Aug. 7, 2006
The year-in, year-out success of Lehigh Soccer continued in 2005, with a school and league record tenth consecutive winning season, an appearance in the national rankings, a sixth straight Patriot League Tournament berth and a handful of postseason accolades, including Adam Williamson being drafted by the New England Revolution of MLS. The Mountain Hawks did graduate seven very talented and experienced players off of that team, but two All-League players return, and this year's group of seniors have combined to have won 31 games in their first three seasons together. All of this makes head coach Dean Koski optimistic for even more success in 2006.
"We have a solid core coming back, but it may all come down to how we implement the freshmen," Koski explains. "It's a large group of newcomers, and they will all have their chances to play. The good thing is, is that we need them to be complimentary rather than primary contributors with an experienced group of upperclassmen returning. There are certainly spots to fill, but our concerns heading into the spring (goal keeper and left back) have been alleviated." Koski concludes, "Now we just have to answer the question of whether we can score more goals."
After heading into the spring season unsure of who its goal keeper would be, Lehigh can now rest easy, with senior Jim Morahan set to return for a fifth season. Morahan saw his first varsity action last year and earned the coaches confidence through a strong spring performance. Freshmen Kyle Grzeszczak and Chris Varga will compete with Morahan this year and will also provide the Mountain Hawks with depth at this spot for the future.
With three starters returning, Lehigh's defense should once again be one of the stingiest in the entire country. Leading the way is 2005 All-Region and All-League selection John O'Reilly, a starter in each of the past two seasons, who led the Patriot League in game-winning goals a year ago and was perfect on penalty kicks. O'Reilly received several Player of the Week accolades from numerous organizations throughout the season for his on-field performance. Teaming up with O'Reilly at the centerback position is fellow senior Joe Verdi, who was a 2005 All-Patriot League selection. With over 50 career appearances, Verdi gives the Mountain Hawks a great deal of experience on defense.
Joining O'Reilly and Verdi on defense are senior Tom Zubulake and junior Mike Hessemer. Zubulake started 12 games last season and in the words of Koski, should "only get better with just one season at Lehigh under his belt." Hessemer has played in almost 40 games during his first two years on South Mountain, and after a strong spring season will move into the left back position. He recorded his first collegiate point last year, with an assist versus George Washington. Sophomore Vinny Devine has the ability to start, and will serve as a more than capable back-up to Verdi and O'Reilly, as he provides the Mountain Hawks with quality depth in the center back positions.
The midfield is where Koski envisions the most depth for this Lehigh team, starting with sophomore Adam Gazda, who started all 16 games as a freshman, and scored three points along the way. Senior Matt Franz also started all 16 games in 2005, and had a great year in the defensive midfield. "The tutelage Matt received from Ben Gucciardi ('05), during his first two seasons was very important, and should benefit him greatly this season," Koski explains. A pair of juniors, in Robert Quinlan and Pat Starsinic, also return for the Brown and White. Quinlan came on strong towards the end of last year when he stepped into a starting role, and the Texas native carried that momentum through the spring. Starsinic meanwhile has been a steady performer for Lehigh with five goals and 12 points through two seasons. His versatility also allows him to play more than one position.
Senior Clay Talley will be used in a number of roles this season, and will mostly likely be our "12th man". The former Louisville Cardinal appeared in nine games a year ago, and his athleticism should be a big asset to the Lehigh coming off the bench. Sophomores Ryan Connell, Jim DiTaranto and Andrew Desiderio continue to all develop their skills and improve and the preseason should provide Koski with an idea of their readiness to contribute.
Junior Joe Clemente is the top returnee at the forward spot for Lehigh, having scored six goals and totaled 18 points in two seasons for the Brown and White. A member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, Clemente scored two goals a year ago and has appeared in over 35 career contests. Joining Clemente at forward will be sophomore Pat Cucci, who started seven games as a freshman, scoring one goal in that time. The Mountain Hawks freshmen crop of 12 newcomers is also sure to yield a few candidates that Koski can try at forward, which will provide them with added depth.
Lehigh opens preseason camp this week, and will begin the 2006 season on Saturday, August 26 when the Mountain Hawks welcome Fairleigh Dickinson to town. Game time is set for 7:00 and all of the action can be heard live on lehighsports.com.