IN THE NEWS

The following article was printed in the Brown Daily Herald on Friday, September 11 1998.
This article is mainly about the Brown Soccer team. However, under the heading "youth movements", the article mentions Hermano Pablo Quintanilla.

M. Soccer set to do battle with Ivy League Foes
By Mike Rubin
Herald Sports Editor

Okay, step back for a second, and take a look at the facts surrounding the men's soccer team: ten of eleven returning starters, a wealth of experience and talent, an Ivy League title under their belts.

Looks pretty sweet, doesn't it?

Hopes on College Hill run quite high these days when the topic of discussion turns to the men's soccer team, a squad that finished 11-6-1 last year, 5-1-1 in the Ivy League, as it captured the championship for the first time since 1995, the first time outright since 1976.

A repeat performance of last year's magic act will not be easy, though, as Bruno's Ivy League foes stand prepared to thwart any repeat hopes the Bears may have. According to Head Coach Mike Noonan, Brown's road to repeat will be anything but smooth sailing, as the Ivy League appears as competitive as it has in years.

"Every team [in the Ivy League] but Princeton returns nine starters," Noonan said. "I was talking to the Yale coach, and we both seemed to agree that the league last year was not as strong as it has been in recent years. Everyone gets good at the same time, and this is one of those years, when everybody gets good at the same time."

However, Noonan was quick to note that last year's learning experience shaped the Bears and prepared them for the challenges of the upcoming season.

"Each team is different," Noonan said. "And with this team, the response has been outstanding. They know that the work they put in during the offseason will pay dividends. And this year we should see those dividends earlier than last year." Of course, Noonan was alluding to the slow start of the Bears last year, which included a difficult adidas/Foot Locker Classic at Rutgers University. Brown dropped games to Rutgers (3-1) and St. John's (6-0) at the tourney, and also dropped a gutty 2-1 decision to Yale before beginning the title-clinching run, which included wins over Boston College, URI, Pennsylvania and Cornell.

Bombs Away

The Bears' offense certainly will rank among the finest in the Ivy League this season. Returning at the striker position will be Captain Mike Rudy '99, an All-Ivy selection last year, and Marcio '01, the hero of the title game.

Rudy led the team last season with nine goals and ten assists, as he earned a point in eleven contests. In Ivy play he was good for five goals and five assists in returning from a knee injury that left him sidelined for much of the 1996 campaign.

Marcio, on the other hand, quickly became the most explosive offensive weapon in the Ivy League. His first two career goals dropped Fairfield 2-1. But it was his final regular-season shot that made his year, as he hooked a brilliant direct kick past Dartmouth keeper Matt Nyman, giving Brown the championship on what was only their third shot of the game.

Yet Brown's scoring prowess will not be limited to the pair of talented strikers. The Bears will also rely on the size and strength of Chris Dodson '99, who scored three well-timed goals last year. His first strike of the year sealed an opening-night shutout of Rider, and his two goals against Pennsylvania capped a comeback from a 2-0 deficit, keeping the Bears on the road to the Ivy
League title.

The midfielding corps also play an intricate role on the offense, with players such as Andy Dixon '99, Ryan Smith '00 and Scott Powers '01 all playing important roles, according to Noonan.

"We're definitely solid up front," Marcio said of the Bear attack. "All the guys up front can decide any game at any time."

"We are going to be able to be dangerous," Noonan said. "Guys like Marcio, Powers, Rudy, Dodson, Ryan Smith, Andy...they look pretty sharp."

Ministers of Defense

Defensively, Bruno will have to cope with the loss of Co-captain Hans Wittusen '98 to graduation. The talented Norwegian was named, among other things, a second team All-American and first-team All-Ivy en route to being selected in the second round of the Major League Soccer draft. However, the rest of the defensive crop feels confident that the loss of Wittusen will not terribly debilitate the defensive front.

"[Hans] was obviously a big loss," said defender Kumi Walker '00. "He was a great defender and leader."

Yet at the same time, the remaining crew has good reason to believe that they can pick up the slack left by Wittusen's departure. Geoff Walker '00, Kumi Walker and Cory Gibbs '01 all saw considerable playing time last season at defense, and they will be supplemented by the return of John Devine '00, whose season ended prematurely when he injured his knee against Rutgers. Christian Martinez '01 will also contribute defensively after spending much of last year at the midfield position.

"We're basically the same group of guys," Kumi Walker said. "Now the system is a little more spread out as far as responsibility is concerned, but we've all played together now for a few years. There's really no excuses [for poor play]."

In addition, the Bears' defense will be buoyed by the experience of Doug Ulman '99 and the youth of first-years Carmine Castellano, Brandon Lacey and Deon Kay, giving Noonan depth at a talent-laden position.

Between the Pipes

Despite losing Patrick Rea '98 to graduation, the Bears will enter this season with some experience at the netminder position. Matthew Cross '01 appeared in eleven games last year, gaining much needed experience at the position.

Although Rea backboned the team to the Ivy League title with a 4-0-1 Ivy League record, Cross held his own in his rookie season, posting three shutouts and boasting a 6-5-0 record.

