.png&type=webp)
Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Takes On the 2006-07 Season
August 21, 2006 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 21, 2006
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The highly accomplished tradition of BGSU soccer is on the upward swing as third year head coach Fred Thompson builds upon the success the 2005 Falcons established despite a young roster which featured a class of ten rookies; six of whom won starting positions.
Highlights of the 2005 season included Thompson's first win as a Falcon that took the form of a double overtime thriller at Cochrane Field over then No. 11 Ohio State. The Falcons used the momentum of the win to knock off St. Mary's, Cleveland State and first-time Mid-American Conference opponent IPFW. For their efforts, the program was named to the NCAA's Most Improved List.
"Obviously we were proud to make the list last year and have made it our goal to be featured on it once again," said Thompson. "The freshman should help us with that immediately; they were brought in for that reason. In addition, we feel that the improvement that the returners have made from last pre-season to this pre-season will show a marked improvement as a team."
While Thompson's Falcons have experienced success, the Orange and Brown are well aware of the challenges that lay ahead in the 2006 season.
"We will once again be a young team and I am expecting them to face the typical challenges that young teams have, such as consistency," said Thompson.
The incoming freshman will bring a more diverse playing style to the program with the inclusion of thirteen new jerseys on the field.
Yet, it is quite apparent the staff will not allow the inexperience to be an excuse.
"The junior class will have been through two full seasons and I think last season's freshmen not only learned a lot in one season but grew a lot over the spring as well. Our basic issue will be helping the current freshman come along as quickly as possible."
As coaches, we have a lot of confidence in the group coming in. We know that they are going to be not just a great class but great people to be around and great soccer players," said Thompson.
With the loss of three key contributors to graduation, the doors have been left wide open for the rookies to step in to make a name for themselves. Thompson noted several of the players were brought in to start but no position has been fully earned by their play.
"Last year on the average we started six freshmen; this year I would not be surprised if we started four freshman, five sophomores and two juniors."
 The Bowling Green defense will have an even mixture of maturity and youth  |
|
According to Thompson the leadership will take on non-traditional forms due to the uniqueness of the roster.
"The leadership is going to be interesting since we already have a great group of soccer players. As coaches we just have to give the players the correct environment and opportunities to see who are going to be the ones that the others want to follow.
"One of the great things about this team is their intelligence. The veterans and the incoming class alike are smart and as a staff we look to recruit student-athletes that are going to be leaders in the future," said Thompson.
The most important factor for the Orange and Brown this season will be their experience on defense. While the non-scoring side of the ball may appear to be young, the core of the group will be led by keeper Paul Shoemaker who started in 16 of BGSU's matches while seeing 1507:04 minutes of action in the net. In his first season, Shoemaker recorded 80 saves with 32 goals against while capturing all four of the Falcon's wins and both of their ties.
"Paul got the majority of the starts last year and did very well for us. He's a young goalkeeper and was bound to make mistakes; he made some but he learned from them. He's worked hard and we expect him to come into pre-season prepared," said Thompson of the keeper.
Shoemaker will have healthy competition vying to be the last line of defense from red-shirt freshman Mark Scholz and red-shirt sophomore Brent Petkus. Scholz will enter as the most inexperienced after sitting last season.
"It's going to be a scrap during pre season, but I expect them all to come in very fit and do a very good job. Brent is the shortest, but he's also the most experienced and probably communicates the best. Paul is probably the biggest physical presence of them. He's just big and strong which makes him look intimidating. He can distribute the ball very well and can kick the ball a mile. Mark is in between in all aspects. Not quite as big as Paul, but he is as good, if not a better shot stopper. In the net he communicates more than Paul but not as much as Brent."
Petkus made his first start against then No. 1 Akron last season. The keeper not only recorded a career high seven saves, but he and the Falcon defense were the first team of the previous four to hold the top-ranked Zips silent in the first half.
"I have confidence in all of them and I won't be disappointed if any one of them were to start. We just need one of them to be healthy and take over that leadership role and we'll be fine."
Before reaching the net, opponents must first forge through the tough BGSU defensive backfield. Junior John MacKenzie and sophomore Kyle McNayr have proven they are a powerful tandem protecting the Orange and Brown goal. Together the defenders have started in all but three matches that have taken place in the past two seasons.
"I feel pretty confident that Kyle McNayr will be in the center back position providing leadership and helping to clean up problems. He should do this with his speed and intelligence," said Thompson. "John McKenzie played center back for us last year with his unique playing style. He is certainly not the prettiest player sometimes, but he is very effective at what he does."
Complimenting the duo will be sophomore Andy Synk. As a freshman, Synk was a constant in the Falcons backfield starting and contributing in all 19 of the Falcons matches.
Freshman Chris Davis has also been spotted as a potential impact player for the Falcons. Thompson noted his defensive style and ball skills as his most visible strengths.
Yet, no defender has secured their position in the eyes of Thompson. The head coach noted the pre-season condition of the rookie class will determine the rotation, seeing as all have the ability and many have the chance to earn a starting position.
"We've made an effort to go out there and get some kids that will give us some depth and perhaps may start in the backfield. It's going to be an interesting contest to see who can physically keep up with his man and who can play enough soccer to keep the position. That's going to be a really interesting battle."
As the play moves away from BGSU's keeper, the Falcons scoring fate will rest on the shoulder of the midfielders to keep the tempo of the game Thompson plans to use in order to attack his opponents defense.
