2005 William and Mary Men's Soccer Outlook

08/12/05 2:40PM

- William and Mary had a number of notable accomplishments last year in Chris Norris’ first season as head coach. Most impressive was the first win in school history over the nation’s top-ranked team, when the Tribe upset No. 1 Maryland, 1-0, in just the second game at Albert-Daly Field. The Green and Gold also extended its streak of consecutive winning seasons, now up to 30 straight campaigns, tied for the third-longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Five W&M players earned all-conference accolades, led by first team All-Colonial Athletic Association and second team all-region selection Pat Scherder.

Involved in 17 matches decided by less than two goals, the biggest factor in preventing the Tribe from achieving even greater success in 2004 was its lack of offense. Forced to play in a 4-5-1 formation for much of the season, the Tribe was limited to just 20 goals in its 20 matches, the fewest in a season since 1974. What kept the Tribe competitive was terrific defensive play. W&M allowed just 21 goals by the opposition, and had six shutouts, including the double-overtime victory over Maryland, which had entered the match leading the nation with an average of five goals per game through its first six matches.

With W&M’s defensive corps stocked with veterans who have significant starting experience, Norris expects that the club’s defensive success should continue through this season. The future is bright on the offensive side of the ball as well, as the Tribe returns two of its top three goal scorers from last season. Combined with the increased college experience gained by the remainder of the returning offensive players, and the arrival of two freshmen attackers who were among the best high school players in Virginia last season, Norris and his staff believe that this season the College’s scoring will increase significantly.

Forwards
With Norris planning on returning to a two-forward lineup this season, senior Pat Scherder is expected to return to the front of the lineup after spending last season as a wide midfielder. Often the fastest player on the field, the first team all-conference and second team all-region pick had three goals and two assists last season, starting every match except for the three he sat out completely due to injury.

“Statistically, Pat did not have the kind of year last season that he had as a sophomore (11 goals and three assists), however, his impact on the team was phenomenal,” said Norris. “We asked him to play as a wide midfielder and he was consistently our most dangerous player. We intend to move him back up front and if he can stay healthy, we think that he will have a big year for us.”

One of the most interesting battles in preseason will be for the other starting forward position, with senior Andreas Nydal and juniors Brendan McCurdy and Jarrett Thomas the early frontrunners for the role. Nydal had an outstanding redshirt freshman campaign in 2002, when he finished third on the team with eight goals. Since then, he has been affected by the one-forward lineup more than anybody, which, along with an ACL injury, has limited him to just five goals in 26 matches over the past two seasons.

“Andreas got frozen out last year, not because he wasn’t playing well, but because the way we were playing didn’t lend itself to his game,” said Norris. “He should be an important part of our plans this fall. He is tremendous around the goal at creating his own shots and we expect him to score some big goals.”

Despite playing most of the season as a reserve back or midfielder, McCurdy led the Tribe with four goals, including two game-winners, in 2004. He continued to impress last spring and has put himself in contention for a starting role.

“Brendan is the consummate team player,” said Norris. “He started out as a right back for us last fall, then we ultimately moved him wide in the midfield and also used him some as a forward. In the spring we made the decision to move him up front. He’s a great competitor and an excellent athlete and we think that he will play a key role for us.”

Also figuring into the mix will be junior Jarrett Thomas and freshman Andrew Hoxie. Thomas saw limited action last season, but scored four goals and added an assist as a rookie in 2003. Hoxie was named the National Christian School Athletic Association Player of the Year after scoring 38 goals and 16 assists as a senior last year at Denbigh Baptist in Newport News.

“Jarrett is arguably the best finisher on our team,” said Norris. “If he can regain the confidence and fitness level he displayed his freshman year, he could become an important part of our attacking plans. Andrew possesses good speed, great size, a good soccer brain and has a knack for scoring important goals. We expect him to challenge for a place on the team right away.”

Midfielders
The Tribe suffered most of its losses due to graduation at the midfield position and that is where most of the question marks will center entering this season. The only player with significant experience at the position is senior holding midfielder Craig Myers, who will likely start in the same position this season. His role has continued to increase throughout his career and last season he was named the team’s most improved player after appearing in 19 matches with 17 starts.

