August 28. 2000

by Jamie Joss, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

The Red Raider men's soccer program will have a stiff challenge securing its 10th consecutive berth in the Patriot League Tournament, with the loss of six starters and eight letterwinners from last season's squad which fell to Navy (3-1) in the semifinals of the League tournament.

The Red Raiders were hardest hit by the departure of 1999 second team all-Patriot League performers Josh DiMarzo and Matt Rovelli to graduation, along with both Red Raider goalkeepers in Jamie Toedtman and Chad Calderone.

DiMarzo was not only a defensive force but also a key contributor on the offensive side of the pitch with two goals and two assists last season. He started in 16 contests last year along with defensive counterpart Rovelli, who started in all 17 games for Colgate.

Toedtman and Calderone was a formidable goalkeeping tandem combining for a 1.40 goals against average. Toedtman was 4-2-1 with a 1.15 goals against average and four shutouts, while Calderone was 2-5-3 with a 1.58 GAA.

Despite the major defensive losses, head coach Mike Doherty is extremely optimistic of Colgate's chances for extending its Patriot League Tournament appearance streak. With an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line, the focus on finishing among the top four in the Patriot League Tournament as a top four team in league play intensifies.

"We hope to be there, because if you get to the Patriot League Tournament, there is a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but you have to get there first," Doherty said of the new format. “With the addition of an automatic bid, it's bigger than ever to get into the Patriot League Tournament."

Doherty knows what it takes to be successful having built the Red Raider program into the winningest in the League's 10-year existence with a 41-16-7 mark (.695). It's this tradition and experience that Doherty will rely on to fill the holes as his team gains an identity on defense and as his 13 newcomers' roles are defined.

As Doherty becomes the longest-standing coach in Colgate history entering his 16th season this year, he believes the 2000 team could be the fastest team he has ever had during his tenure. He will use this team speed to the team's advantage employing a strong attacking possession-oriented style of play.

IN GOAL

The departure of sophomore Calderone and senior Toedtman definitely leaves an air of great uncertainty heading into the 2000 campaign.

The goalkeeping slot will be filled from a talented group of freshmen including Jon Brunell (Holden, Mass.), Mike Cleveland (Springboro, Ohio) and Will Martin (Excelsior, Minn.).

"The goalkeeping race is wide open, but we feel confident whoever lands the job will do a great job," Doherty said.

Brunell guided St. John's High School to a 41-9-9 record during his three-year varsity career earning all-state as a senior recording 11 shutouts with a 0.33 goals against average.

Cleveland earned first team all-Miami Valley and first team Metro Buckeye League as a junior and senior at Miami Valley High School.

Martin was an all-Tri Metro and Class "A" honorable mention selection his junior and senior years at The Breck School.

THE DEFENSE

The defense is the most unsettled area for the Red Raiders with major holes to fill due to the departure of their two top performers from 1999 in DiMarzo, the Colgate captain and two-time all-Patriot League performer and Rovelli, who also earned all-league honors in 1999.

Regarded as one of the best defenders in the league, junior Colyer Curtis will be among the leaders in the back this season vying for the sweeper position. Curtis should continue to excel defensively, while also improving his offensive prowess after registering two goals and an assist last year.

Senior Matt Renner played a lot in the midfield last year, but will be used in a more defensive role this season.

Sophomore Andrew Rollins is a big defender (6-2, 202) who gained valuable experience last year and is a top candidate in the back this year.

Senior Amar Bhandari is a solid defender who has served as a reserve the past two years, but his experience and senior leadership may vault him into more action.

Junior Matt Anastasi returns after a year off last season. He had a strong spring, which should put him in contention for quality time on the defense this year.

Three freshmen in Kit Edwards (Getzville, N.Y.), Brian McDermott (Willingboro, N.J.) and Alex Smulian (Coral Gables, Fla.) are all vying to fill defensive roles this season.

Edwards is another big defender (6-5, 210) who possesses great skills in the air and great touch. He registered seven goals and 15 assists as a senior at Williamsville High School.

McDermott was a three-time NJSCAA all-state and all-Liberty Division performer at Moorestown High School. Smulian was the team MVP at Ransom Everglades High School earning all-Dade County and all-Southeast Conference as a senior.

IN THE MIDFIELD

The midfield has a good mix of strong defensive and offensive players and will likely be the main strength for the Red Raiders this season.

Senior Josh Viel should provide the main offensive threat this year after finishing second in scoring with three goals and four assists for 10 points last year.

Sophomore Marc Hubbard leads the defensive efforts in the midfield. Regarded by Doherty as the most dominant player defensively in the midfield, Hubbard was injured in the first part of last season and after his return he was a major factor in Colgate's turnaround going 4-2-2 in the final eight regular season games after a 2-4-1 start.

Junior Tim Gerges along with sophomores Michael Henes, Nick Smith and Willie Witten round out the rest of the returning midfield corps.

Gerges is a versatile player who possesses great passing ability, great thinking and reads the game extremely well and Doherty believes he could be the key to Colgate's success this year.

Henes is a hard-working player with good vision and has the ability to move forward and create opportunities for himself and others. He had a respectable rookie campaign appearing in all 17 matches recording a goal and an assist.

Smith started to see more time as last season progressed, but missed the spring season with a back injury, if healthy and ready to play he should see valuable minutes this year.

Witten had a great spring and is regarded by Doherty as the strongest physical player on the team. A fast player with a great work ethic, Witten is expected to see a lot of minutes in the midfield.

Freshmen Andy Ervin (Emmaus, Pa.), Jon Gellman (Eastchester, N.Y.) and Zach Stuppy (York, Maine) are all vying for time in the midfield.

THE FORWARDS

The frontline is another strong area for the Red Raiders with the return of Colgate's leading scorer over the past two seasons in senior Brendan Skonieczki. A smart player who gets into dangerous positions for opposing defenses, Skonieczki recorded a team-high seven goals and 19 points in 1998 and remained the top scorer last year with five goals and 11 points.

After emerging as an offensive threat in 1998, senior Conor Harrison recorded just one assist in 17 games last year. He will need to regain 1998's form if Colgate is to be successful this season.

Freshmen Matt Davis (Canterbury, Conn.), Cory Rosenthal (Oceanside, N.Y.) and Jimmy Ventriglia (Highland, N.Y.) should all figure into the mix up front.

Ventriglia was a prolific scorer at Highland High School closing out his career as its all-time scoring leader with 119 goals and 40 assists.

THE SCHEDULE

As usual, Colgate faces another challenging slate against some of the toughest soccer programs in the nation and the region. The Red Raiders open the 2000 regular season at the Rider University tournament on Sept. 2 against Philadelphia University (formerly Philadelphia Textile) and finish the tournament against Northeastern which was ranked 8th in the New England Region in 1999.

Among other 1999 NSCAA regionally-ranked non-conference foes, Colgate will face Towson which was ranked 7th in the South Atlantic Region and five teams ranked in the New York Region including Syracuse (2nd), Cornell (3rd), Hartwick (5th), and Oneonta (9th).

With the addition of the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, the focus centers on the Patriot League portion of the schedule. Colgate opens the conference slate against Navy on Sept. 6, while other interesting conference matchups include Lafayette and Bucknell, which finished 8th and 10th, respectively in the Mid-Atlantic Region last year.