2007 Outlook
2007 Rider University Men's Soccer Outlook
With the return of 13 letterwinners, including six players who started 10 or more games last season, the Broncs will be young for the 2007 season, but should very much be in the thick of things in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“We are beginning the season with a lot of young players who have the potential to be on the field day one,” said Russ Fager, now in his 33rd season as the Bronc head coach, “and by young players I am referring to freshmen and sophomores, and they make up 61 percent of the roster, but we feel we can be competitive in the conference.”
Rider graduated five players who had over 60 games under each of their belts. The Broncs lost two-time All-MAAC goalie and three-time team MVP Dan Riverso to graduation along with three of the top four scorers from last season. Rider’s top scorer of 2006, sophomore Mike Juska, is red-shirting this season with a broken leg. “It will be a big loss for the team and new we need someone else to step up and accept the challenge,” Fager said.
Along with a new Bronc logo, the Rider soccer team will have a new look as well. “Very little will be similar to last year and the biggest difference will be the team’s attitude,” Fager said. “We’re going to significantly change the way we play. I don’t know if we will actually be more offensive, but we’re going to try to put more pressure on opponents in our attacking third of the field. We are going to try to push a lot more players forward, try to be more creative and with the players we now have I think we can do that. This is a much more focused group than in the past couple of years and a lot of fun to be around.”
The returnees are led by seniors Lee Tomasso and Mark Ockenhouse, juniors Colin Jennings, Evan Lubcher, Anthony Gilbert and AJ Parillo and sophomore Owen Castle.
Tomasso started 18 games last season and is a two-time MAAC All-Academic Team member. “Lee is a unique young man who will serve as one of the tri-captains and excels academically, athletically and socially,” Fager said. “He does so many things on this campus for this campus. He is a tremendous leader on and off the field. Add to his intelligence his work ethic, heart and fitness and he has to be one of the top competitors in the conference.”
Ockenhouse has started 44 games for Rider in the back. “Ock is probably our most athletic player returning,” Fager said. “He is one of the best defenders in the conference. In the preseason he demonstrated he is ready to make his senior year a good one. He is fit, pushing everyone else and committed to having a successful season.”
Jennings started all 19 games last season in his first year at Rider after transferring in from Elizabethtown College and will serve as a team caption this year. “Colin is a team captain who is mature beyond his years,” Fager said. “He is a tremendous competitor and leader. He has the ability to push himself and those around him to reach goals they never thought possible.”
Lubcher played in all 19 games last season after sharing the team lead in assists in 2005. “Evan without a doubt is going to be one of the more key people in the program this year,” Fager said. “He is very mature, very sound with the ball, a very good decision maker on the field. He will serve as a tri-captain and will lead by example every time he walks on the field.”
Gilbert started 17 games and his 20 shots last season is the most among returning players. “Gil is a young man that if he reaches his full potential he could be a handful for anyone defending him,” Fager said. “He has great pace with good technical ability, and could be a force in the conference. When he is on his game there are few in the league who will be able to handle him.”
Parillo has won MAAC gold in track for Rider (runs the 400m and 4 x 100 relay) and is coming off a track injury this fall. Last fall Parillo started 10 games and has played in 27 for Rider. “AJ is one of the fastest players in the conference and has the ability to get behind defenders as a forward or an outside mid,” Fager said. “He is determined to make his junior year a solid one and has recovered from the injury. He should see some quality minutes again this season.”
Castle played in one game last season before red-shirting due to an ankle injury after finishing fifth on the 2005 team in scoring as a rookie. “Owen sat out last year with a bad injury and I think we missed him more than anyone realized,” Fager said. “He is a very strong player with the ball at his feet, attacking ‘one v one’ and strikes the ball extremely well. Owen will be a major part of this season if we expect to make it through the conference playoffs.”
Other key returnees include goal keepers Randall Zapolski and Jesse Forsythe, along with sophomores Cameron Bertel, Nico Tramontana and Kevin Juska, and red-shirt freshman Tom Dunn.
Zapolski played 24 minutes over two games last season behind a two-time All-MAAC goalie. He made four saves and allowed one goal. Forsythe red-shirted last season after playing in one game in the Rider nets in 2005 and five games as a rookie in 2004, starting four. “Either Randy or Jesse have to step up with Dan’s graduation,” Fager said. “The position is wide open. We are hoping both players are ready for the challenge. Both are good athletes and both have showed that they can handle the position. Now it is time for one of them to step up to a new level and take charge of the team from their position.”
