George Washington University Athletics
Men's Soccer Team Prepares for 2004
8/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 30, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC -
Head Coach George Lidster knows its cliché to say he has a young team, but that's exactly what the 2004 Colonials are - young. With 13 newcomers on this year's roster, including 12 freshmen, Lidster will have to lean heavily on the 11 returning letterwinners until the freshmen are ready.
"Our success this season this season is going to depend on how quickly the young players, the freshmen, adapt to Division I soccer," Lidster said.
To help accelerate the learning the process, Lidster will rely on the experience of his two captains, fifth-year senior Trent Wilee and senior Matt Miller to bring the freshmen along. Wilee has started 34-of-43 career games and was part of a defensive unit that recorded three shutouts in 2003. Miller made an impact from his midfield position last season with three assists, and appeared in 19 of GW's 20 matches. Both players were part of the Colonials' run to the 2002 Atlantic 10 Tournament crown, and will be valuable resources for the younger players to learn about what it's like to compete on the collegiate level.
Juniors Andre Chapman and Ben Mortimer also return to GW's defense, as well as sophomore Jeremiah Burke. Burke stepped in as a freshman in 2003 and started 18 games on his way to A-10 All-Rookie Team honors. Junior Trevor Martin is a midfielder, who also could see time in the back. The group will be bolstered by the presence of freshman Matt Davis, who was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Rookie Team, as well as freshmen Dillon Colucci and Steve Vogt.
Positioning that group will fall on the shoulders of junior goalkeeper Derek Biss. Biss started 16 games last year and finished third in the Atlantic 10 in saves per game (5.25). He had a solid spring season, and Lidster would like to see him take on more of leadership role in 2004.
"Derek has improved each year," Lidster said. "He was very quiet his freshman year, but he improved in that area last season and has become much more of a vocal presence on the field."
Biss will be challenged for playing time by two freshmen, Matt Scheer and Greg Yahr. Both players earned all-state accolades in high school and will push Biss for the starting job between the posts.
On offense, the Colonials must work to replace one of the top scorers in school history, Arnar Johannsson. Frank Ambrosio, who is GW's leading returning scorer with 12 points in 2003, will be one of the team's main threats this season. Lidster will also look for junior Steve Brown and sophomore Joseph Siegel to shoulder some of the scoring load. Brown was one of two Colonials to start every match in 2003 and he contributed four assists from his midfield position. Siegel tallied two goals and four assists during his freshman campaign and the coaching staff hopes he will put up similar numbers again this year. Junior Jon Allen also will likely see time up front.
Lidster is excited about the potential of sophomore transfer Arturo Pedroso, who appeared in 15 games at Holy Cross last season and notched one goal. Freshmen Tayssir Azouz and Wade Gerhardt will add depth at the forward position, as will Yahr's high school teammate freshman Thomas Stuber.
Also new to this year's squad are freshmen midfielders Joachim Walker, John Jaszczyszyn, Greg McKay and David McConaghay. All bring tremendous talent and athleticism to the team and will challenge the veterans for playing time.
This year's schedule features contests against some of the top collegiate soccer programs in the Washington, DC area. The Colonials open the year with two matches (vs. Howard and vs. Georgetown) in the DC College Cup, held at American University on Sept. 4 & 6. GW will play four other road matches before opening its home schedule against George Mason on Sept. 25. The 2004 slate also features a home matchup with defending A-10 champion Rhode Island on Oct. 8. In addition to the Rams, the Colonials will host conference foes Massachusetts (Oct. 10), Xavier (Oct. 22), Dayton (Oct. 24), Temple (Oct. 29), and Saint Joseph's (Oct. 31).
Did you Know?
Former Colonial Ben Ferry holds the NCAA Division I single-season assists record with 24 in 1997.
