2008 EXPECTATIONS

The Warriors enter 2008 with the same goal each year, a National championship!
We closed out the 2007 National Championship run with a fifth place finish after losing in the 1st round match on penalty kicks, 5 to 4 to Concordia of Selma Alabama. It was a tough way to lose, but considering we won the 2006 National Championship by converting on the PK shootout, we were thankful for the opportunity.

Assistant Coach Henderson and I have been working at putting together a plan to ensure that our Men's program remains consistently competitive every season.

Looking ahead to the fall of ’08, the USCAA National Tournament and National Championship is the primary goal for the Warriors. We lost some senior players to graduation who were major contributors to the 2006 National Championship. However, we have a strong class of 7 seniors returning, who also were a part of the National Championship team.

An extremely talented group of midfielders will return in Seniors Ibrahim Foryoh, Chris Hall and Billy Wineland. All can compete at the highest level of competition with their skill and ability. They will be bolstered by returning Sophomores AJ Wells, John Wineland, Jon Rokowski and Bernard Kanjoma. Also expected to contribute immediately are newcomers Justin Miller, Anthony Johnson, and Jamal Jones.

The fullbacks will be young and are also extremely talented. Leading the way will be returning Senior James Renton and Kevin Stillwell. Sophomores, Scott Rourke and Mike Bollan will be counted on heavily. Incoming Freshman Justin Mainero, Chris Gerhardt, Kevin Chouinard, Brian Bollan and newcomer, senior Matt McFarland, are all solid defenders who enjoy the new philosophy of attacking out of the back and are expected to contribute immediately.

The Warrior attack is blessed with speed, intelligence and technical ability. Returning at Striker will be Senior Trevor Wilson. He will be joined by leading scorer from 2007 Sophomore Justin Sellers. Joining them will be a strong incoming freshman class including Josh Reese, Josh Ford, David Scott, and Josh Proffitt.

All of the Warriors are excited with the return of our only junior, Goal Keeper David Ristich. David was the key to our National Championship victory. Returning Sophomores Brian Matlock, who also will see time at the striker position, and Steven Jesinowski, will compete for the Goal Keeper position.

With the versatility of all the players, each player is capable of playing any position without a drop in performance.

Our 2008 schedule will include at least 20 games, a friendly with Wayne State University, and the National Tournament. We will be playing fellow USCAA schools, NAIA and NCAA Division III programs. We will also have a return match versus NCAA DII Saginaw Valley State.

Our most important objective is to focus on the future of the program by recruiting quality players who can contribute immediately and be the foundation for future Championships.

Though we have solid upper class leadership, our future is being laid with our sophomore and freshman classes. It is an exciting time for the Rochester College Men’s Soccer program. We feel blessed.