The Observer, September 9, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 2
Sudden surge of offense starts revival for men's soccer
The Case men's soccer team opened the 2005 season with an exciting victory at home over Lake Erie College, scoring four goals in front of a huge crowd at the first regular season game played at The Village at 115. The Spartans later extended their record to 2-1 with another impressive win over the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, which was followed by a tough defeat at the hands of Seton Hill University. The men's team continues to show signs of a vastly improved team from last year despite a few key injuries early on this season.
In the first game against Lake Erie, the Storm provided little resistance to the Spartan offense as Case consistently placed balls deep into the offensive zone. Still, it was a scoreless match until junior Scott Christensen put back a rebound off a free kick with one minute left in the first half. The second-half scoring came often for Case. A breath-taking cross from deep in the corner to the far goalpost off the foot of freshman forward R.J. French found the head of freshman midfielder Kyle Ferlic in the 50th minute and rocketed into the back of the net. French later placed a header of his own in the 58th minute, off a throw-in from the sideline by junior midfielder Noah Marciniak. Nate Hoffman made himself the third freshman on the goal sheet three minutes later as Case took a 4-0 lead with 30 minutes to play. Those were all the goals the Spartan team would need to take the victory as the Storm struggled to complete their passes.
Freshman forward Justin Steggerda's goal in the 80th minute against Pitt-Bradford on Sept. 3 proved to be the difference as the Spartans won a back and forth contest, 3-2. After grabbing a 2-0 lead early in the first half with goals from freshman Matt Paglia and junior defender Scott Christensen, the Pitt team responded with a first half goal by forward Winnie Rajakumar, assisted by Ben Wentworth, leaving the score at 2-1 as the teams entered the locker rooms for halftime. Wentworth came out and tied the score in the 49th minute as the Panthers clawed to even at 2-2, necessitating the heroics of Steggarda's game winner. Steggerda's goal, assisted by freshman Kyle Ferlic and Nate Hoffman, was the fifth by a freshman in two games.
The Spartans picked up their first loss of the season on Tuesday in Greensburg, Pennsylvania in a tough 2-0 loss against Seton Hill. The team failed to score a single goal in the game for the first time this season but remain confident that their improved play will continue to produce goals and be the deciding factor in future games. "We're making big improvements up top and becoming much more creative in trying to score," said sophomore goalkeeper Chad Skidmore, which Skidmore certainly appreciates because it takes pressure off the often-overworked defense and reduces the number of shots on goal. Skidmore recorded two saves on six shots in the loss against Seton Hill.
With the addition of so many freshmen this year, concerns arose regarding how well the team would be able to come together and build chemistry with such a large group of first-year players. If the first few games have been any indicator of the development of this team, it's apparent that there has been more chemistry on the soccer field than in the classroom of feared freshman Chem 111.
The remarkable feat is not the development of chemistry between these players, but more importantly how rapidly it has developed. In the first two games of the 2005 season, the men's team scored seven goals, a total not reached until the sixth game last season, and not until the eighth game of the 2003 season. The increased goal production this year is being lead by junior Scott Christensen, who has already collected two goals, and goals by five different freshmen: Kyle Ferlic, R.J. French, Nate Hoffman, Matt Paglia, and Justin Steggerda.
Considering the level at which the team is currently playing, it's frightening to think of just how much better they could be if they were at full strength. Injuries are once again plaguing the Spartans this year, currently sidelining junior captain Greg Gasbarro, sophomore Justin Casella, and freshmen Matt Shaughnessy and R.J. French. Also bothered by injuries are senior captain Jarrod Predina and freshman Kevin Bigart. Although the team is still playing well, the on-field control and leadership of Gasbarro and a fully-healthy Predina are still sorely missed.
"The injuries are really hurting the team because we miss the leadership presence on the field," said sophomore and team assist leader Neal Duryea. "It would be best if we got them all back as soon as possible."
Until that time arrives, the team will try to build upon the momentum established by the freshmen tonight at Allegheny College before returning home on Tuesday to play Oberlin College at 5 p.m.
