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New coach, players give MC men’s
soccer a new look
Release Date: August 30, 2006
MONMOUTH, Ill. — In his last
coaching position, George Perry was assigned to resurrect a Rockford
College men’s soccer program that had been out of action for several
years. He essentially had to start the team over from scratch.
Perry’s charge at Monmouth College should not be nearly as daunting.
Although hired later in the off-season than would be ideal, the
veteran coach starts his first Fighting Scot campaign with a roster
of 27 players, including two All-Midwest Conference selections, four
other regulars and some very talented recruits.
“It’s gone extremely well so far,” said Perry, who has served as
head coach at Rochester, St. Bonaventure and Wabash for a total of
17 seasons. “Our returning players have done a great job of making
sure that all the players are getting along and that the new players
feel welcome. This has been a fun group to work with.”
Leading the returning scorers are junior Trevor Neff (six goals, 12
points) and senior Sam Beciri (four goals, three assists, 11
points). Neff was an All-MWC selection, and so was junior midfielder
Brandon Stacey (four goals, one assist, nine points).
“Sam is very good on the ball and makes good decisions,” said Perry,
whose soccer credentials also include work with Olympic Development
Programs and with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America
(NSCAA). “Brandon brings a lot of speed and can run all day, and
Trevor is a good offensive player who sees the game well.”
Another returning starter, senior Brad “Sunny” Hofmann, has played
all but 16 minutes in goal for the Scots over the past two seasons.
“I believe in being very organized defensively, and being organized
from the back forward,” said Perry. “It all starts with the
goalkeeper. Brad had some moments of brilliance last season, and
we’ve seen some more of that already in the preseason.”
Also back are two defenders – senior Brian Blanas and sophomore Josh
Graeber – who helped Hofmann allow two goals or less in 12 of
Monmouth’s 16 contests. The Scots finished with a 6-7-3 record and
were sixth in the MWC at 3-4-2.
Senior Tom George and sophomore Matthew Montgomery will challenge
for starting spots after both earned varsity letters in a reserve
role last fall. Perry said St. George will make the switch to
offense this year, while Montgomery will play in the back half of
the field when he returns from injury. Other returners in the mix
are junior Robert Ruglio and sophomores Chris Anderson, Drew
Leschman and Dustin Looney.
Perry only had a month or two to work on Monmouth’s 2006 recruiting
class, but he did land several strong players, including Patrick
Blazer (Chicago St. Patrick), Zach Nasti (Batavia), Patrick
Mundschenk (Lake Zurich), Sean Geiger (Woodbridge North) and the
Princeton duo of Jeremy Doze and Bryan Jackson.
“Patrick Blazer is a strong player and a very smart player,” said
Perry of the former IHSSCA All-Sectional pick. “Zach Nasti will play
forward or attacking mid for us. He’s comfortable around the goal
and we hope he’ll be able to find the net for us.”
Perry said Doze has speed similar to Stacey and will see lots of
time on the left side of the field. Jackson and Mundschenk are part
of the picture on defense, while Geiger, a former hockey player, is
making the adjustment from ice to grass and will be used in the
midfield.
Freshman goalies Owen Robinson and Joe Schwinger have looked good
and will be able to spell Hofmann and possibly decrease the 1,484
minutes he played between the posts last fall.
Rounding out the freshman class are defenders Chris Nyweide
(Bloomington), John Quade (DeKalb), Nick Jacobs (Schaumburg) and
Jake Schemerhorn (Bloomington). Upperclassmen who are new to the
team include defenders Dan Schroeder, Billy Donahue and Wade Brown.
For Perry’s team to succeed in the Midwest Conference, the Scots
will have to do well on the road. They play at Lawrence and St.
Norbert, the league’s runner-up and champion, respectively, on Oct.
7-8, and they also visit one of the league’s other four playoff
squads, Lake Forest, on Oct. 21.
Monmouth held its own against the other playoff team, tying Ripon
2-2. The Scots will host the Red Hawks in the final game of the
regular season on Oct. 29.
Officially, the Scots were picked to finish eighth in the MWC, but
Perry is okay with that.
“We’re happy to be in the bottom end of the poll. We hope to sneak
up a little on some teams. Of course, you don’t talk about it, you
have to do it. We can only worry about what we can control, and
that’s our effort, attitude and intensity.”
Monmouth opens its season with back-to-back games in Iowa this
weekend. The Scots will play at Cornell on Saturday and will meet
Mt. Mercy on Sunday.
Men's Soccer
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