2008 Woodie Awards
Men's soccer needs to weather early season storm
By Brandon Fox
Rocket Sports Editor
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Sports
"Greg is a great shot stopper and is going to be a good fit in the back," Thompson said. "He has been pushed hard by Brett Lelko and Chris Cook, and I think that has made all three of them better keepers. I have full confidence in putting any of them between the pipes."
The SRU offensive attack, which returns three of its top five scorers, will be anchored by sophomore forward Jeremy Deighton. He led the team in scoring with five goals and two assists last fall. The Rock will also benefit from the return of seniors Ed Mocarsky, who tallied four goals and one assist, and captain Steve Perri, the teams fifth-leading scorer with one goal and four assists. Thompson will also look for sophomore Ian Langstone to provide a boost at the forward position.
"Ian and Jeremy are going to have to step up and simply put the ball in the back of the net. Eddie is a great finisher and hopefully he will get us going up front," Thompson said.
"Nick Christy is also going to be a key for us. He struggled last year with a back injury and is slowly working his way back. Once we get him in there, I know he will be a big contributor."
Leadership is going to play a key role in the success of the team and how far they can go. Senior captains Steve Perri and Patrick Cormac are going to be important in keeping the younger players focused, but Thompson is also going to rely heavily on the six other seniors on the roster.
"Steve and Pat are my captains, so they need to be at the front, but I also expect that all my seniors will be leaders for us," Thompson said. "I need all of them to help get us through the tough times."
Mocarsky, a forward, pointed to the seniors on the team as the ones who have to step up if the team is going to be successful.
"We are going to have to work hard as a team," he said. "Especially us as seniors, we helped turn the program around and know what it's like to win it all, and we want to go out with a bang our senior year."
The Rock (0-2-1) has come out of the gate slow, thanks in part to an extremely tough schedule. Two of thier first three games were against Division II national champion Dowling and defending PSAC champ East Stroudsburg.
"Our schedule is tough, but we get to play each team in the PSAC twice, and I think if we play a physical game the first time out and then make adjustments the second time, we will be alright," Thompson said.
The Rock played to a 0-0 tie against PSAC rival California on Wednesday night at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
The SRU offensive attack, which returns three of its top five scorers, will be anchored by sophomore forward Jeremy Deighton. He led the team in scoring with five goals and two assists last fall. The Rock will also benefit from the return of seniors Ed Mocarsky, who tallied four goals and one assist, and captain Steve Perri, the teams fifth-leading scorer with one goal and four assists. Thompson will also look for sophomore Ian Langstone to provide a boost at the forward position.
"Ian and Jeremy are going to have to step up and simply put the ball in the back of the net. Eddie is a great finisher and hopefully he will get us going up front," Thompson said.
"Nick Christy is also going to be a key for us. He struggled last year with a back injury and is slowly working his way back. Once we get him in there, I know he will be a big contributor."
Leadership is going to play a key role in the success of the team and how far they can go. Senior captains Steve Perri and Patrick Cormac are going to be important in keeping the younger players focused, but Thompson is also going to rely heavily on the six other seniors on the roster.
"Steve and Pat are my captains, so they need to be at the front, but I also expect that all my seniors will be leaders for us," Thompson said. "I need all of them to help get us through the tough times."
Mocarsky, a forward, pointed to the seniors on the team as the ones who have to step up if the team is going to be successful.
"We are going to have to work hard as a team," he said. "Especially us as seniors, we helped turn the program around and know what it's like to win it all, and we want to go out with a bang our senior year."
The Rock (0-2-1) has come out of the gate slow, thanks in part to an extremely tough schedule. Two of thier first three games were against Division II national champion Dowling and defending PSAC champ East Stroudsburg.
"Our schedule is tough, but we get to play each team in the PSAC twice, and I think if we play a physical game the first time out and then make adjustments the second time, we will be alright," Thompson said.
The Rock played to a 0-0 tie against PSAC rival California on Wednesday night at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.
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