Rhode Island major rebuilding
Rhode Island - The Rams are looking at a major overall in 2008. Rhode Island is always a fashionable favorite to contend for the Atlantic 10 title, but it’s not often that the Rams have so many replacements to contend with on both sides of the ball. John O’Connor will enter his third season as the head coach at Rhode Island counting on a youth movement of sorts to get back into the thick of things.
Getting things going at full speed might take a while given the learning curve that exists due to the graduation of a nine member senior class that included five All-Atlantic 10 selections and four NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region players. The Rams also will be without former assistant coach Gareth Elliott who accepted the head coaching job at Siena in the MAAC. Elliott, who also had a stellar playing career at Rhode Island, severed in the capacity of assistant coach for five years.
The departure of forward Lukasz Tumicz who was a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection and a First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honoree will leave a noticeable gap in the Rhode Island attack. Tumicz led the A-10 in point production in 2007 with 27 points coming from a conference best 12 goals and 3 assists.
The Ram midfield will be without Geoffrey Cameron who was named the 2007 Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year, Danleigh Borman (1g, 7a) who was an A-10 Second Team selection last year and a four- year starter, and David Badecki (0g, 3a) who was a four-year starter.
The Rhode Island defense also takes a major hit due to the loss of Adam Howarth who was a 2007 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection and four year starter, Callum Bissett who was a 2007 Second Team All-Atlantic Team selection and four year starter, and Kevin Algozer who was a three year starter.
Last year the Rams were 9-8-2 overall with a 7-1-1 mark in league play. The relatively unimpressive overall record reflects a 2-6-0 record in the month of September that included matches with nationally ranked Harvard, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Brown on the road. Rhode Island has a slightly more user friendly schedule in September of 2008 against non-conference opposition which is a good thing for a team in a rebuilding mode. Look for O’Connor’s squad to improve as the season progresses but the bottom line is that they likely lack the experience and depth to make a strong run for the A-10 title and may be hard pressed to earn a spot in the six team A-10 Championship Tournament.
Offensive productivity is clearly among the key unanswered questions facing Rhode Island as they head into the season. Senior Kedan Crosby (3g, 2a) is among the returning forwards who O’Connor will look to as a remedy for the offensive weaponry lost due to the departure of Tumicz. Sophomores Matt Preyss and Jonathan Periera are among other returning players up-top. Redshirt sophomore Andres Ruiz (1g, 1a) is among the more seasoned returning midfielders. Ruiz saw action in eithteen contests last year including ten starts. Sophomore Greg Balicki (2g, 0a) should step into a starting role in the midfield in 2008 along with senior Kevin Hamill (0g, 1a) who might also play in the back.
Chris Pennock enters his junior season in goal for the Rams with two years of starting experience under his belt. Last year Pennock notched five shutouts and recorded a 1.24 goals against average. Pennock will face the challenge and pressure of adjusting behind a defensive back line that is without three veteran starters. Junior Dominic Petrarca (1g, 1a), who has been a starter for the past two seasons, returns to add some experience and stability to the Rhode Island backline. Sophomores Michael Tanka and Dwayne Williams are among other returning players who should be in the hunt for more playing time in the back in 2008.
O’Connor has announced the addition of a nine member recruiting class that includes six freshmen and three transfer students. O’Connor stated, “We’re very excited to have an experienced and versatile group of players coming to campus.” He added, “This class has big shoes to fill - with the loss of last years’ class - but I’m confident they will make great additions to an already wonderful Rhode Island soccer family.”
Midfielder Gary Crooks is from Falkirk, Scotland and is a junior transfer from Louisburg College where he was an NSCAA Junior College First Team All-American and team captain. Crooks is among the new additions who should challenge for a starting role and should make an immediate impact. Midfielder Josh Gonsalves is from Markham, Ontario out of St. Augustine High School and the Winstars Soccer Academy. Gonsalves was a member of the Ontario Regional Team. Defender Eric Hutson is from St. Charles, Missouri out of Francis Howell North High School where he was an All-State First Team selection. He played club soccer for Lou Fusz Soccer Club. Defender Franco LoPresti is from Whitby, Ontario out of Father Leo J. Austin High School and the Winstars Soccer Academy. He was a member of the Canadian National Training Centre and Team Ontario. Midfielder Reece Markman is from Dallas, Texas out of J.J. Pearce High School where he was an All-District selection. Markman played for Andromeda Soccer Club Defender Ryan McCormick is from Cranston, Rhode Island and is a redshirt sophomore transfer from Syracuse University where he played in 13 contests last year with 3 starts. He played club soccer for the Mid-State United Soccer Club and was a member of the Region I ODP team. McCormick played for the Rhode Island Stingrays of the USL PDL. Forward Erkko Puranen is from Visitasaari, Finland out of Voionmaan Sports High School. He was voted the top U-17 player in Central Finland. Puranen may very well be the wild card among the new recruits with the potential to make an immediate contribution to the Rhode Island attack. Midfielder Kevin Shaw is a junior transfer from the University of Hartford where he was a starter for two years as a defensive midfielder. Shaw is from Denny Sterlingshire, Scotland. Shaw should compete for a starting position right away. Defender Cody Zane is from Freedom, Maine out of North Yarmouth Academy where he was an All-County, All-Conference and All-State selection. He was a member of the Maine ODP team and a Region I ODP pool player.
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