Bowling Green State University Athletics
Q & A With Fred Thompson
August 29, 2007 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 29, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - On the eve of the 2007 season, BGSU head coach Fred Thompson took some time to share his thoughts on the program, the players and the schedule for the coming fall . . .
To the casual observer, it might seem that last year's team did not make tremendous improvement over the prior year. But, the 2006 team did indeed make some strides, picking up some wins on the road and advancing to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. How do you feel the team's 2006 season has prepared it for 2007?
Although our records for 2005 and 2006 were similar, the teams themselves were very different. Last year's team was more competitive than the previous year, more consistent and improved steadily throughout the season. I believe we will see the fruits of our growth this year. We are undoubtedly stronger and more athletic than we've ever been.
This year's team is still pretty young overall, with 17 of the 25 players holding either freshman or sophomore status in terms of eligibility.
Yes, we will be pretty young again this year, so there could be some consistency challenges at the beginning of the season. The starting lineup is likely to consist of seven freshmen and sophomores. The difference this year is that many of our young players have had excellent experience, such as playing in National Championships or plying their trade in Europe. I expect the bumps in the road to be smoothed over quickly with this group.
With so many young players potentially on the pitch at the same time, who will provide the leadership?
Leadership is something we're hoping to get from each and every player in their own way. I have no problem with having eleven leaders on the field. During the course of the season, a week or even a game, different players will have the opportunity to "step up" and make a difference for the team. We work on preparing them all for that time.
To that end, you might have two of the youngest captains in the country, with a freshman and a sophomore being named to those positions. Can you talk about the captains?
Indeed two of our three captains are indeed young players, but they are young players who have the respect of their teammates and the trust of the coaching staff. Freshman Thomas McLean will anchor the backline and sophomore Hunter Van Houten will provide stability in the midfield. Even though he a freshman, Thomas already has demonstrated his leadership skills on the field. His background and solid play in the back throughout the preseason has brought a new level of confidence to the team. He will be the vocal presence, whereas Hunter will lead more by example. A dependable player who is willing to do whatever the team needs, Hunter did the work over the summer to come back a better player.
The third captain is senior Abiola Sandy. It's been very rewarding watching Abi grow as a person and a player over the years. I know that he is prepared to take on whatever responsibilities are necessary for the team to have a successful year.
Another of your veterans, junior Paul Shoemaker, has started nearly every match in goal over his first two seasons. What does he bring to the goalkeeper position?
Paul has looked very good during the preseason allowing only one goal on a shot that was virtually unstoppable. He, too, did the work that was required over the summer and has improved markedly in specific areas. His physical presence, shot-stopping ability and distribution all will be key components in what, I'm sure, will be his best season in goal. And, this year he seems more comfortable in the leadership role that's required from his position.
Although Paul has been the starter, you have a total of four `keepers on the squad. How is the rest of that group looking?
The keeper core as a whole looks good. I'm sure that Brent Petkus will be pushing Paul every step of the way. Brent is able to step in and do the job for us at any time. Steven Topper may actually have the best footwork and best technique of all our keepers. He continues to develop with every training session. We've added Matt Leugers this year. Matt is a big strong keeper who is exceptionally quick for a player of his size - a great shot-stopper who strikes a great ball. We feel we have a group that will push each other and ultimately bring out the best in each other.
Can you give Falcon fans an idea of what they will see, positionally, from the 2007 team?
I'm very confident with our center-back pair of Thomas McLean and Dusko Topolic. They are both very capable in the air, can handle themselves physically and are comfortable on the ball. As they continue to play together I expect to see them grow into the top defensive pairing in our conference. Our team already plays with more confidence knowing that those two are on the field.
I'd say there are four players vying for those two outside back positions: Kyle McNayr, Tyler Deal, Robert Barker and Garrett Bireline. All are good defenders and all are physically capable. No matter who the positions fall to, I know we'll be solid.
The midfield will look a little different this year than in the past. We'll be using Jacob Lawrence's size and strength to disrupt the opposition and free up the back line from having to win so many head balls. Hunter Van Houten will be organizing things and providing the stability of consistent, level-headed play. You can expect to see Jacob winning a lot of balls and Hunter getting them to us in useful positions. They can also both score goals.
We have more than a handful of creative attacking midfielders including Alec and Ryan Perea, Chuko Evwaraye, Cameron Hepple. Deciding who to use, and when to use them, are likely to be game time decisions. Each brings something special and we'll just have to see whose tools are best suited for the current opponent.
We have plenty of depth in the midfield. Freshman Chris Jurtovski is a very technical player, in the mold of Hunter, who will grow into an outstanding college player. And, the four players in the mix at outside back (Barker, Bireline, Deal and McNayr) can all play in a defensive midfielder role.
Up front, Abiola Sandy should have an outstanding senior year. I am obviously hoping that it takes the form of many, many goals, but I know it may take other forms as well. His pace and power will unbalance defenses, creating opportunities for himself or others.
Matt Klancic will get the chance to make an immediate impact. He is very good with his back to goal, holding up the play and letting the rest of the team join in. He is faster and more mobile than people give him credit for, and he has a pretty good soccer brain. He has already shown some of what he can do, and once he gets used to this level of play I think he'll surprise a lot of people.
Ahmad Smith is all pace and power. He is a handful for any defense and is capable of scoring goals using his pace or striking from distance. Sean Misick is likely to be deployed as a striker. His height and mobility give us an added dimension and add to the arsenal we can use against other teams.
You seem to have done yourself no favors once again, as the 2007 schedule looks like it consists of one difficult opponent after another.
There are no easy games in Division I soccer, but this year's schedule is a pretty tough one. It will require the best from our team. The schedule was put together to strengthen our position for an (NCAA) at-large bid, but also to help prepare us for the very challenging MAC season. We want to make ourselves better as the season goes along, and we want to be playing our best soccer when the MAC Tournament arrives.
