep in the midfield the last couple of years and been very solid there. He's physical, he's strong, and he's skilled with the ball. That's all you need from a good holding midfielder. From there, I really couldn't say. Calzadilla and Henrique Novaes would be my picks to play out wide. Calzadilla is small, quick, skilled, and can carry the ball through the middle, while Novaes offers blistering speed down the lines. Calabrese likes Jeremy Saad, and with the sheer lack of numbers, I would expect him to get steady work this year. In the center, my pick alongside Fubara would probably be Dalton Guzman, just because I thought he showed a lot of promise last year. He got a litle closer to the fire than the team might have liked after Colin Pugh's injury stretched the midfield depth, but he proved a capable and versatile player who can have a real influence on proceedings.
As far as goalkeepers, it's Ryan Coulter's spot to lose. The guy played every minute of every game last year, and I don't see much reason for that to change.
Summary
There's talent everywhere, and they'll face a really difficult non-conference slate, but Calabrese took a team much like this one to the NCAA Tournament two years ago. Championship prospects are high.
ETSU Women's Soccer
Head Coach: Adam Sayers (Third Year, Tusculum)
Coach's Record at ETSU: 24-11-1 (13-4-1)
Assistants: Debs Brereton (Third Year, MTSU), Laura Lamberth (Second Year, MTSU)
Returning Players: 20
Returning Offense: 32% (12 of 38)
Returning Minutes: 71% (12808 of 18094)
Preseason Conference Poll: 3rd (one first-place vote)
Preseason All-Conference Selections: Sarah Zadrazil (So.)
Schedule
Aug. 23 at Appalachian State
Aug. 25 at Virginia Tech
Aug. 30 vs VMI
Sep. 01 at NC State
Sep. 06 vs Winthrop
Sep. 13 at Alabama A&M
Sep. 15 at Western Carolina
Sep. 19 vs Francis Marion
Sep. 22 vs Tennessee Tech
Sep. 28 vs USC Upstate*
Oct. 04 vs Mercer
Oct. 06 vs Kennesaw State
Oct. 11 at Florida Gulf Coast
Oct. 13 at Stetson
Oct. 18 vs North Florida
Oct. 20 vs Jacksonville
Oct. 25 vs Lipscomb
Oct. 27 vs Northern Kentucky
Conference Tournament: Nov. 2, 8, 10
Analysis
It's hard to recruit good domestic players in college soccer - men's or women's - and Sayers' connections across the pond continue to bear fruit. After adding defensive stalwart Ellis Parsons in 2011 and quite possibly the most skilled player in ETSU's history in 2012 - Sarah Zadrazil - Sayers has added Italian U-20 international Cecilia Re, who made a pair of appearances at the 2012 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, something no other player (that I know of, anyway) to wear ETSU colors has done. Re and English signee Molly Collinson will likely bet working in the midfield in combination with Zadrazil, replacing the graduated Morgan Thomas and the transferred Megan Wynne.
The loss of Ramey Kerns up top is an unfortunate turn of events, if only because of all the records she would have smashed if she returned for her senior year, but Kerns' outrageous numbers were partially the product of the players behind her causing problems for the opposing defense. Zadrazil, Re, and Collinson stretching out the back line with speed and creative passing means freshman Simona Koren will find a lot of success, although the major jump in quality of opposition means she probably won't hit 20 goals. (Then again, Alabama A&M is on the schedule, a team ETSU obliterated 10-0 in 2011.)
Defensively, everyone returns. Samantha Kron is back for her senior year and will likely resume her role as the primary passing option out of the back and set-piece taker, while sophomore Hannah Short is the all-around physical force who takes on the toughest defensive assignments, something she did well last year despite missing some early time with injury. Junior Ellis Parsons should line up on the right side again, leaving an opening on the left for seniors Lindsay Bickel and Hannah Goffe to platoon with. Redshirt junior Andie Stone is a bit of a wild card, having missed most of last season due to injury and playing about 60 minutes a night when she was healthy. I suspect she'll be Short's cover and will inherit a starting place next year. In front of the back line, Emilee Engelhaupt will continue to be a workhorse for ETSU, stepping up into the play, winning the ball on the run and generally disrupting the opposing offense before it becomes a threat. Jasmin Dutton and Alexa Passingham will be asked to mirror Engelhaupt on the other side of the field. The two split playing time last year, but if Dutton has shed the knee brace, she could get the lion's share of the work.
The goalkeeping situation was murky last year. Sierra Campbell was the starter to begin the year and looked capable, but picked up an injury mid-season and was replaced by Kara Krajenta, who didn't play all that well and is no longer on the roster. Jasmine Elliott, a former English U-17 international, steps in this year with an eye on the position.
All that talent is nice to have, but the same question that dominated Heather Henson's tenure still looms over Sayers: can he get results in the conference tournament? ETSU is 0-2 in tournament play since he took over, getting bounced in the semifinals in 2011 and the quarterfinals in 2012. The Atlantic Sun farewell tour is as good a time as any to weave some magic and get this program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Summary
With lots of new talent and a much tougher schedule in 2013, expect some growing pains, but all that struggle could pay dividends in conference play. Championship prospects are moderate.
Both teams have exhibitions under their belts, meaning the fall sports season is underway. Go Bucs!
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