“Craig is very professional,” said Norris. “He understands the role that we have asked him to fill. He positions himself well, wins a lot of 50-50 balls and has become much more efficient with his possession.”

The competition for the rest of the starting midfield positions is wide open, with seven players, including three sophomores and three first-year players, vying for playing time.

Sophomore Martin Brady has the most experience of the seven, with a goal and an assist in 15 matches, including three starts.

“Martin had a solid freshman year,” said Norris. “We started using him as an outside midfielder in the spring and he really embraced that role. Tactically he is one of the top players on the team. We expect him to have a productive fall.”

Junior Chris Rodd will move to the midfield this season after two years as a center back. A second team All-CAA selection last year when he started all 20 contests, he scored his first career goal with just 37 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime in an eventual tie with Hofstra.

“Chris had a good spring playing in the midfield,” said Norris. “He’s a great ball-winner and very disruptive. The more games he gets in the middle of the midfield, the more of a factor he will become in the attack.”

The only other midfielders with college experience are sophomores Doug Ernst and Ryan Overdevest. Ernst played in 14 matches, while Overdevest saw action in just eight contests, but was named CAA Rookie of the Week after his first career goal proved to be the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Drexel.

“Doug showed flashes last fall of what he is capable,” said Norris. “He is very tricky and clever and we hope to be able to use that on the flanks this year. Ryan is another player who had a very good spring for us. His off-the-ball running is excellent. He puts himself in great scoring positions and can also score from distance.”

The three newcomers are redshirt freshmen Brock Jones and Doug McBride and true freshman Jeremy Harris. Jones scored 26 goals and 32 assists in his high school career and was a first team All-New England selection as a senior. McBride was a first team all-state pick in his senior year at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, scoring seven goals and a team-high 17 assists. The Eastern Virginia Group AAA Player of the Year, Harris was also selected as the top athlete at Frank W. Cox High School in Virginia Beach, leading his team to the state semifinals with 22 goals and 10 assists last season.

“Brock is a little bit of a wild card for us, he can play anywhere, and during his career probably will,” said Norris. “He has very good pace and is good around the goal. Doug was our biggest surprise of the spring season. He established himself as one of the best possession players on the team and will certainly figure into our plans. Jeremy has outstanding physical qualities and his first five steps are as quick as anyone we’ve had in our program. The impact that he has as a freshman will depend on how quickly he adjusts to the different level of competition.”

Backs
As was the case last season, this year Norris and his staff expect the team’s defense to once again be superb. The team returns three of the four starters from last year’s back line that helped shut out six teams and post a 0.99 goals against average.

A mainstay on the back line for the last two seasons, junior co-captain Jeff Marklin will once again be the anchor of the Tribe defense this fall. He started all 20 matches last season and has 34 starts in 36 games over the last two years, a stretch in which W&M has posted nine shutouts and a 1.19 goals against average.

“Jeff is an unbelievable presence and a tremendous professional in the way that he approaches things,” said Norris. “His determination and hard work are universally respected on the team. He was one of the anchors of a good young defense last year and we expect him to continue in that role and make the group even more solid.”

The other two returning starters are third-year sophomores Ryan Sells and Michael Yakovac. The pair shared the team’s Rookie of the Year award in 2004, with Sells playing in 19 matches with 18 starts and Yakovac making 12 starts in 18 appearances. They each also contributed to key goals during the season, with Yakovac, who was named to the CAA’s all-rookie team, setting up the game-winner in extra time against top-ranked Maryland, while Sells assisted the only goal in a 1-0 win over George Mason.

“Ryan surprised a lot of people with his steady play last season,” said Norris. “It’s not always easy for a young guy to come in to a team that doesn’t score a lot of goals and maintain that intensity game-in and game-out. He did a great job in the fall and will obviously be a factor this year. Michael was in a very similar situation. As a redshirt freshman he also exceeded our expectations and did a great job filling in at left back and making that spot his own.”

Senior Clayton Voss has been another player who has seen his playing time steadily increase throughout his career, but he will be challenged this year as he moves to the defense after three years as a midfielder. Last season he played in all 20 matches with 17 starts, scoring his first career game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Drexel.

“After spending three seasons as an outside midfielder, Clayton made the transition to outside back this spring,” said Norris. “He was one of our best players in the spring season and we expect him to be a fixture in our back four this fall.”