"Midfielder is a very important position for us. We are going to play a game that will require a lot of ball movement. This style of play is going to require not only a lot of physicality but just really tight control and our players can all handle that."
Veteran midfielders will include the talented lineup of juniors Alec and Ryan Perea and sophomores Justin Kim and George Davis. Each made their mark on the Falcons' scoreboard by recording one goal in 2006. Kim's presence was made known on more than one scoring occasion where as a rookie was the assist leader last season.
 Freshman Jacob Lawrence will be a force in the midfield for the Falcons |
|
Freshmen Hunter Van Houten and Jacob Lawrence are among those expected to shine for the Orange and Brown with their physical presence. The staff noted several others that will compete for time and the various combinations that will be thrown into the mix of a game.
With so much talent and the power coming in the transition game, the problem for Thompson evolves from whom to play into how to utilize the offense.
"The issue really is going to turn into how we decide to deploy the midfield because they all have different tools," said Thompson. "Whatever is decided will really affect who is on the field. They can all see the ball, they can all pass, they can all keep it, they can all be very dangerous when they need to be, and they can all defend when they have to. It is going to be very competitive every single practice and every single game to see who gets time, because they are all interchangeable."
As the Falcons get closer to scoring position, it appears there will be two forwards to represent the birds of prey.
Thompson does not believe the scoring power is completely lost though with their most threatening scoring advantage, Omari Aldridge, parted due to graduation. Nor is the playing style Aldridge brought to the field. Thompson compared newcomer Ahmad Smith to the former Falcon and predicts a bright future for the southern athlete.
"He's probably as fast as Omari but lacks his size and strength. As training time passes he will get there but I would say that he is technically a better player than Omari was at this age," noted Thompson. "As a freshman, it may take him a little while to understand how to best use his tools and as he gets a little bit bigger and stronger he will become more effective."
Stabilizing the scoring attack will be junior Abiola Sandy who, in two seasons, has recorded three goals and three assists and is expected to have a breakout season this year.
"This year he has shown glimpses and sparks every now and then and when he is good he's very good," said Thompson who is looking forward to the player acting as a consistent catalyst.
Sandy has etched his name into the line-up but his partner in scoring has yet to be determined and could very well come from a plethora of veterans.
"Offensively, we have a couple of tools that we didn't have before. Ryan Perea is turning into a player who is definitely capable of scoring goals. I am unsure if that is going to be his forte, but more importantly he's able to set people up. He and his brother Alec are able to make the final pass and I think they will create a lot more opportunities than were created last year."
Other goals are expected to come from the feet of the midfield corps. George Davis IV is a noted player that is difficult to mark defensively while Cameron Hepple will see action on the left side of the field. The southpaw has a powerful shot and will help to light the scoreboard with both goals and assists.
With his team ready to strike, the 2006-07 season will pit the Falcons against many familiar foes, but will also add an element of surprise as BGSU faces eight programs whom have seen the likes of the Falcons less than five times over the past 41-seasons.
The pre-season will end with a pair of exhibitions against Xavier at Mickey Cochrane Stadium and the Dayton Flyers on their own turf.
Bowling Green will return home to host two Directional Illinois programs. The Western Illinois match will officially open the season on August 25. The Leatherbacks, once the home of Coach Economopoulos, lead the series with the Falcons after defeating BGSU in Macomb, Ill. last season. The weekend will end as the Falcons take on Eastern Illinois. The Orange and Brown have seen the Panthers of Eastern Illinois only twice. In back to back seasons (1996-97) the Falcons defeated EIU.
 Veteran Abiola Sandy finished the 2005 season with four points |
|
The second leg of the Orange and Brown's National tour will land BGSU in California. St. Mary's and Sacramento State will end the six-match stand against unfamiliar programs.
The St. Mary's match will be the first for the Falcons in California. Last season they beat SMC, 3-0, in the first ever meeting at Cochrane Field. Sacramento State will be the only scheduled opponent that BGSU will face for the first time this season.
The Falcons will end their non-conference stretch with four matches in the state of Ohio.
The fifth straight road match will bring the Falcons to Columbus to face in-state rival, Ohio State. BGSU leads the series 24-9-2 over Ohio State. Last season the Orange and Brown beat then No. 11 Bucks in double overtime at Mickey Cochrane Field.
In a three-match home stand, BGSU will look to even the score with Wright State and Michigan State after dropping 1-0 and 3-1 decisions, respectively, on the road.
In final preparation for the Mid-American Conference, Coach Thompson and Co. will welcome the Purple Aces of Evansville to Bowling Green for the first time under Thompson - a former coach on the Purple Aces staff. Evansville leads the series with nine wins to the Falcons two.
The MAC schedule forces the Falcons to open on the road at Northern Illinois University. Of their five conference games, the Falcons will play three away from BGSU's camps.
The Universities of Detroit and Pittsburgh will serve as bookends to break-up conference play in the latter part of the season. BGSU has dominated UDM historically with a series record of 12-5-1 while the Panthers won the only meeting between the programs in 2002. The Falcons will welcome the Bulls of the University at Buffalo between the last of the non-conference matches.
The season will end as MAC powerhouse Akron travels the Ohio turnpike to pair up against the Falcons in the last home match of the season.
Second year conference member IPFW will host the Falcons before they close the season in Kalamazoo with the Bronco's of Western Michigan.
The post-season will be determined by two play-in games to advance in the MAC Tournament.
"We are going to be competitive in every game and we are going to do our best as well to be entertaining and exciting to watch. It is important that our players enjoy playing and it is important that other people enjoy watching us."
