2011 William Penn Men’s Soccer Preview

William Penn University Athletics

2010 record: 8-9-1 (3-5 MCC, 7th)
Starters returning/lost: 5/6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 11/9

Notable returners:
Frankie Sullivan So. Essex, England
(Honorable-mention all-MCC, 1 assist)
Steve Olson Sr. Cedar Rapids
(2010 starter)
Daniel Beseau So. Florissant, Mo.
(4 goals, 2 assists)
Mark Dryden So. Arbroath, Scotland
(3 goals, 2 assists)

Notable losses:
Tadeo Cavazos
(Honorable-mention all-MCC, four-year starter)
Nick Gorrie
(2010 starter)
Tim Eyer
(Four-year starter)

Notable newcomers:
Joshua Jacobs Fr. Luton, England
Paul Kerr So. Letham, Scotland

A youthful Statesmen soccer squads hits the pitch this fall as William Penn seeks to become a league contender in 2011.

The Statesmen, who were 8-9-1 last year (3-5 Midwest Collegiate Conference) have a chip on their collective shoulder after finishing 2010 below expectations. The team was strong in close games, going 6-3 in one-goal contests, but that did not propel it into the league’s upper echelon.

“2010 was a tough year,” Rushing said. “We had a lot of young guys getting to play for the first time at the college level. We lost several close games, which with more experience, may have gone the other direction.”

A concerted effort of him and his staff to add experienced talent gives sixth-year coach Kevin Rushing hope that this fall will bring the program improved success.

In spite of losing two all-conference performers in goalkeeper Tadeo Cavazos and Nick Gorrie, Rushing is excited to return his other all-MCC selection Frankie Sullivan (So., Essex, England, Shenfield HS) and projects him to be a great leader in just his second year.

Fellow sophomores Daniel Beseau (Florissant, Mo., Timberland HS) and Mark Dryden (Arbroath, Scotland, Arbroath HS), both in the midfield, and Sam Gurski (Beaumont, Texas, West Brook HS), at goalkeeper, will also be pressured to lead as underclassmen.

“This is going to be another young team as we have 19 underclassmen with only three seniors,” Rushing said. “The difference between this team and last year’s is that most of the guys who were freshmen last year saw a lot if minutes and gained loads of experience on the pitch.”

Forward

Gorrie’s absence removes a team-best 11 goals from last year, but Rushing is confident that with some additions and lineup changes, William Penn should still find the back of the net frequently.

Brendan Johnson (So., Clinton, Clinton HS) is the lone returner up top and will battle for time with newcomers David Cosgrove (Fr., Glasgow, Scotland), Jeff Kelly (Jr., Ottumwa, Indian Hills CC), and Austin Ryan (Fr., Parkersburg, Aplington-Parkersburg HS).

Angelo Kelly (Fr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) will learn the system in a redshirt campaign.

Midfielder

A little light in the front, William Penn will rely on its midfield depth, led by Beseau and Dryden, to provide a spark.

Beseau leads all returners with four goals in 2010, while Dryden was on his heels with three scores.

Returners Brandon Nicholson (Jr., Cedar Falls, Cedar Falls HS), Tyler Mather (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa Western CC), Jordan Hoffman (So., Hyde Park, Utah, Skyview HS), David Martinez (Fr., Dallas, Texas, Hillcrest HS), Byron Munguia (Sr., Baytown, Texas, Lee HS), and Guanrong Luo (Jr., Jiang Men, China, Guang Zhou University) will add much-needed experience as the Statesmen look to control the ball.

“I am excited to see what will happen in the battle for the midfield positions this fall,” Rushing said. “We have a lot of quality guys to choose from.”

Newcomers Paul Kerr (So., Letham, Scotland, Lindenwood), Trevor Neary (Fr., Des Moines, Roosevelt HS), and Idris Yussuf (Fr., Memphis, Tenn., Kingsbury HS) should battle for time as well.

It is extremely likely, that with so many talented individuals vying for spots in the midfield, that Rushing will move some of them to forward positions.

Defender

While Sullivan has the league accolade from 2010, Steve Olson (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Linn-Mar HS) provides William Penn with the most experience in the backfield as he enters his fourth and final season (fifth actually, including his 2007 redshirt year).

“I am excited about Frankie and Steve leading our backline,” Rushing said. “They not only bring leadership, but passion for the game as well.”

Tom Hogan (Sr., East Moline, Ill., Iowa Central CC) will complement the duo after starting numerous contests in 2010.

Returners Tim McHawes (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), Aaron Rose (Jr., Ottumwa, Indian Hills CC), and Rodney Burns-Dalton (Fr., St. Louis, Mo., Ritenour HS), a redshirt last season, will face off with newbies Ed Radley (Fr., Woodham, England, Sandon HS), Jason Batek (Fr., Chillicothe, Ill., Illinois Valley Central HS), Antony Becker (Jr., El Paso, Texas, El Paso CC), and Joshua Jacobs (Fr., Luton, England, Potteridge HS) for time on the turf.

“We spent a lot of time recruiting backline players during the offseason,” Rushing said. “I think we will have a very strong group in the back with productive starters and comparable guys coming off the bench.”

Goalkeeper

Gurski has been chomping on the bit since joining the squad in the fall of 2009 and now is his time to shine between the pipes.

The redshirt sophomore won two games last fall.

Mason Bandy (Fr., Calgary, Alberta, St. Francis HS) and Uzair Dadabhoy (Fr., Clinton, Clinton HS) add depth at goalkeeper and may get a chance to develop their skills in some varsity competitions.

Schedule

William Penn begins 2011 with a trip to Nebraska to face Concordia on August 27. The team then goes the opposite direction the following weekend to play in the Calumet-St. Joseph Tournament in Indiana. A stretch of six consecutive home games in September, including matchups with the past two MCC champs Ashford and Grand View, highlights the slate.

“The schedule will be in our favor for the first part of the year with us playing so much at home,” Rushing said. “We have a goal of entering the conference schedule undefeated and with a full head of steam.”

Conference

The aforementioned duo of Ashford and Grand View are expected to be the two frontrunners, while William Penn hopes to figure into the contending list alongside Mount Mercy, Clarke, St. Ambrose, and Viterbo.

“Our conference is getting more and more competitive every year,” Rushing said. “I think the gap between the top one or two teams and the rest of the MCC is tightening up. For the most part, on any given night, any school could come out on top.”

“I am ready for August 27th to get here so we can get this season underway,” Rushing said. “It should really help us to have two scrimmages before the season to work out some of the kinks, build chemistry, and get a feel for what our team in really going to look like.”

“As a staff and a team, we are not going to settle for anything but the best this year,” Rushing concluded. “Our goal is winning the conference regular season and the conference tournament and making our first trip to nationals!!”