Sept. 2, 2010

Twenty-nine wins, two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and one Centennial Conference title in two seasons. Not a bad resume for head coach Craig Appleby, who is entering his third season at the helm of the Johns Hopkins men’s soccer program. With two years inside Appleby’s system and a talented recruiting class, the 2010 Blue Jays are poised to take that next step.

“We have our main core of players back and we’ve added a lot of young talent,” noted Appleby. “Now it’s our job to mold those two and use them effectively.” After claiming their record eighth Centennial Conference title in 2009, the Blue Jays topped the 2010 Centennial Conference Coaches Preseason Poll and are ranked 10th in the NSCAA Coaches Poll.

“It’s very enjoyable to coach this group,” Appleby said. “The team knows more what to expect from me and what I want them to do. There is more of a feeling of who we are, what it is we want to do and what we need to do to accomplish our goals.” Seniors Kevin Hueber and Evan Kleinberg and junior Corey Adams will captain the Blue Jays this season. Hueber and Adams shared captain duties last year and guided the team to a 16-4-3 record, the Centennial Conference title and the NCAA Sweet 16.

Forwards
Returning to lead the attack this season is All-American Scott Bukoski, who has led the Blue Jays and the Centennial Conference in goals and points in each of his first three seasons. Bukoski scored 15 goals last season to bring his career total to 44, tying him for fifth in school history. After tallying 11 assists in his first two seasons, he had just one in 2009 and is looking to dish out more in his final season.

Joining Bukoski up top this season with be junior Sean Coleman, who transferred from the University of New Hampshire, along with sophomore Jun Park and freshman Birin Padam. At 6’3”, Coleman brings size and speed to the striker position and complements Bukoski greatly. Park saw action in 15 games in his rookie season, with one assist, and has made great strides since the end of last season.

“We need to be more efficient on attack this season,” Appleby commented. “If we can do that, we can be very dangerous offensively.”

Midfield
Three starters in seniors Evan Kleinberg and Chris Wilson, along with junior Tony Gass return in the midfield for Appleby. Hopkins will have to replace Max Venker, a four-year starter in the midfield and a Second Team All-Centennial selection last season. Venker will be on the sidelines this season as an assistant coach while he pursues his master’s degree.

Kleinberg earned First Team All-Centennial Conference and NSCAA All-Region honors last season after ranking second on the team in goals (5), assists (4) and points (14). He improved tremendously as the season moved along last year and with his remarkable speed, has the potential to be a very dangerous attacker. Wilson posted career high numbers in goals (3), assists (5) and points (11) last season from his outside mid position and along with Kleinberg, will figure heavily into the Blue Jays’ attack in 2010. Gass started 20 games at center mid last season in his first year as a starter.

Sophomore Brandon Sumpio has really stepped up his game in the offseason and should see alot of time at the outside mid position. He played in 18 games last season, starting five, and scored two goals.

There has been quite a competition this preseason to fill the role left vacant by Venker’s graduation, with junior Sean Duggan and freshmen Danny Reategui, Gus Ingaglio, Thomas Mourmouras and Pat Lawson all looking to take over the role. Duggan started seven games last season, scoring one goal and adding an assist. Also competing for time in the midfield this season are junior Derek McAbee and freshman Alvin Onyewuenyi.

Freshmen Sam Glassman and Drake Fisher will see time at both the outside mid and forward positions this season.

Defense
The Blue Jays return one of the most experienced defenses in the conference, as three of their four starters from last season - Hueber, Adams and junior Drew Holland - are all back. The trio has played together for the last two seasons and their continuity in the back will be a key to Hopkins’ success this year. In the last two years, Hueber, Adams and Holland have led a defense that has allowed just 0.455 goals per game and posted five shutouts in six NCAA Tournament games. Hueber was a First Team All-Centennial pick last season, while Adams was named to the second team for the second consecutive year.

The question on defense is who will fill the shoes left by the graduation of three-year starter Nate Wysk at the left back position. Competing for that spot are sophomore Taylor Woodrum and freshman Zach Carter. Woodrum played in 21 games as a rookie and started seven at left back, while Carter has impressed the coaching staff during preseason. Also competing for playing time in the back will be sophomore Nick White and freshman Chris Douglas. White played in 19 games with seven starts and saw time both in the back and up top last season.

Goalies
Senior Ravi Gill returns after playing more than 2,100 minutes in goal last season and posting a 0.59 goals against average and a .863 save percentage with 12 shutouts. He led the Centennial Conference in all three categories and went on to earn NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic honors. In addition, his 12 shutouts were just two shy of the school and conference single-season record. Challenging Gill will be freshmen John Belanger and Noah Guiberson. Both are big, athletic keepers and give the Blue Jays more depth at the position than they have had in recent years.

HopkinsSports.com Men's Soccer

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