2003 William and Mary Men's Soccer Outlook

07/16/03 2:11PM

- In 2002 the William and Mary men’s soccer team further established itself as one of the top programs in the nation, defeating Duke and Virginia on the road to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament and ending the year ranked 16th in the nation. Four players earned all-conference accolades and the team had three representatives each on the all-state and all-region teams. The team’s top two scorers last year, Ralph Bean and Carlos Garcia, ended their senior seasons honored by all three organizations.

After last year’s outstanding season, the team enters the 2003 campaign preparing to face a number of changes. Most obvious will be the new home of W&M soccer, Albert-Daly Field. Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams (as well as the women’s lacrosse program) will begin play this fall on the new grass facility, which has immediately paid dividends in improving the caliber of opponents that will be visiting Williamsburg this year.

Another area of change will be the number of new faces on the team this season, as 12 of the 25 players on the preseason roster have never seen a minute of collegiate action. On a positive note, the team brings back seven starters, giving most of the freshmen a chance to gradually adjust to the college game. However, among the list of newcomers are all four of W&M’s goalkeepers, requiring the team to start a freshman in goal for the first time since 1996.

One thing that will not change, and hasn’t for more than 30 years, will be the presence of head coach Al Albert. The team’s leader since 1971, he enters his 33rd season at W&M with 392 career victories, tied for the seventh-most in Division I history, and just eight away from his 400th career win.

Forwards
Projected to start at the two forward positions are junior Brannon Thomas and sophomore Patrick Scherder. In his fourth year overall at W&M, Thomas received a medical redshirt last year when a knee injury ended his season after playing in just three games. The tallest member of the team at 6-4, he is a versatile player with good possession skills, who can present himself as a big target for his teammates. One of the fastest players on the team, Scherder will complement Thomas’ abilities on the front line. A tough, hard-working player, Scherder was the only true freshman to play for W&M last season, scoring one goal in 17 matches. He followed up his solid rookie campaign with a very impressive spring and is poised for a standout year in 2003.

Also expected to enter into the mix at forward will be sophomore Andreas Nydal, who is not expected to be available until midseason due to a spring ACL injury. Nydal was a spark off the bench last season, scoring eight goals, the third-highest total on the team. Three true freshman forwards will add depth at the position next season: Brendan McCurdy, Ryan Sells and Jarrett Thomas.

Midfielders
A pair of all-conference players in seniors Graham Albert and Phil Hucles will anchor the middle of the field for W&M. The two will pair up at the center midfield spots, with Hucles taking an attacking role and Albert holding more of a defensive position behind him. Both have the ability to break down the opposing defenses, using a combination of Hucles’ speed and Albert’s runs forward and heading ability.

Last year Hucles began the season as a starting midfielder, but was moved to the back early on to help solidify the defense, leading the team to a 0.98 goals against average and eight shutouts in the final 20 matches. Despite his defensive role, he still proved to be a valuable offensive threat, finishing fourth on the team with five goals, while also adding an assist. Already he has moved into W&M’s career top-10 lists in points (70) and game-winning goals (nine).

Albert finished fifth on the team last year with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Included in that total was one of the team’s biggest scores of the season, when he recorded the game-tying goal with less than nine minutes left in regulation, in the College’s shootout win at Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Expected to start at left midfield, sophomore Clayton Voss came on strong at the end of the 2002 season, scoring the first goal of his career in the Colonial Athletic Association championship game. Another tall player who is good in the air, he also has the speed to get behind opposing defenses. Battling for the starting nod on the right side of the midfield will be juniors Brian Hinkle and Andrew Terry, both of whom have significant experience. A pair of freshman midfielders will join the team this year, in Ryan Overdevest and Chris Rodd.

Backs
The back line will feature three players who started nearly every game last season, led by seniors Alex Brown and Kris Feldmann. The pair have been fixtures in the lineup throughout their careers, and give the Tribe two of the better defenders in the league. Junior Colin Young was a full-time starter last year, and also started the final two games of his rookie season after recovering from an injury earlier that year. Those three will likely be joined by redshirt freshman Jeff Marklin, who had a terrific spring training season that solidified his spot in the lineup.

Already a very strong group, Coach Albert may decide to move Hucles, who still may be the best defender on the team, to the back line in certain situations. Coming off the bench at the position will be senior Lucas Salcedo and sophomore Craig Myers, while incoming freshmen John Lee and Michael Yakovac also have the potential for game action.

Goalkeepers
Without a doubt, the biggest question mark of this season will be at the very back of the field, as the Tribe enters the year with four goalkeepers who have never played a minute of college soccer. Two redshirt freshmen, Kris Rake and Stephen Hughes, sat out last year and are the front-runners for the starting position. Rake is a fearless player with a great work ethic who currently is the favorite to start, although Hughes, who is also a very good shot stopper, could easily be the one in goal for the Tribe this fall. Scott Kelsey, who practiced with the team last year as a freshman, was asked to return and could see some time, while rookie Brennan Wergley, who was a very good keeper on one of the top high school teams in Northern Virginia, will likely redshirt this season if he isn’t starting.

Schedule
Despite last year’s schedule being ranked as one of the 15 toughest in the nation, this season will be no easier, as the Tribe will again face a number of the top teams in the nation. One of the benefits of Albert-Daly Field is the ability to attract some of those opponents to W&M’s campus. This season the College will play traditional national powers St. John’s, Wake Forest and Rutgers in Williamsburg and will travel to face Virginia and Duke on the road, locations where the Tribe won postseason matches last year. The CAA continues to improve, with Old Dominion and 2002 league champion Virginia Commonwealth joining W&M in last season’s NCAA Tournament.