In addition, Cross has already seen some of the best offenses in the nation, as he saw action against the likes of Cal-Berkeley, UNH, St. John's and Rutgers. He finished the season with a 1.68 goals against average and a .696 save percentage.

Backing up Cross will be the tandem of Scott Kellman '01 and 6'5" freshman Peter Mahoney, who joins Brown after a successful career at Roxbury Latin.

The Attitude Factor

Last season, Bruno was slow out of the gate, struggling against physical teams such as Cal-Berkeley, New Hampshire, Rutgers and St. John's. Both player and coach alike realized that the team came in less than fit. This time around, things have changed.

"That problem has been alleviated," Noonan said tersely.

The players echoed Noonan's sentiments, noting that last season's success, and early struggles, provided sufficient motivation for a diligent offseason training regimen.

"We worked out all summer," Marcio said. "And we worked out together, because we know what success we can have if we're ready to play. So it really helped for us to work out in the offseason together, that way everyone would be on the same
page, concentrating."

Noonan also noted the importance of Coach Roger Marandino, the Brown strength and conditioning coach, in shaping the attitude and workouts of the squad.

"With Coach M, everything is serious business," Kumi Walker said. "He had an attitude instilled in this team, that if you're here at practice for an hour and a half, then you work hard for an hour and a half. Whenever you play, you work hard. He played a huge role for us last year, and he'll play a huge role for us again this year."

Attitude clearly led the team to the title last year, and this year, according to Marcio and Walker, attitude will continue to shape the way the team plays on the field.

"We knew last year that every game was a matter of do or die," Marcio said. "That's the same attitude we have this year, only from the very beginning. We had a winning attitude, never gave up, and that's carried over from last year. We're determined and we're ready."

"This team is a focus group," Noonan said of the 1998 installment of the men's soccer team. "They are relishing the challenges they have in front of them."

Clearly, the challenges facing this year's squad are different than last year, when Brown worked from the bottom up. This year, Brown opens the season ranked as high as eleventh in the country in some polls.

"What made last season magical," Marcio said, "was the attitude. This year, we know that everyone is gunning for us because we won the title, and we need to have this attitude and need to keep up the concentration because everyone is coming for us. We can't let their determination beat ours."

Walker echoed Marcio's sentiments.

"Sure, we're supposed to be good this year," Walker said. "But we must work harder and realize that we have not won anything yet. Coach has made us work harder, and made us stay focused because everyone is gunning for us, and that will make this season a little more difficult."

However, for attitude to play a role on the team, the Bears will need leadership, something Noonan thinks will develop more once the season gets started.

"Roles will develop in the heat of battle," Noonan said. "When the real competition begins, everyone will assume some responsibility, and that's when this team will do the things that they must do in order to be successful."

Bruno also returns one of last year's captains, as senior Mike Rudy assumes the role for a second consecutive season.

"He has included and delegated extremely well," Noonan said. "Everyone has been chipping in, and I know it sounds cliched, but it has been a good team effort thus far."

The Youth Movement

Despite the fact that Bruno returns nearly all of its active roster from last season, the Bears have a solid base of freshmen who Noonan also expects to contribute.

"We have some very talented new, young players," Noonan said. "The nice part of returning so many players is that there is not as much pressure on the younger guys, the first-years, to come in and immediately perform. They can come in, get settled, get acclimated to Brown."

In addition to Castellano, Kay and Lacey, who will be expected to chip in defensively, the Bears' offense and midfield will be bolstered by the arrival of Adam Buchanan '02, Adrian Rapp '02 and Pablo Quintanilla '02.

"They [the freshmen] will play a role," Noonan said of his freshman contingent. "And later on in their careers they will be expected to play a more significant role."

Seasons Greetings

The Bears open this season as hosts of adidas Brown Classic, and will open up their season tonight against the Boston College Eagles.

Boston College will be looking to get back on track following a 1-0 loss to Boston University, a loss that dropped a two-game, season-opening winning streak. Last week, the Eagles defeated the University of Hartford by a 2-1 count, and then spanked UMass-Lowell 3-0.

The Eagles' offense has been quite balanced this year, with five different goal scorers in the three games. Kevin Boyd and Chris Clearly have both emerged as legitimate threats in the early goings of this season, as the pair have ripped a combined 17 shots for two goals and two assists. Sjur Gundersen also looms as a dangerous playmaker, with two assists already this season.

In net, the Eagles will likely go with Chris Hamblin. Hamblin owns a 2-1 record this year, 7-9-2 overall in his career. He currently boasts an anemic 0.69 Goals Against Average, with four saves in the three games.

Brown will then take on Davidson College in the finale to the tournament on Sunday at 2:30. Despite taking a winless record into the weekend, Davidson has encountered some of the finest teams in the country, including fifth-ranked UCLA and UNC-Charlotte, another Top 25 team.

"The region is very strong this year," Noonan said of the New England colleges. "BU, BC, UConn, all the Ivy's... it's going to be a tough group of teams to play."

After Yale takes on Davidson this afternoon at 5:00, Bruno will open up its title defense against Boston College at 7:30. On Sunday, the Eagles will take on Yale at noon, and then the Bears will meet Davidson at 2:30. All games will be played at Stevenson Field.