ROCK HILL, SC-- Coming off one of the most exciting season's in the program's 38 years, the Winthrop men's soccer team looks to build on last year's success heading into 2013. There are a number of new faces, but the team returns a strong core of players that includes seven starters.
It will be tough to top the run the Eagles made at the NCAA College Cup, advancing to the Round of 32 for the first time in school history and becoming just the second program in the Big South Conference to do so. Winthrop won several games with late goals and were a bit inconsistent in the first half of the 2012 season before suffering a 5-2 loss at Campbell. That seemed to be the point where the Eagles turned things around and had players returning from injury. After allowing the five goals in a single-game, Winthrop allowed just five goals in the next six games. That streak started with a 1-0 loss at 10th-ranked Coastal Carolina, which was featured the nation's third best offense at the time. Over its final 11 games of the season, Winthrop allowed just 15 goals with five of them coming in the final contest at 17th-ranked Louisville.
Head coach Rich Posipanko, in his 25th season at Winthrop, believes the team will build off the momentum of last year and be better offensively and defensively. "We'll score more goals for sure this year and I believe we won't allow nearly as many as last year."
Defensively the team should be stronger as the inexperienced group of freshmen defenders are well seasoned after just one season. Freshmen Jordi Lluch and Kyle Kennedy were the mainstay at central defense and Walker Johnson started 12 games in the back. Posipanko and his staff brought in strong players to fill the holes defensively and the team will have much more depth at the position this season as well.
Offensively the team is loaded with talented players going forward, but like any other season, players will have to become accustomed to each other and build chemistry.
This year's squad will feature four seniors and a total of 10 upperclassmen while there are nine freshmen on the team and 19 total underclassmen.
MINDING THE NET
Winthrop will have several new faces battling for the opportunity to protect the Eagles net this season as every goalie on the roster from 2012 is gone.
A lot of credit for the success at the end of the season last year goes the departed Enrique Miranda, who was very solid for the Eagles after taking over the starting role. Â
Despite the inexperience at the NCAA Division I level that the newcomers have, Posipanko isn't too concerned as he feels the new keepers are more than capable of performing at a high level.
Of the five new goalkeepers, Guilherme Avelar from Sao Paulo, Brazil has the most experience. Avelar transferred from Peninsula Junior College in Washington State where he recorded 11 shutouts in 19 games in 2012. He is the favorite to be the starter when the season begins on Aug. 30.
Sophomore Fabian Broich transferred from North Carolina Wesleyan College where he was 2-0-3 with three shutouts. He's been injured in preseason, but healthy he could push for the starting role.
Heading into the season most likely as the back-up is Hector Fernandez out of Weston, FL where he was a standout in helping his high school team to back-to-back state titles. Freshman Kevin Duncan adds quality depth to the position and will compete for playing time. Freshman Grahama Matalik is going to redshirt.
This position will still be a question mark until the seasons is underway.
BACK LINE
This is a position that will be considered a strength of the 2013 squad with both starting central defenders returning (Lluch, Kennedy) and some experience at outside back (Johnson). Josh Choice missed most of last season and is a redshirt junior that has experience in the back after playing in 12 games in 2011.
One of the top additions to the defense is junior Jon Simic, who transferred from Paradise Calley Community College, as the 6-3, 183 lb back can play inside and outside. Freshman Pietro Bottari has a chance to be a starter at outside back. Also vying for a spot in the back is redshirt junior Nick Nova and sophomore C.J. Miller, who saw action in 10 games off the bench last season. Posipanko said midfielder Cody Winter, also new to the roster this season, has the ability to drop back and play wide as he would bring the element of an attacking outside back.
Junior Sean Comer has seen time in the back during his career and could add depth to the position if needed.
As mentioned above, the defense only allowed 15 goals over the final 11 games last season and five of them in the final game. On the season the Eagles allowed 1.78 goals per game and expect that number to improve tremendously. To be fair, the Eagles faced five teams in the Top 20 of scoring last season, nine teams in the Top 70 and 11 teams in the Top 100.
MIDFIELD
One of the strengths of the team will be at the midfield position as Posipanko will endure a problem most coaches would like to have which is finding enough playing time for all the quality midfielders.
Returning at his defensive midfield position is sophomore Magnus Thorsson, who was a 2012 Big South All-Freshmen Team selection and the runner-up in voting for the 2013 Big South Defensive Player of the Year. Thorsson is a strong, tough defensive player that is good in the air as well as possessing good skill.
Also returning is senior Adam Brundle, who finished the 2012 season with two goals and three assists in 18 games played. Brundle is a hard working midfielder that does a good job defending as well as creating scoring chances going forward.
