In the middle of the recruiting season, Monmouth College men’s soccer coach Rue Carthew might have been heard to say that "all the pieces are in place" for one of the best seasons in the history of the program.

Who could doubt him? After all, the Scots were scheduled to return all but two players – J.P. Schrock and new assistant coach Craig Hanson – from a team that narrowly missed the four-team Midwest Conference championships last fall. The Scots posted a 7-8-1 mark (4-4-1 in the MWC), and with veteran leadership and five players in the fold who had earned all-conference honors at some point in their career, Monmouth’s glass was way more than half full.

Well, there’s still plenty of liquid in that glass, but it lost a little of its contents over the summer when Carthew learned that three of the team’s 11 starters – All-MWC forward Steve Gray, All-MWC stopper Brian Ranallo, midfielder Chad Hopkins and fullback Nick Balfanz – would not be back this fall for a variety of reasons.

"The enthusiasm is really there right now," said Carthew, whose team opens play Saturday at 1 p.m. at Peacock Memorial Athletic Park against Cornell College. "The atmosphere is great and the kids work hard every night. If anything’s going to hurt us, it’s the players that didn’t come back."

That increases the pressure on Carthew’s recruits, particularly a pair of sophomore transfers from Lincoln Community College – Alex Sandoval and Ortez Davis.

It also means that star center midfielder Mark Allen might need to shine just a little brighter this season. The Sherrard product recorded a stellar freshman season, scoring 25 points on 12 goals and an assist. He looked much closer to a senior captain than a rookie, and Carthew has said he could be one of the best players to come through Monmouth in some time.
"He wants to win all the time," said the coach, who has compiled a 72-75-12 record in 10 seasons at Monmouth. "He totally gives his body every game."

Allen was a second team All-MWC choice last year, and other players who have received recognition from the conference include senior defender Jeff Samp (Schiller Park, IL/East Leyden) and junior forward Zach Hampson (Carbondale, IL/HS).

"I’m expecting a big season from Zach," said Carthew. "His injuries are behind him, and Davis was his best buddy from high school."

Hampson had a team-high 12 points as a freshman but just eight a year ago. He’ll be joined on the front line by senior Ryan Schlegel (St. Charles, IL/Central), who’s "really come on," according to Carthew. Schlegel produced nine points last fall, trailing only Allen and Gray (11).

In the midfield, Sandoval (East Moline, IL) will be a key. He’ll also play the center spot, and Carthew, who’s still experimenting with various formations for the squad, thinks sophomores Jon Williamson (LeRoy, IL/HS) and Rob Williams (Batavia, IL/Marmion Military Academy) and seniors Andrew Zimmerman (Darien, IL/Hinsdale South) will fight for the outside spots.

Defensively, Samp, "our main man to organize the defense," will play sweeper and Davis, who hails from Murphysboro, is the stopper. Seniors Rob Smith (Lake Villa, IL/Antioch) and Justin Murray (Hawthorn Woods, IL/Lake Zurich) should grab starting fullback spots.

Between the posts is solid senior Joel Cowan. Although the Alton product has never earned official league recognition, he’s been a major contributor to the Scots since his freshman season and is "looking really good" in the preseason.

Rounding out the squad are senior Jeff Sidell (Morton, IL/HS), sophomores David Gray (Princeton, IL/HS), Jason Ziems (Lowell, IL/Manteno) and Jon Stevens (McHenry, IL/HS), freshmen Adam Raabe (Crystal Lake, IL/Prairie Ridge), Patrick Burke (Westchester, IL/Nazareth Academy) and Markus Knaub (New Baden, IL/Mater Dei) and sophomore reserve goalkeeper Matt Hoag (Batavia, IL/HS). Hoag pitched a shutout last year against Lawrence in a relief role.

"The playoffs are there for us if we play to our potential," said Carthew. "We can be close at the end."

The conference coaches picked Lake Forest as the favorite, with Ripon, Grinnell and Beloit having the best chance to also reach the playoffs. Monmouth is picked sixth, ahead of Carroll, Knox, Lawrence and Illinois College. Ripon might have been the pick had they not lost MWC Player of the Year Brian Bale for the season due to a severe foot injury.

"He’s a great player, a tremendous player, and I’m sure he’ll be sadly missed," Carthew empathized. "Even without him, they have a strong, strong, squad."

Carthew is tuned into the Ripon program and would like the Scots to reach the success level of the Red Hawks, who own four straight MWC titles.

"The sky’s the limit for us," he said. "We’ve got the field, which is one of the top fields in Division III and is better than some of the Division I fields I’ve seen. We’ve just got to recruit and look at quality kids. I think we’ve done that with the two kids from Lincoln, but we’ll need more help after this year because we lose eight seniors."