Bertel played in 13 games as a Rider rookie last season. “Cam came in and did a great job for us as a freshman last year and in the spring proved he can be a starter in our program,” Fager said. “He’s a tough defender with great energy and we’re looking for him to be a big part of the program throughout the season.”
Tramontana played in 12 games as a Rider rookie, starting seven. “Nico may be our most gifted player with the ball at his feet,” Fager said. “He is extremely creative, moves well with the ball and each practices seems to gain a bit more confidence. If he is willing to accept the leadership role as a striker he could be very dangerous and make the players around him more dangerous.”
Juska played in six games last season as a rookie but came on strong at the end and scored the final goal of the 2006 season in Rider’s 2-0 MAAC win over Manhattan. “Kevin grew tremendously as the season went on last year,” Fager said. “We found out he could play several roles on the team and handle them all well. During the spring and summer he worked to get himself stronger and fitter. He will be an important player for us either up front or in the midfield.”
Dunn came to Rider last year with a high school track injury that didn’t heal until early in the spring. “Tommy will be one of the top players on our team this year,” Fager said. “He is one of the players we will be looking at to fill Mike Juska’s shoes for the season. If he plays the way we believe he can, he’ll be playing close to 90 minutes per game.”
The newcomers are led by freshmen Juan Arana, Tom Antonucci and Tim Svitak.
Arana was a two-time All-League, All-County, All-Shore and All-Central Jersey selection at Ocean Township High School. “Juan has been an integral part of his high school team since he walked on the field,” Fager said. “As the play maker and general of the team, he was able to combine his skill and knowledge of the game to get his team into the post season each year. Juan is a very strong technical player with the international flair we need to make it to the next level. Whether he plays at left back or left midfield, he will have the ability to control the pace of the game, get into the attack and make the team more dangerous with his left foot. Juan has the potential to make a big impact on the squad and in the league.”
Antonucci earned All-League honors three times as a four-year starter at Central Bucks South High School. “We are looking for great things from Tom,” Fager said. “He is big and strong and likes to go forward with pace and confidence. Either as a midfielder or a forward we expect him to have a major impact on the program scoring goals and making things difficult for the opposition.”
Svitak was an All-South Jersey and All-State forward at Cherokee High School. “Tim brings to the program a wealth of talent and experience from both high school and club soccer,” Fager said. “He has had some tremendous coaches and has played with some very strong teams. He is very quick with his feet, accelerates extremely well and has a good nose for the goal. Whether he is up front or wide in the midfield, we expect him to have a major impact on our team and the season.”
Fighting for playing time in goal will be freshman Brandon Wheaton. “Brandon comes to us from a very good high school program (Cumberland Valley) and an excellent club team (Nova) that has allowed him to play in some big games all over the country,” Fager said. “I’m hoping he can come in and push Randy and Jesse. He’s strong and knowledgeable of what has to be done on the field.”
The schedule is highlighted by the trip to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex for the 10-team MAAC Championship tournament November 14-18. “Since we are heading to Disney this year we tried to keep the rest of the schedule more regional,” Fager said. “Our West Coast trip last year was tremendous for us but it took almost a week and a half to recover from it. We don’t have to travel far to play good teams.”
Following a trip to Longwood to begin the season, Rider plays Philadelphia rivals Drexel and Temple, Philadelphia U, Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, plays at NJIT, and the home opener is with Bucknell.
In the MAAC, Rider plays at Marist, Siena, Saint Peter’s, Manhattan and Loyola, and hosts Iona, Fairfield, Niagara and Canisius. Fairfield won the league last year and defeated Rider 1-0. “We knocked off Saint Peter’s, who finished second in the conference,” Fager said. “We tied Niagara, who finished third, Loyola beat us by one goal and they finished fourth, we tied Siena, we beat Manhattan, we were ahead of Marist most of the game. I would think that would warrant being put in the middle of the pack. Every time we go into a game this year we are going to be the underdog. That’s how I am going to look at it. We expect our team to play harder than everyone else, and be fitter than everyone else. If we do that we feel we can be competitive this year in the conference.”
