Drexel University Athletics
Saturday, August 25
La Salle University
7:00
Drexel University
at
La Salle
2012 Drexel Men's Soccer Senior Class
Photo by: Greg Carroccio
Doug Hess Previews the 2012 Men's Soccer Campaign
8/24/2012 10:10:00 AM | Men's Soccer
See Also: Ryan Platt Joins Men's Soccer Coaching Staff
PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel men's soccer team opens its 2012 season on Saturday night when it heads across town to take on La Salle. The Dragons, who return nearly all of the squad from last season, are looking to build on a strong end to the season which saw them defeat No. 12 James Madison and earn a draw at No. 16 Old Dominion in their final two contests.
The matchup is one of Drexel's oldest rivalries, with the Dragons holding a 32-21-2 all-time mark. In fact, the Dragons' 32 total wins against the Explorers represents their most wins against any Philadelphia-area team, and their second-most wins against any opponent (Delaware, 36). Drexel will once again be participating in the Philadelphia Soccer Six, with this game and the September 26 game against Penn serving as the Dragons' official PS6 contests.
After a rigorous preseason that included a 2-0 victory over Villanova and a narrow, 1-0 defeat at Penn State, the Dragons' third-year head coach, Doug Hess, sat down for a question-and-answer session to give fans a look inside the 2012 Drexel Men's Soccer team.
Question: With the majority of your team coming back and no one graduating from last year's team, how big of an asset is that for this year's squad? Likewise, does having such a large senior class impact your expectations for them as team leaders?
Doug Hess: There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt, but I do not believe this applies to college athletics. In college athletics, familiarity breeds commonality. It has been my experience that the longer we are around each other, the more opportunity we have to truly know one another; and with that, the greater the unity and cohesion can be amongst the group.
It is always a strength to have experience, and with nine seniors and nine juniors on our roster we have plenty of guys that have been through the roller coaster ride of a college soccer season. Part of leadership is taking away the fear of the unknown and these guys know what to expect now. Likewise, I believe there is a hunger amongst the group and an eagerness to get after it. I look forward to seeing what unfolds.
Q: Staying on the subject of experience, the team finished strong in 2011, going 4-3-1 over the last eight with a 2-0 win over No. 12 James Madison and a 1-1 draw at No. 16 Old Dominion. What sort of impact does that late success against good teams have carrying over to this year?
DH: They were two strong results against the strength of the CAA. ODU has long been the benchmark on the Men's Soccer side of this conference and JMU is right there as well, so I would certainly say this lends to our experience. No doubt it gives us the confidence to know we can play with anyone, but the games still need to be played this season and the CAA is one the tightest contested leagues in men's soccer in the country – more on that later.
Q: Coming into last season there appeared to be some competition for the starting goalkeeper position. What is the situation this year? It appeared that Pentti seized control of the position last year, and assuming that is still the case, how important is it for the team to be stabilized at keeper?
DH: While Pentti did a great job last year and was recognized for his efforts with a spot on an All CAA team, last year is last year and this season is a fresh start. The goalkeeper position is the most unique on a soccer team because only one plays at a time. I am not sure how important it is to the team for it to be “stabilized” as much as it needs to be competitive. In my mind, this must be the most competitive spot on the team in order to ensure a mental sharpness that is a necessity for the position. We saw all three guys play through our spring season and two of them through our pre-season scrimmages. Tres is dealing with an ankle injury at this point, but it is important for both Pentti and Tim, as well as Tres when he returns, to keep battling throughout the year.
Q: You have stressed the importance of the midfield many times. This year, you will be getting midfielders Nathan Page and Skylar Olson back healthy to go along with Ken Tribbett, who was the leading offensive force on last year's team. How will a healthy midfield affect the rest of the team, on both ends of the pitch?
It is great to get Nathan and Skylar back in the swing of things. Nathan had a great season in 2010, scoring six goals, but injury held him out in 2011. He has shown through the spring and pre-season that he is strong and ready to make an impact again.
Our midfield will be key in controlling game tempo. Kenny has been the leader amongst our midfield the past two seasons, but he will have a strong cast to support him in our seniors Brandon Zeller and Phil Hagerty. They have strong work ethics and while they often go unseen at times in statistics, the effort that the two put in day in and day out makes us go.
Q: The group of forwards seemed to develop as the year went along last season. Who do you anticipate being the leaders among that group this year?
