Garden City, N.Y. - On Friday, August 24, the men's soccer team will take on Iona in front of the home crowd at Motamed Field to begin the 2012 season. After an 8-9-2 campaign last year which included a heartbreaking loss on penalty kicks to Longwood in the Atlantic Soccer Conference Championship, Head Coach Carlo Acquista is reloaded and ready to take on the tough schedule ahead.
 
“I thought there were highs and lows last year,” described Acquista. “There was a bit of frustration because we had a lot of good players and a wealth of talent. But we had a very difficult schedule, some unexpected surprises and injuries ultimately made us fall short of our goal.”
 
With the disbandment of the ASC, the Panthers will be playing as an independent school, but will still face a difficult schedule. “Without having to play conference games, it allowed us to add in more games against some big time programs from some of the nation's top conferences,” stated Acquista. “To be the best, you have to play with the best, which is why I set up games against some of the best teams on the East Coast.”
 
This year, the team returns eight starters and features two transfers and 10 freshmen. “We have a young team this year,” describes Acquista. “But with that comes a lot of energy, a hunger to learn the game at the collegiate level, and an opportunity to play early on in their college careers which will make them better off as the years go by.”
 
The team loses Issa Tall, a mainstay over four years and key goal scorer, but return a core of experience midfielders and forwards in Omar Edwards, Greg Mallia, Steven Rivera, Brandon Stoneham and James Diana. The quintet provided more than half of the offensive attack last year and combined to score 14 of the Panthers 23 goals.
“The success of the midfield and forward positions will be based largely on the contribution and mobility of each player,” explains Acquista. “We will ask players to be versatile as well as play specific roles when the time calls for. The bottom line is to score goals and I believe with the guys we have, we will be successful in accomplishing this task.”
 
Edwards comes back for his second and final year and was the leading scorer in 2011 with five goals and one assist for 11 points. “Edwards was big for us last year,” says Acquista of his starting forward. “He puts himself in position to make plays and has a great finishing touch.”
 
Mallia joins his fellow senior classmate and will also be a key player in providing offense for the Panthers. “Mallia is an extremely tough player with a lot of fight in him,” stated Acquista of the Northport, N.Y. native. “He's a workhorse who does not quit and gives it everything he has at practice and games.”
 
Rivera saw significant time in all 19 games last year and played any position from defense to forward. “Rivera is an extremely versatile player,” described Acquista. “Whatever we ask him to do, whether it is marking a player on defense or taking charge of the midfield, he does well. We will ask him to step in and fill many roles this year and I expect him to fulfill them well.”
 
Brandon Stoneham and James Diana will also share the duties of providing the offense for the Panthers. “Both of these guys are key contributors in the midfield,” Acquista says. “Stoneham's persistence, speed and determination keep the team going while Diana always finds himself in the right place at the right time.”
 
Joining the core will be seniors Domenico Parrelli, Adrian Sundquist, junior Nicolas Costa, and sophomores Matt Delph and Henderson Hewes all of which will play key roles in the midfield. “All of these guys have great technique, a high soccer IQ and exceptional vision on the field and will make a positive impact this year,” stated Acquista.
 

Defense
Last year, the defense allowed just 23 goals and held the then top ranked University of Maryland Terapins scoreless in the first 45 minutes of play; one of only a few teams to do so. However, the Panthers lost their defensive backbone in All-Conference performer Dan Larenius to graduation.
 
“The expectations of our back four is simple; to keep the team in every match,” stated Acquista. “The chemistry on the back line is extremely important to holding teams at bay and squashing opposition scoring opportunities. We must be precise and on point if we want to come out on top.”
 
Veteran seniors Travis Tennie and Adam Weinzimmer will captain the back this year. “Tennie worked his way up to becoming a starter throughout his years here,” says Acquista. “He's a team player and an incredibly hard worker and will be a major component of the back line.” Weinzimmer made 12 starts last year and is described by Acquista as the team's most “spirited player” and has shown that he is ready to be the anchor on defense.
 
Junior Michael Guerra and sophomores Jordan Hibbert and Danny Finn add depth, athleticism and experience that Acquista believes is much needed in stopping the opposition. “We will rely heavily on our upperclassmen to play well, stay injury free, and help the newcomers along to set us up for success now and for the future.”
 
John Sabal, a sophomore transfer from NYIT, along with freshmen Louis Sepulveda, Alex Tengnaes and Chris Molano will also be charged with the task of putting up a strong, united back line. “Sabal has collegiate experience under his belt and should be able to act as more of a leader on the field,” Acquista noted. “For the three freshmen, I believe they will learn a lot this year and use this season to adapt to the collegiate level of competition.”
 
Goalkeeper
With the exit of Christopher Herrera and Kyle Blackmer, both tall and athletic goal keepers, the starting position will be up for grabs. Sophomore Ahmad Salamah, the only returner in the position will likely be the main candidate for the job.
 
“Losing both Herrera and Blackmer puts us in a tough position, but Salamah learned from them and should see significant playing time this year,” says Acquista. “However, we brought in Ben Nichols and Constantine Pougiouklidis who are very talented freshmen. Each of them should push Salamah and challenge for the starting role.”

Schedule
After their game against Iona, they will take on the Rams of Fordham University in the Bronx before heading to North Carolina for games against High Point and Radford.

The Panthers breifly return home on September 8 to take on UMass and then head back on the road to square up against Bucknell and Penn State. Rounding out the month of September will be home contests against Binghamton and Marist and an away game against New Hampshire.

The squad opens October play on the second at Boston University before taking on Army and Princeton at home on Motamed Field. They will then hit the road against Howard, North Carolina State and Columbia before closing out the season in Garden City against NJIT on November 6.

“Our yearly goals never change,” stated Acquista. “We set ourselves up to compete against the best teams possible and win as many games as possible. This year is no different. We're going up against teams from powerhouse conferences such as the Ivy League, ACC, Atlantic-10, America East, Patriot League and Big-10. If the team plays to their potential and utilizes the talent in which they possess, I believe we will be a very good team.”

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