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© Westmont College 2002 Feedback |
2004 Men's Soccer Season PreviewEntering its 40th season, the Westmont Men's Soccer Program has something to prove. The winningest program in NAIA men's soccer history (514-212-81), the Warriors are coming off the first losing season (7-10-1) in 21 years and the first ever under Head Coach Dave Wolf. "Our goal remains the same," remarked Wolf, "To get back to the National Tournament". Wolf believes that his team has both the talent and the maturity to return Westmont to post-season play. Dominated by juniors and sophomores, the Warriors can be called, "youthful", but not "inexperience "There is a lot of versatility on this team - many players who could play different positions," critiqued Wolf, "which is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because you have a lot of options and possibilities. It's a curse because you have to pick an option and go with it. Finding the right system for this group of players is one of the challenges we face." "This is a close knit team which displays emotional, mental and spiritual maturity," Wolf reflected. "Hopefully we can parlay that relational strength into strength on the field." As head coach, Wolf (193-59-27, 14 years) is seven wins away from reaching the milestone of 200 victories and nine away from tying Russ Carr's record for most Warrior career wins (202-106-31, 17 years). The Warriors are to face a solid 2004 schedule. In addition to playing in one of the strongest conferences in the country, Westmont will face a balance of NCAA Division I, II and III non-conference opponents. The season starts when the Warriors host the Heritage Classic in which they will face Cornerstone University (MI) and Holy Names University. Cornerstone is coached by Mark Bell, a former teammate of Coach Wolf's at Wheaton College. Other non-conference opponents include cross-town rival UC Santa Barbara (NCAA Div. I) and the University of Redlands (NCAA Div. III). The Warriors handed Redlands one of their two losses last season and the Bulldogs will certainly be looking for redemption. The Azusa Pacific Cougar Classic will see the Warriors face off with a good team from Concordia University in Oregon. Westmont will conclude its non-conference schedule with a road trip to Notre Dame de Namur University in a game that will likely have post-season implications. GSAC competition will begin with a Homecoming game against Hope International University on September 25th. In other GSAC competition, the Warriors will host Fresno Pacific University, last year's NAIA runner-up and GSAC champion on October 9th. THE OFFENSE Sophomores Blake Thompson and Sam Hartman along with junior Carver Peterson will be called upon to spearhead the upfront attack for the Warriors. Peterson missed last season due to injury but recorded a remarkable seven goals on 14 shots in his first two years. Thompson was last year's top offensive producer scoring seven goals and posting three assists. "Blake is an instinctive finisher who displays quickness in the [penalty] box," commented Wolf. "Sam is a target player who plays well with his back to the goal."
Joining Alcaraz and Williams in the midfield will be Billy Gallagher, a transfer from Irvine Valley Community College which won the California State Soccer Championship. Gallagher hails from Northern Ireland and will bring important intangible qualities to the Warriors including his experience and leadership abilities. Also contributing to Westmont's offensive efforts will be junior Kevin Saiki and sophomore Michael Thompson. Saiki, one of four team captains, added two goals and one assist to the Warrior totals last year. "Kevin is a talented player and we are looking for him to establish himself this year as a key attacker," noted Wolf. Thompson is a powerful attacker who recorded three goals and two assists in 2003 play. Sophomore Matt Marinovich will move to midfield this year. "Matt has a great engine. He puts himself all over the field - touches every blade of grass," described Wolf. Ryan Warner will help patrol center midfield. Coach Wolf describes Warner as a "hard, physical player who is not afraid to mix things up. If you're playing against him, he gets under your skin. If you're playing with him, you're glad he's on your team." J.J. Bailey, a junior, played in 16 games last year in a utility capacity. "J.J. may be the best athlete on our team," expressed Wolf. "He has great pace, power and strength, but he hasn't established himself in a position - yet." Sophomore Doug Johnson is expected to contribute as a reserve mid-fielder. "I'd like to see Doug grow into a utility player this year," suggested Wolf. THE DEFENSE "We want to win all of our home games this year," offered Wolf, "and to do so, we need to improve defensively." The Warriors will be building on last year's experience as all but one of the defensive players will be returning. Junior team captains T.J. McKillop and Matt Moser will be critical components as central defenders. McKillop played in 12 games last year despite recovering from a serious hiking accident. By all accounts he has fully recovered and will be looked to as a defensive leader. Moser, who played in 16 games last year, is "an excellent leader and a tenacious one-on-one defender with good physical power and ball passing skills," reported Wolf. Wingback junior Jeff Oelhman brings the experience of 17 starts for the Warriors last season. Described by his coach as "immensely gifted," Jeff is the brother of former Westmont player and All-American Mark Oelhman ('02). The Warrior's emotional leader is sophomore team captain Joe Cover who had 16 starts for the Warriors last year. "Joe is the heartbeat of our team and respected by his teammates both on and off the field," remarked Wolf. Freshman Sergio Hernandez, a local product from Santa Barbara High School, is expected to make an impact defensively this year. Hernandez is a "technical player with good skills" noted Wolf. Josh Cox enters his senior season having missed last year due to a torn ACL. Described as "quick" and a "good ball winner," Cox has seen limited action but is expected to make a contribution in a reserve right-back capacity. Sophomores Ryan Wisdom and Michael German, along with freshman Ryan Powers, are also expected to make contributions to the defensive effort. Wolf evaluated Powers, who hails from Newberg, Oregon, as a "feisty, aggressive, tenacious player". Minding the net for the Warriors will be sophomore keepers Josh DeForest and Logan Frank. Frank started most of the season last year, but had shoulder surgery at the end of the year. DeForest had a great spring season which saw his confidence grow. "Right now they're on level ground," assessed Wolf. "It's a toss-up as to who will start. Josh is very athletic and has great vertical [range]. Logan has great tools and his length fills the net." DeForest allowed 5 goals in 405 minutes last year, recording one shutout. Logan gave up 28 goals in 1240 minutes of play and recorded two shutouts. |
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d." A dozen sophomores return with considerable playing time from last year to add to the seasoned skills of seven juniors and two seniors.
A talented midfield will feature senior Ricardo Alcaraz and junior Luke Williams. Alcaraz, who contributed nine assists and two goals in last year's campaign, is a playmaker. "Richie is a crafty passer with good vision," said Wolf. "We are looking for him to make a contribution to the success of this team". Williams, who will play on the left side, recorded four goals and two assists. "Luke needs to score 10-15 goals for us this year," asserted Wolf.