Perry will get to see how that mix of experience and youth comes together when Monmouth opens its season Saturday with a 3 p.m. match against Eureka at Peacock Park.

So far, the veteran coach likes what he sees.

"I’m very excited about the attitude of every player," said Perry, who has also held head coaching positions at St. Bonaventure, Rochester and Wabash. "The upperclassmen are very enthusiastic about our new players. I couldn’t ask for more from all of them in terms of their work ethic."

Leading the defensive veterans is Bryan Jackson, the lone returning player who saw action in all of the teams’ 16 matches last fall.

"Bryan’s going to be a leader for us in the back," said Perry. "He’s extremely quick to read the game, and he cleans up mistakes really well. He also has a good presence when he moves forward."

Joining Jackson in the center of Perry’s defense will be freshman Joe Howell (St. Louis Kirkwood), a "good strong player" whose height will allow Monmouth to be stronger in the air in the back.

Josh Graeber and Dan Schroeder were other players who helped Monmouth limit opponents to just over two goals per game during last fall’s 5-8-3 campaign. They will challenge for outside defense positions, along with junior Matt Montgomery, sophomore Garrett White and freshman Brendan Wilson (St. Charles East).

In the midfield, the Scots are also set in their central roles, with returning starter Patrick Blazer manning the defensive spot and transfer Danny Davis (Batavia) set to play attacking mid. Blazer had three assists last fall while starting 15 games.

"They’re working very well together," said Perry. "I see them interchanging a lot, and that combination is going to give us a very strong athletic presence in the center of the field."

Spot starter Jeremy Doze and newcomers Lucas Knox (East Moline), Adam Buol (Hononegah) and Daniel Sell (Lakes) will contend for playing time at the outside mid position.

One year removed from an all-conference season, during which he scored a team-high six goals, Trevor Neff continued to provide some offensive sparks last fall. Perry hopes Neff will be able to mesh with veterans Chris Anderson and Joey Schwinger and newcomer Caleb Brondos (Riverside-Brookfield) to improve the Scots’ total of 20 goals from a year ago. Schwinger is also the team’s back-up goalkeeper.

The starter in goal is Owen Robinson, who saw limited action between the posts last fall. Hofmann, who was a three-year starter for the Scots, will remain with the team as an assistant coach, and Jared Appel is also on Perry’s staff.

"Owen’s a very good reactive goalkeeper," said Perry. "He’s not afraid of coming out to challenges. He’s still learning his distance of responsibility, and as we solidify that, he will combine very well with our strong defenders."

Rounding out Perry’s roster are senior Rob Ruglio, sophomore Patrick Mundschenk, freshmen Trevor Rowley (Princeton), Denys Palmer (Naperville Central), Jesse Strakis (Princeton) and Kevin Douglas (Fisher) and foreign exchange students Daniel Jansson (Sweden), Emilio Solis (Costa Rica) and Oran McGeady (Northern Ireland).

Following the Scots’ opener, they’ll have three more home games and a road trip to Coe before opening Midwest Conference action Sept. 18 at Grinnell. Perry believes Monmouth can move up in the league standings from last fall’s eighth-place finish and challenge for a postseason berth.

"The goal is to be in the top four and make the playoffs," he said. "Anything less would be disappointing. If that’s not our goal, then there’s something wrong. I think we’ve got some good challenging games leading up to the start of our conference to help get us ready."

Last year, St. Norbert and Beloit were atop the regular season standings at 8-1, and Carroll and Grinnell also reached the playoffs. The Scots lost by just one goal to three of those teams.

Perry concluded, "It’s been a fun preseason. It’s a real pleasure for me to get the opportunity to come out every day to work with the guys."

With only Neff and Schroeder graduating, and with key central players Blazer, Davis, Jackson and Howell in the fold through at least 2009, Perry should get a real pleasure out of coaching this group for years to come.