2003 Men’s Soccer Preview: Defensive Strength Sparks Confidence (August 26, 2003)

BILLINGS, MT – When asked about the upcoming season, MSU Billings head men’s soccer coach Doug Seigle says simply, “Our goal is to make a name for ourselves.”  After posting a 6-11 record last year in his first season with the Yellowjackets, Seigle recruited strength, defense and speed to make sure MSUB is respected, if not feared, on the field.

“Our defense is much stronger physically,” said Seigle.  “We brought in a couple players and the players we already had on the roster matured.  Defense is one area where we’re greatly improved.  As long as we stay organized, we should be difficult to score against.”

While the Jackets have added muscle and intensity on the field, Seigle also believes that the goalkeeper position will be key to MSUB’s success.  “Our biggest competition (for playing time) in the preseason has been at the goalkeeper position.  We have a lot of keepers in camp and I think we’ll be much stronger there.”

While much of the focus has been on defense during the off season, Seigle also feels that the Yellowjackets will be a more balanced offensive team in 2003.  Last year midfielder Mark Cipolla was the only player to score double-digit goals after netting 11 in 17 games.  Cipolla and the team’s second-leading goal scorer, Mike Gallegos who scored six goals, are both gone.  Instead of leaving a void, Seigle thinks opportunities will open for other players to get their shots.

“Last year we only had one player who scored a lot of goals for us,” remarked Seigle.  “This year in the midfield we have two or three players who could score double-digit goals for the season.  Robbie Timm, Thomas Pertuit and A.J. Reyes will score some goals this year.  They’re creative players who have good moves with the ball.”

Schedule
The Yellowjackets will find out early in the season just how much they’ve improved.  They’ll play six games on their first road trip, with four of the six coming against Division II competition.  MSUB will open the season at the Humboldt State Tournament in Arcata, California over Labor Day weekend, facing HSU and Cal State-Stanislaus.  They were originally scheduled to play Grand Canyon as well, but the Antelopes dropped out of the tournament at the last moment.  To make up for the lost game, MSUB will face Humboldt State again on Monday, September 1.  The Yellowjackets will drive from Arcata to Salt Lake City for the Westminster Tournament on September 4-6 before returning to Billings.

“The big thing with our schedule,” said Seigle, “is that we start right out of the gate with six games before we even start classes.  By the time we get home we’ll have six games under our belts, and we think that experience will help us later in the season.  It’s somewhat of a disadvantage playing on the road, but on the other hand it gets you away from a lot of things and lets you focus on the objective.”

In 2002 the Yellowjackets played 16 of their 17 official games on the road.  This season won’t be much different with 14 of 16 games being played away from the Magic City.  The biggest change in the schedule might be its format.  Last year the Jackets missed a lot of class time with weekly road trips.  This year Seigle has worked hard to schedule road games in bunches to reduce missed class time.

“The road schedule is definitely a challenge,” he added.  “It would be nice to have more home games, and we’ll keep trying to get teams to come here in the future.  But we’re not going to be scared to play on the road.”

Goalkeepers
Last season Yacine Zerizef (So., Casper, WY) and Kevin Petritz (Jr., Butte, MT) split time in goal for the Yellowjackets.  Seigle lists five goalkeepers on this year’s roster and thinks the competition will help the team.  An area of concern a year ago, the Jackets’ keepers might be one of the strengths this year.  Jess Feldtman (So., Lander, WY) could challenge Zerizef and Petritz for the starting job even though Seigle says both returnees have worked hard in the off season to improve.  Gordie Vierek (Sr., Paco, WA) and Brian Hunter (Fr., Cody, WY) will also add depth.

Midfielders
The biggest improvement to the Yellowjackets’ midfield is its depth.  Lucas Sanchez (Sr., Park City, UT) is back to 100 percent after recovering from an injury sustained two seasons ago.  He played in 16 games in 2002.  Richard Watkins (Sr., Alzada, MT) adds experience after transferring from National American.  Andres Calabro (Sr., Cipolletti, Argentina), considered a great leader and fiery competitor, returns after sitting out last season.  Calabro played on the tennis team last year after playing both soccer and tennis in previous years.  Robbie Timm (Sr., Park City, UT) will be in his first year of college competition after once being considered a Division I caliber prospect.  Thomas Pertuit (Jr., Billings, MT) worked hard in the off season and reported to camp in great condition.  He is the highest returning scorer (eight points in 2002) and should provide a spark to the offense as he sees more touches this year.  A.J. Reyes (Fr., Quartz Hill, CA) redshirted in 2002 and is a creative player with a lot of physical talent.  Victor Sargent (Fr., Billings, MT) is a Senior HS graduate who may have played himself into a starting position during fall camp. 

Forwards
The forwards are less experienced than the midfielders, but add a physical presence.  Jesse Spann (So., Rock Springs, WY), who played in every game last year as a true freshman, is considered one of the hardest working players on the team.  He is bigger and stronger after an off season of workouts and adds versatility.  Brian Palmer (Jr., Laramie, WY) didn’t get many touches last year, but has a knack for scoring goals when he gets the ball in front of the box.  Dustin Kono (So., Aberdeen, SD) is a Division I transfer from University of Evansville who is the fastest player on the team.  He will add speed and energy to a team that relies heavily on size and strength.  

Defenders
The identity of the 2003 Yellowjackets could likely stem from the defense.  Seigle likes the size and strength he can put on the field and thinks that the Jackets’ physical play will force other teams out of their style.  Vincent Stefano (Jr., Palmdale, CA) is the leader of the defense.  He’s the strongest player on the team and will be moving back to his natural position of marking back after playing sweeper in 2002.  Damian Wandler (Sr., North Platte, NE) worked hard in the off season and came into camp in the best shape of his career.  Billy Dess (Sr., Great Falls, MT) has worked to recover from a broken leg and looks to be 100 percent healthy.  Stefano, Wandler and Dess each played in at least 16 games in 2002.  Jeff Marsich (So., Laurel, MT) transfers from Maranatha College and adds energy and strength to the defense.  Patrick Boltz (So., Kaneohe, HI) has battled some injuries in the preseason, but is expected to be the defense’s anchor once the season starts.  Matthew Holm (Fr., Billings, MT) is another Senior HS grad who is developing into a good college player.