Aug. 31, 2005
During his 14-year tenure as an assistant coach for the Navy men's soccer team, Rich Miranda had his opportunities to leave and become a head coach elsewhere. Instead, he chose to stay and remain an assistant under Greg Myers.
When Myers retired following the 2004 season, Miranda landed the job he longed for, being named in February as just the fourth head coach in the Navy program's 85-year history.
"It's nice. ... I'd been waiting a long time," said Miranda, who will coach his first regular season game Friday night at home when the Mids host Niagara at 7:30 in the Anders Soccer Classic. "It's nice to be able to make your own decisions and run the team the way you want.
"The transition has been easy," Miranda said. "Greg was a great teacher and working under him was a great experience, that's why I stayed here. I'd been offered a few jobs, but my loyalty was to the academy and to Greg, that's why I stuck it out."
Myers coached at Navy for 29 years, finishing with a 232-193-62 record and leading the Mids to 18 winning seasons and seven Patriot League Tournament appearances. However, his final season ended in a 3-10-4 overall record and a last-place finish in the Patriot League with a 1-5-1 mark.
Not much better is forecast for the 2005 Mids, as Navy was picked to finish last in the Patriot League. Miranda says he has no problem with that.
"American is usually the team to beat, but there's so much parity in the conference that most games are one-goal games. It's just a matter of who grabs that goal and holds onto the lead," Miranda said.
A 1985 graduate of William & Mary and a four-year starter for the Tribe, Miranda credits Myers, former William & Mary coach Al Albert and current Virginia Commonwealth coach Tim O'Sullivan for helping mold his coaching philosophy. Miranda was an assistant when O'Sullivan coached at the University of Richmond.
Miranda admits, though, that he'll stress a more aggressive style than the Mids employed under Myers, who favored a more conservative, defensive-minded approach.
"I believe defense wins games, but I want us to take some calculated risks that will give us more opportunities to score goals; that's been a problem here the last few years," Miranda said. "I want us to put the ball in the box at every opportunity. That will create more scoring chances."
In three preseason games against quality teams, the Mids defeated William & Mary and Boston University by 1-0 scores, then were blanked by James Madison 4-0.
"We'll be in every game, we just have to give ourselves a chance to win," Miranda said. "The attitude of the team is positive; we've created a focus on a team environment; we're playing for each other, and everybody's on board with that."
A key for the Mids' fortunes will be the health of senior midfielder Albert Silva. The team captain, Silva has an ankle injury that may linger all season, Miranda said.
"I can't say enough about Albert; he's a tremendous leader with a passion for the game," Miranda said. "It's just frustrating for him. He's like a coach on the field, but if he can only play half the games, then that's the role he'll have to play."
Other players who constitute a strong midfield unit for the Mids include Addy Strasdas, Anthony Parker, Kenan Knieriem, Zach Pleis, Eric Gorden and Justin Waskey.
Anchoring the defense for the Mids will be backs Kris Huff and Tom Shelly, both juniors. Shelly is a South River High graduate and son of a former Navy player.
"They are the backbone of the defense," Miranda said. "Shelly is an enforcer who will win every head ball. Huff is skilled and composed. They are just consistent. You know day in and day out that they will be on their game every time."
Complementing Huff and Shelly will be outside backers Brad Feige, Will Riordon and Johnny Sadler.
Senior Aric McElheny is the leading candidate to start in goal, although Miranda has not named a starter. Seniors Chris Hermeling and Britton Chauvin and sophomore Thomas Jenkins are also in the mix.
Up front, Miranda considers junior forward McKenzie Plank the Mids' most dangerous offensive player due to his speed and hard shot. Senior Zach Capacete, junior Josh Kristoff and sophomore J.P. Murphy will also be counted on to cash in on their chances. Miranda is high on Murphy, a Severna Park graduate who scored the winning goal in the preseason game against Boston.
"We need for him to become the type of player that other teams say 'We need to watch this kid; he's dangerous.' We don't have that type of player."
In addition to Niagara, the Anders Soccer Classic will also include Georgia Southern and UMBC, who will play Friday at 5 . On Sunday, UMBC and Niagara will play at 1:30, followed by Navy and Georgia Southern at 4.