Also pressing for time on defense this year will be sophomores John Lee and Chris Wayne. They each started one game last season, with Wayne playing in 10 matches and Lee seeing action in nine, including a 1-1 tie with Hartwick in which he scored the game-tying goal late in regulation on his only shot of the season.

“John started to show glimpses in the fall of what he is truly capable of, but has had some trouble with injuries that kept him from establishing any kind of rhythm to his play,” said Norris. “He had a very good spring and we expect him to challenge for time as a center or right back. Chris had a solid year as a true freshman reserve last season, playing mostly out of position. He really began to assert himself in the spring and he became a regular as a center back.”

Goalkeepers
W&M’s outstanding goalkeepers have been a hallmark of the program for more than two decades and the tradition continues in starting keeper and team co-captain Kris Rake. A junior who has started every game the Tribe has played in the last two seasons, Rake has already put himself in the Tribe’s career top 10 lists for saves (150, sixth), shutouts (eight, sixth) and goals against average (1.20, fifth). He played every minute for the College last season, posting six shutouts and making eight saves, while compiling a 0.99 GAA. He earned national recognition early in the year, tying a career high with 10 saves in a double-overtime shutout victory over Maryland, a team that was not only first in the national polls at the time, but entered the match leading the nation with 5.00 goals per game through its first six contests of the season. Ending the week with a 1-1 tie with Hartwick and another shutout of American, Rake was named the nation’s top goalkeeper that week by both Soccer America and College Soccer News and was featured in the “Faces in the Crowd” segment of the October 11 issue of Sports Illustrated.

“Kris had a very good season for us last year and positioned himself statistically in most of our single-season top 10 lists,” said Norris. “We expect him to continue to improve and take more of a leadership role this season as a co-captain.”

Waiting in the wings are backup goalkeepers Scott Kelsey, a junior, and sophomore Brennan Wergley. While neither has any college playing experience, Norris has faith in both of them coming through in a game, should the need arise.

“Scott is potentially the best athlete in our goalkeeping corps,” said Norris. “He hasn’t had the opportunity to show what he is capable of, other than in spring situations, but we’re very confident that he can come in and do the job should anything happen to Kris. Brennan continues to improve and will definitely challenge Scott for the backup role. He has the best tactical understanding of all of our keepers and as he continues to develop physically, he will make himself more of a factor.”

Schedule
As always, the Tribe will face a challenging schedule in 2005, with the Green and Gold slated to face six teams the competed in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

“Once again, we will be facing a very tough schedule,” said Norris. “As coaches, we certainly like to challenge ourselves and the players obviously want to put themselves up against some of the best teams and the best players around. This schedule enables us to do that once again. We’ve got a number of out-of-conference opponents that are very well respected, including Maryland, North Carolina, Clemson, UNC Greensboro and Rhode Island.”

After opening the season at home against Saint Joseph’s, the Tribe will play its last six September matches away from Williamsburg. The first three will be in-state contests, with games in Norfolk against Clemson and Rhode Island and a game at the Virginia Military Institute. After that, W&M will play two road matches in four days against teams that ended last season ranked in the top 10 nationally, traveling to play UNCG on Saturday, Sept. 24, before taking on Maryland the following Tuesday. The Tribe will end the month with its first conference match of the season, traveling to first-year CAA member Georgia State.

“We’ll have to be ready right away,” said Norris. “The schedule doesn’t allow for us to have a bad start. We’re on the road almost the entire month of September, which will obviously be difficult.”

The benefit in having the vast majority of the team’s early matches coming on the road is that the club will end the season playing mostly at home. W&M will have five straight matches in Williamsburg at one point and will be away from home just two weekends in the regular season after the start of October. Of the last 12 matches, 11 will be against CAA opponents, with the only non-conference matchup being a Tuesday evening home game against North Carolina. Along with addition of Georgia State, Northeastern also joins the league this season, giving the CAA 12 men’s soccer teams and making the fight for one of the six conference tournament berths even more fierce.

“It has become clear that it will be tough to make the conference tournament,” said Norris. “Geographically, the two new teams are both in great places (Atlanta and Boston) and arguably, joining our conference should really help them from a soccer standpoint. The way things stand now, getting into the top six in the standings in our league is a good accomplishment for any team.”