Joining Brundle and Thorsson in the middle of the field will be junior Pol Sole as he fills the role departed by Alex Isern. Sole hails from San Joan Despi, Spain and brings good size at 6-0, 180lb. Posipanko says Sole has been very impressive in the preseason and believes he could be one of the better players in the league. Sole works hard and his strengths are distribution and finishing.
The heaviest competition outside of goalkeeping may take place at the outside midfield spot as sophomore Patrick Barnes returns after starting 20 of the 21 games in which he played hoping to secure one spot. There are several other players pushing for a starting role as well as playing time. Junior Cody Winter is a favorite to win one of the outside mid spots. Winter transferred from Lincoln Community College and has played well in the preseason. Posipanko said he is extremely fit and strong going forward.
Midfielders returning from the 2012 team include senior Adriano Negri and sophomore Max Davidson. Negri saw a good bit of time last season (19 games) and adds quality depth should he not be in a starting role. Davidson is an outside midfielder that works very hard.
Senior Mason Lavallet has bounced between midfield and forward but is likely to see most of his time up top. Lavallet was third on the team in scoring last season with seven goals and two assists. He had two game-winners in the Big South Conference Tournament.
Freshmen James Skonicki also has the ability to start or earn significant playing time. Skonicki brings good size (6-2, 180lb) and skill to the midfield. Freshman Nate Torbett, who joined the team last January, will also have a chance to earn time in the middle..
FORWARD
The top returning forward for the Eagles is senior Achille Obougou, who was second on the team in scoring in 2012 with seven goals and three assists. Of his seven goals, three were game-winners. Obougou brings great size up top with his 6-5, 195lb frame.
Who will join Obougou in the attacking third is up in the air, but there is a pool of good candidates. Lavallet is a possibility if he's not playing midfield. In the exhibition match at USC Upstate, Lavallet tallied a hat trick.
The next three candidates are all freshmen. Charles-Karim Hunte, Max Hasenstab and Jose Mencia all bring different aspects to the position but are known for their goal scoring ability. Hunte has good speed and works hard. Hasenstab impressed Posipanko in the preseason with his speed, strength and ability to finish. Mencia has good technical skills and is very good on set pieces. Posipanko thinks he has the ability to earn time, but his playing time will depend on his fitness level.
MILESTONES
Over the years the Winthrop men's soccer program has enjoyed success and even more over the past 11 years with five trips to the NCAA College Cup. During the 38 years of the program, the team has enjoyed 10 or more wins in a single-season 23 times with the most coming in 1984 with 18.
The program has averaged 10.3 wins per season and is now approaching 400 all-time. The Eagles are 10 wins away from that mark, which could be reached this season. Winthrop has an all-time record of 390-333-47.
Posipanko would be happy to achieve that mark this season and thanks all of the players, coaches, administrators and fans that have contributed over the years to put the program in this position.
Posipanko is in search of his own milestone as he's now just 10 victories shy of 250 as coach of the Eagles. He currently has 357 wins all-time (ranked 8th among active coaches).
SCHEDULE
This season's schedule isn't quite as tough as the 2012 slate, but still boasts a strong list of nationally ranked and regionally ranked teams from 2012.
Fans won't really get a feel of this year's team until mid-to-late September as the Eagles don't have their home opener until Sept. 19 against Brevard College. Winthrop will have just one home game before Oct. 1.
Winthrop opens up in Statesboro, GA at the Big South/Southern Challenge as it faces the host school Georgia Southern in its season opener and will then face Wofford College as well.
Over the next week the Eagles will have just one contest as they travel to Johnson City, TN to take on East Tennessee State on Monday, Sept. 9. The weekend of Sept. 13-15 the Eagles travel to Macon, GA to take on Mercer and Stetson before finally returning to Rock Hill on Sept. 19 for their home opener.
After the home opener, Winthrop heads to UNC Greensboro on Sept. 25 before opening up its Big South Conference slate at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA on Sept. 28. It will be the first time the Eagles have opened up league play against VMI.
The Eagles will finish up their non-conference schedule on Oct. 1 at home against College of Charleston and then will face conference foes the remaining nine games.
The game against the Cougars starts what is likely to be the toughest stretch of the season in which the Eagles play Campbell (Oct. 8, Rock Hill, SC), Liberty (Oct. 12, Lynchburg, VA), Coastal Carolina (Oct. 16, Rock Hill, SC) and High Point (Oct. 19, High Point, NC).
The remaining home games for Winthrop will be Presbyterian College (Oct. 23), Radford (Nov. 2) and UNC Asheville (Nov. 6). The road contests will be Longwood (Oct. 26) and Gardner-Webb (Oct. 30).
The conference tournament will return to Bryan Park in Greensboro, NC for the semi-finals and finals while the opening four games will be played at the highest seeds home field.
