Aug. 31, 2009

With the youth of the Red Foxes' roster maturing and returning, the expectations are high for the core personnel of the 2009 men's soccer team. The Red Foxes retain 19 of the 25 members of the 2008 squad, including Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Rookie selections Joe Touloumis (Cranford, N.J.).

Goalkeepers

Joseph Pilla (Watertown, Conn.), a junior transfer from Division II powerhouse Southern Connecticut State, earned a nomination as team captain from his teammates and will lobby the starting position due to his play during the spring. As a sophomore at Southern Connecticut in 2008, Pilla went 2-1-1 with one shutout and a 1.79 goals against average. His strong play in the spring leaves sophomore Scott Kessler (Jericho, N.Y.) - who played over 1,000 minutes in goal for the Red Foxes in 2008 - and senior Tom DeBenedetto (Paramus, N.J.) fighting for the reserve roles according to head coach Matt Viggiano.

Viggiano will not rule out a mid-season switch, depending on performances, as the Red Foxes made use of more than one goalie in each of his two prior seasons as head coach.

"Every spot is an open competition and I always tell my players that," Viggiano said. "The best 11 are going to play."

Defense

George, a sophomore, saw time as a starter on defense in 17 of the Red Foxes' 18 matches in 2008, and was one of only two players to see time in all 18 games. The Southold, N.Y., native's role will shift to that of a midfielder this season as he exchanges roles with sophomore midfielder Desmond Farrelly (Emerson, N.J.) and Confessore. Farrelly played in 14 games on defense during the 2008 season, starting 10, while Confessore spent time as a midfielder, starting 11 contests.

"Troy is very good out of the air and Desmond is our best player out of the air," Viggiano said. "They will be anchoring our defense. They will be our two center backs barring any injuries."

Senior Matt Boyd (Carle Place, N.Y.), named as a captain by his teammates, juniors Nico Mossa (Pelham, N.Y.), Rob Bronski (Trumbull, Conn.) and sophomore Fred Osbourne (Trumbull, Conn.) will also look to contribute on defense this season as well.

Offense

Excluding the departure of Chris Nacca, the Red Foxes offense remains near identical to the 2008 squad. Szabo - who led the Red Foxes with 13 points and six goals in 2008 - returns alongside Witkowski and Touloumis who each recorded four goals and one assist.

"I'm expecting all of our guys to make a huge jump this year," Viggiano said. "Physically, they are confident and they have seen everything in the MAAC now."

Junior Mike McGowan (Oxford, Conn.) and sophomore Tyler DeBari (Farmington, Conn.) and Kevin Brown (Rochester, N.Y.), and junior Jason Nacca (Rochester, N.Y.). McGowan, a captain, and Garger each saw time in 17 games, with Garger notching a goal and assist and McGowan scoring one goal.

Schedule

The Red Foxes have a very difficult schedule this season, facing 2008 NCAA Tournament participants Fairfield and Loyola at home on Oct. 9 and Oct. 23, respectively. Prior to opening their conference slate, the Red Foxes have nine non-conference matches dominated by seven straight road contests in a 25-day span.

"It's going to test our mental toughness and it's going to set us up for MAAC play," Viggiano said. "You have to win games on the road in the MAAC."

The trip begins close to home with a Sept. 8 contest at Army - a match-up the Red Foxes won, 2-1, last season at Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field. Following their visit to West Point, the Red Foxes travel south to face Drexel in Philadelphia, Fordham in the Bronx, and Howard in Washington D.C. Upon their return from a west coast trip to play Oregon State and Seattle University, the Red Foxes travel back to Philadelphia to close non-conference play against LaSalle.

"If we can come out of this seven-game stretch feeling good about ourselves and with a winning record, we are going to have a good year in the MAAC," Viggiano said.

After opening MAAC play by hosting 2008 conference champion Fairfield, the Red Foxes will square off with Iona College on Oct. 11. Marist will face Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., on Oct. 16 and St. Peter's in Jersey City, N.J., just two days later. Following the Loyola match, Rider University visits Poughkeepsie on Oct. 25 before the Red Foxes close out the away portion of their schedule with matches at Canisius and Niagara on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, respectively. For their final regular season match, the Red Foxes will play host to rival Siena College on Nov. 6.

"The conference is going to be wide open," Viggiano said. "Before every game, you have to throw season records out. And with only four teams making the post-season, that is what makes this so stressful."