Feb. 5, 2003

Who would have thought that after an 0-5 start, the men's soccer team would finish third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), and go to the MAAC tournament for the second time in the last three years? The last time the men's soccer team went to the dance in 2000, they won the tournament, beating out powerhouses Loyola and Fairfield to go on to become MAAC Champions.

Many accredit this turnaround in the team to their head coach, Bobby Herodes. Herodes is in his seventh season as the head coach at Marist, and has posted 55 wins in that time. In addition to his team making the MAAC Tournament, Herodes was also honored this past season by being named Coach of the Year by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Even under Herodes' expertise, the Marist men's soccer team started the season off slowly. One may accredit this to the raw talent they started the season with. Marist fielded a young team this year, out of 24 players, 20 were freshmen or sophomores. The two classes make up for 76 percent of the goals scored this season.

Standouts include freshman forward/midfielder Bruno Machado (Danbury, CT), who was named Co-Rookie of the Year, freshmen midfielder Tomislav Rogic (Boonton, NJ), who earned a place on the MAAC All-Rookie Team, and sophomore midfielder David Musinski (Hicksville, NY.), who was also named to the All-MAAC Second Team.

Machado enjoyed a spectacular freshman year, being an offensive catalyst to the Marist attack. The rookie forward led the team in all three offensive categories this fall, tallying 18 total points. He was tied with senior Joe Crespo (Bolton, CT) for leading the team in assists. Machado scored seven goals, including a game-winner, and assisted on four other goals during the season. He also was named to the All-MAAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team for his efforts this season.

Rogic was a member of the Red Foxes defensive unit this season, playing in all 17 games as he earned MAAC All-Rookie Team honors. He provided the Red Foxes with a pair of shutouts, including a key 2-0 win over MAAC rival St. Peter's on October 18th. He also added to the Marist offense, assisting on a goal during the season.

Musinski earned All-MAAC Second Team honors after playing in 16 of the Red Foxes games this year and adding seven points. He scored three goals this season, with two of them proving to be game-winning goals. Musinski also added an assist during the regular season campaign.

The older and more experienced players also contributed to helping the team advance through the duration of the season and eventually to the MAAC Tournament.

Senior midfielder Joe Crespo also contributed a great boost in the team's morale. He returned to the field this past season with a vengeance after missing the team's first four games due to an ankle injury. He finished the year second on the team with 10 total points on three goals and a team-best four assists. Crespo also ranks seventh all-time at Marist with 63 career points, and is tied for third in program history with 21 career assists.

Senior midfielder Christopher Zitkevitz (Elmer, NJ), who is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) 2002 New York Lottery MAAC All-Academic Team, contributed his time as well as his knowledge of the game to the youthful team. He finished the season tied for third on the team in points, with three goals and one assist. He also scored the game-winning goal in the Red Foxes' 2-0 win over St. Peter's this season.

Thanks to the eagerness of the younger players, and skillfulness of the older players, Marist finished the season going 7-4-1 in their last 12 regular season matches. During that stretch, the Red Foxes limited their opponents to just 17 goals, for an average of 1.42 goals per game. Marist also finished with a 4-4 record at home, going unbeaten in MAAC play at home this season, posting a 4-0 record. In those matches, Marist outscored their opponents 11-4. The Red Foxes finished the season with a record of 7-10-2, and a 6-3 record in MAAC play. Marist clinched a berth in the MAAC Tournament and reached the finals, before falling to two-time defending champion Loyola, 2-1.

From these statistics alone, one can only imagine what the upcoming season will bring. What more magic does Coach Herodes have in his hat? Maybe a MAAC Championship? Who knows? Until next season, we can only ponder what he will bring to the field.