Aug. 23, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The stage was set last season for Northwestern's men's soccer team to have a breakout year. After all, their 2003 campaign was the first since 1988 that the `Cats finished .500 or better, they returned 10 of 11 starters and had brought in a recruiting class that was primed to contribute.
The result? A record-setting season that earned Northwestern a spot among the top men's soccer programs in the nation. The Wildcats finished as high as No. 20 in national polls, the first time a Northwestern men's soccer program had ever been ranked. With 22 letterwinners and all 11 starters returning, the `Cats undoubtedly have the talent and experience to compete with the nation's best.
"I think that having expectations is a good thing," head coach Tim Lenahan said. "Obviously, we return everyone so the bar is quite high. From another perspective, this will be the first time that other teams will look at us a little differently. Having a veteran group should help us when dealing with those new challenges."
A strong veteran presence is arguably the most significant factor in the team's recent success. Just three years ago, the Wildcats had one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. With a roster boasting 10 seniors and nine juniors, veteran leadership is now one of the team's many strong suits.
One of those leaders is third-year forward Gerardo Alvarez (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy). Alvarez is on pace to become Northwestern's career leader in goals, assists and points by the end of his only his junior season. Alvarez, a collegesoccernews.com all-America preseason selection, has started every game of his collegiate career and is a big reason why the Wildcat offense is a force to be reckoned with.
"Gerardo is our go-to guy and has been since the day he set foot on this campus," Lenahan said. "He is certainly a future professional player and loves the challenge of the big game. Our success really depends on his continued growth as a player. He is the only junior to be captain, so now he is playing with that responsibility as well."
There are also a number of other upperclassman who can make their respective marks on the NU record book by the end of the season. Seniors Eric Brin (Westlake, Calif./Westlake), Kevin Earnest (Lemont, Ill./Lemont), Brad Napper (Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Prep) and junior Brad North (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands) are all within striking distance of the top-10 on the `Cats career points list, with Napper and North only eight and six points shy, respectively.
The offense also was given a boost with the addition of freshman midfielder David Roth (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade College Prep). In his first collegiate season, all Roth did was tie the Big Ten and set the Northwestern single-season assist record with 14. Roth earned Collegesoccernews.com second-team freshman all-America honors, and garnered Big Ten All-Freshman team honors as well.
While NU boasted the 11th-best offense in the nation last season, it was the defense that deserved much of the credit for the Wildcats' stellar season. The `Cats gave up only 27 goals last season, and ranked second in the Big Ten with 1.13 goals against per game. Never satisfied, one of the team's goals heading into the 2005 season is to hold opposing teams under one goal per game. With seniors Sammy Semwangu (Getzville,N.Y./Williamsville North), Adam Sirois (Dover, N.H./Berwick (Maine) Academy) and Jaro Pylypczak (Lombard, Ill./Benet Academy), who has started all 63 matches of his collegiate career, NU will brandish a seasoned, stingy defense. Add junior goalkeeper Justin Pines (Media, Pa./Strath Haven), whose four shutouts rank 10th in the NU record books, and the Wildcats are well on their way to achieving their goal.
The `Cats owned the second-best winning percentage in the Big Ten last year, en route to their first Big Ten Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances. They also delivered perennial powerhouse Indiana its first regular season conference loss in nine years. Lenahan knows his team can play with and beat anyone in college soccer. He knows his team can have an even more successful run this year, but they need to work game by game, focusing on each conference foe.
"Obviously when the two-time defending national champion resides in your conference you have to start there. The difference now is the conference only begins with Indiana. Last year, the Big Ten ranked No. 1 in overall RPI and No. 1 in NCAA Tournament teams. All the teams have a legitimate shot to win the Big Ten and capture an NCAA bid. I hope we are still standing after the battles," Lenahan said.
National preseason polls have Northwestern as high as No. 17. With a plethora of veterans, a solid recruiting class--including Collegesoccernews.com "freshmen to keep an eye on" selection Brian Usinger (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield)--and a dedicated coaching staff, the Wildcats look to have an even more impressive season than last year.
Men's soccer hosts Bradley University at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 23.