USD Men's Soccer 2002

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2002 Season Outlook

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Experienced Toreros Ready For More Success In 2002 The past 200 I season was once again ex tremely successful for head coach Seamus McFadden and the USO men's soccer team as they finished 12-4- 1 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The good news for the 2002 season is Torero fa ns should expect a good dose of the same success, and hopefully more. McFadden returns nine starters and nineteen players from that squad , and the 2002 roster will boast fourteen upperclassmen - 8 sen iors and 6 juniors. McFadden and hi s staff pride themselves on recruiting pl ayers that fill roles and play together well as a team. On paper, the 2002 squad could be hi s best yet in th at department. Senior forward Ryan Coiner (Ali so Viejo, CA) returns for hi s senior year after earning First Team All-Far West Region honors a year ago. For the second straight year he led the Toreros in scoring, finishing with 12 goals and 27 points. He enters the 2002 campaign with career totals of 35 goals and 82 points. A trio of 2002 captains - senior forward Sy Reeves (Ellensburg, WA), senior

2002 Torero Seniors sweeper Garrett Turk (Laguna Nigel, CA) and junior midfielder Scott Burcar (Tacoma, WA) - provide the Toreros with leadership both on and off the field. All three players were selected 2nd Team All-WCC a year ago. Reeves is in hi s third year of captain duties, and last year was named the team's Offensive Pl ayer of the Year after leading the team with 6 assists, and fini shing second with 12 points. Turk has made a name for himself as one of the top defenders on the west coast, and last year was recogni zed as a 3rd Team All-Far West Region pick. Burcar, the team's 200 I Defensive Player of the Year, shores up the middle of the field where last season he tallied 3 goals (two game-winners) and 3 assists for 9 points. Bes ides the aforementioned returners, USD's experience and depth will be solid due to the return of five other starters from the 200 l squad - senior defender Aaron Tubbs (Encinitas, CA), junior defender Kellen Hiroto (Ri verside, CA), junior MF Matt McCausland (San Diego, CA), junior MF Eric Wunderle (Poway, CA) and junior MF/D Alex Romagnolo (South Lake Tahoe, CA). Last year Wunderle netted 5 goals and tallied 12 points, while McCausland chipped in with 2 goals and 6 points - both players are expected to improve on those numbers in 2002. Tubbs, Hiroto and Romagnolo have all pl ayed key roles in USD's strong defense the past couple of years that have produced a total of 16 shutouts. Returners back that will see plenty of action thi s season and make their mark on Torero soccer include senior forward Tyler Conley (Golden, CO), who tallied 3 goals and 5 assists last year; junior defender Stephen Adams (Santa Ana, CA); junior defender Noah Manning (Jamul , CA); sophomore forward Scott Martin (San Diego, CA), USD's 200 I Freshman of the Year; sophomore MF Nathan Leboffe (San Diego, CA), and sophomore forward Andrew Ehrich (Poway, CA), who sat out last season due to injuries. The returners are rounded out by sophomore MF Connor Duncan (Redlands, CA), sophomore MF Leonel Ibarra (San Diego, CA), and sophomore defender B.J. Kuula (Bellevue, WA). With the loss of senior goalie Justin Neerhof, last year's co-WCC Defender of the Year, this year's keeper duties will be up for grabs between two seniors - Matt Kessler (Northville, MI), who redshirted last season with USO, and transfer Parker Jarvis (San Juan Capistrano, CA), who played hi s first three years at the University of Denver. Newcomers expected to see action ri ght away for the Toreros include sophomore MF Kevin Wilson (San Clemente, CA), a transfer from the University of Denver; and freshman D/MF Calle Rendahl (Gothenburg, Sweden), who transferred in from St. John's University, but did not play with the Red Storm. Freshmen players expected to redshirt thi s season for the Toreros include MF/F Michael Caso (Newhall, CA), defender Sean Turner (Los Angeles, CA), defender/midfielder Kevin Meissner (San Diego, CA), midfielder/forward Aaron Croutch (Encino, CA) and goalie Lance Friesz (Laguna Niguel, CA). --------------------- Final 2001 West Coast Conference Standings Tu.run Santa Clara*# ~ Overall 5-1-0 12-9-0 0 nce again the Toreros are the league preseason favorites (coaches poll) to win the West Coast Conference. They will have their work cut out for them as five WCC teams a year ago advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

13-5-1 9-5-2 12-4-1 9-7-2 6-11-1

4-1-1 4-1-1 3-2-1 2-3-1 1-5-0 0-6-0

Portland# Gonzaga# San Diego# Loyola Marymount #

USD's nonconfe rence schedule is very tough with matches slated against Alabama-Birmingham, Cal State Fullerton, UCLA, UNLV, and Boston to name a few.

Saint Mary's San Francisco *WCC Champs;

7-10-1 # NCAA Tournament If all the cards fa ll into place, USD's newly-expanded Torero Sta– dium (72-yards wide; 6,000 capacity) should once again be the site for USO and another NCAA Tournament postseason appearance. USD Men's Soccer NCAA Tourney Appearances - 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992, 1990