DH: It is no secret we struggled to score goals last season. I expect the group of forwards that we have in the team to step up this year and assume the burden of scoring. Malcolm LeBourne was a solid threat for us down the stretch in the fall and he showed well all through the spring. As a senior and a guy that has garnered a lot of minutes for us, we really want to see him shine his last season.
It has been far too long since Drexel has had a double-digit goal scorer on our team and I do believe several of our guys are capable of accomplishing that feat.
Q: Defensively, Tal Bublil seemed to emerge as a leader on the squad last season. Talk about his impact on the defense, and who else you see having an important role this year.
DH: Tal is an important piece to our back line for sure. It is a funny thing that when Tal plays well, we play well. He is our captain and oldest player in the group, so that being the case we look to him for leadership.
Ben Miller is a lunch pail guy, he shows up every day and goes to work. His senior leadership will also be an important part in our back line. Likewise, we get Skylar back into the fold after his season of injury. Both these guys will be important pieces in supporting the attack from our back line and being a constant competitive source for our team.
Q: The incoming class this year features one freshman, two sophomores and a junior. Talk about integrating them into this year's rotation, and also talk about the experience they bring to the table (particularly the College Cup Final Four appearance for Guido Pena with Creighton last season).
DH: First and foremost, I believe they address some areas of need in our team. Jameson Detweiler adds a left-footed defender to our team, which we currently do not have. We struggled to score at the beginning of last season and we are hopeful that both Guido and Fabio Machado can contribute in that area. Guido seems to be more of a creator, while Fabio likes to get on the end of plays. Likewise, Jared' Girards addition brings more depth to our midfield and a true holding midfield type mentality. We are hoping that as he gets himself into the mix, it will free Kenny up to attack more.
Three of them bring at least a year of collegiate experience with them to Drexel and of course, Guido comes from one of the top college programs in the country and already has experienced a trip to the Final Four. Having already been in and around the college game, this will help in these guys getting acclimated to our team right away. I am excited to see how each will contribute to our team.
Q: Give us an update on how the pre-season went and what that might lead to this fall.
DH: We played two strong opponents (Villanova and Penn State) from two strong soccer conferences (Big East and Big 10 respectively) – a 2-0 win over Nova at home and then a 1-0 loss in State College. It was great to see many of our guys play in both games and see our capabilities.
I thought we were good in the first half of both games, but allowed the game to get a bit too stretched for our liking in the later moments of each. These games give us not only a good idea of where we are right now, but also what we need to keep working on in preparation for our opening weeks.
We had two forwards score in our game with Nova, but only managed one shot out of forwards in the Penn State game. There is a tendency of forwards to spend more time in a build up and less time in front of goal. It is going to be crucial that our forwards produce through the year and take on the large portion of scoring.
We played extra time in both pre-season games and saw our guys only conceded once in 225 minutes of play (.4 Goals Against Average). Defense does not win games; you still need to score to win, but you need to be able to defend well in order to allow your team to win. The more we can embrace our defending responsibilities all over the field, the better we will be.
We collected a few injuries through the pre-season, but that is to be expected. It is key that these guys work themselves back into fitness and that we are ready to step up as injury occurs. There is always a game on the horizon and the team must be ready to perform, regardless of who is available for selection.
Q: The team opens with five of its first six games on the road, including games at Denver, Air Force and Virginia. What do you hope to gain out of scheduling such high quality opponents early in the season?
DH: The CAA presents challenges and we know from the get-go we will be on the road for half of those games. What better way to prepare than to test ourselves out of the gate on the road. The Colorado trip will force us to play two games at altitude against two teams that have seen success in recent years (Air Force won 11 games last season and Denver has won the Mountain Pacific regular season two of the last four years, and has gone onto the NCAA College Cup on both occasions).
Likewise, going to Charlottesville to play Virginia early on will give our guys a similar taste to the Creighton trip last year – playing against a top team in a tough environment. We want to play these games because we believe they will show us the picture of where we want to go as a program.
Q; The league is obviously in the midst of some changes that are impacting the face of CAA men's soccer. What are your thoughts on the conference this season?
DH: There are not too many schools that have not been affected by conference realignment over the last year and the CAA is not immune from this shift either. While VCU has departed, this is still an extremely strong soccer conference. Over the last ten years we have seen seven different schools win regular season championships and seven different schools claim CAA Tournament championships. Likewise, eight of the ten years saw us grab multiple bids to the NCAA College Cup.
Last year nearly 70% of the games were decided by a goal or less. This league is a constant test and one that you must have a week to week, and even day to day mentality. When you get a result it is a quick exhale and then prepare for the next opponent; when you don't, you must have a short-term memory and be ready to move on. So as far as this year goes, I am confident it will be a tight race once again.
PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel men's soccer team opens its 2012 season on Saturday night when it heads across town to take on La Salle. The Dragons, who return nearly all of the squad from last season, are looking to build on a strong end to the season which saw them defeat No. 12 James Madison and earn a draw at No. 16 Old Dominion in their final two contests.
The matchup is one of Drexel's oldest rivalries, with the Dragons holding a 32-21-2 all-time mark. In fact, the Dragons' 32 total wins against the Explorers represents their most wins against any Philadelphia-area team, and their second-most wins against any opponent (Delaware, 36). Drexel will once again be participating in the Philadelphia Soccer Six, with this game and the September 26 game against Penn serving as the Dragons' official PS6 contests.
After a rigorous preseason that included a 2-0 victory over Villanova and a narrow, 1-0 defeat at Penn State, the Dragons' third-year head coach, Doug Hess, sat down for a question-and-answer session to give fans a look inside the 2012 Drexel Men's Soccer team.
Question: With the majority of your team coming back and no one graduating from last year's team, how big of an asset is that for this year's squad? Likewise, does having such a large senior class impact your expectations for them as team leaders?
Doug Hess: There is an old saying that familiarity breeds contempt, but I do not believe this applies to college athletics. In college athletics, familiarity breeds commonality. It has been my experience that the longer we are around each other, the more opportunity we have to truly know one another; and with that, the greater the unity and cohesion can be amongst the group.
It is always a strength to have experience, and with nine seniors and nine juniors on our roster we have plenty of guys that have been through the roller coaster ride of a college soccer season. Part of leadership is taking away the fear of the unknown and these guys know what to expect now. Likewise, I believe there is a hunger amongst the group and an eagerness to get after it. I look forward to seeing what unfolds.
Q: Staying on the subject of experience, the team finished strong in 2011, going 4-3-1 over the last eight with a 2-0 win over No. 12 James Madison and a 1-1 draw at No. 16 Old Dominion. What sort of impact does that late success against good teams have carrying over to this year?
DH: They were two strong results against the strength of the CAA. ODU has long been the benchmark on the Men's Soccer side of this conference and JMU is right there as well, so I would certainly say this lends to our experience. No doubt it gives us the confidence to know we can play with anyone, but the games still need to be played this season and the CAA is one the tightest contested leagues in men's soccer in the country – more on that later.
Q: Coming into last season there appeared to be some competition for the starting goalkeeper position. What is the situation this year? It appeared that Pentti seized control of the position last year, and assuming that is still the case, how important is it for the team to be stabilized at keeper?
DH: While Pentti did a great job last year and was recognized for his efforts with a spot on an All CAA team, last year is last year and this season is a fresh start. The goalkeeper position is the most unique on a soccer team because only one plays at a time. I am not sure how important it is to the team for it to be “stabilized” as much as it needs to be competitive. In my mind, this must be the most competitive spot on the team in order to ensure a mental sharpness that is a necessity for the position. We saw all three guys play through our spring season and two of them through our pre-season scrimmages. Tres is dealing with an ankle injury at this point, but it is important for both Pentti and Tim, as well as Tres when he returns, to keep battling throughout the year.
Q: You have stressed the importance of the midfield many times. This year, you will be getting midfielders Nathan Page and Skylar Olson back healthy to go along with Ken Tribbett, who was the leading offensive force on last year's team. How will a healthy midfield affect the rest of the team, on both ends of the pitch?
It is great to get Nathan and Skylar back in the swing of things. Nathan had a great season in 2010, scoring six goals, but injury held him out in 2011. He has shown through the spring and pre-season that he is strong and ready to make an impact again.
Our midfield will be key in controlling game tempo. Kenny has been the leader amongst our midfield the past two seasons, but he will have a strong cast to support him in our seniors Brandon Zeller and Phil Hagerty. They have strong work ethics and while they often go unseen at times in statistics, the effort that the two put in day in and day out makes us go.
Q: The group of forwards seemed to develop as the year went along last season. Who do you anticipate being the leaders among that group this year?
DH: It is no secret we struggled to score goals last season. I expect the group of forwards that we have in the team to step up this year and assume the burden of scoring. Malcolm LeBourne was a solid threat for us down the stretch in the fall and he showed well all through the spring. As a senior and a guy that has garnered a lot of minutes for us, we really want to see him shine his last season.
It has been far too long since Drexel has had a double-digit goal scorer on our team and I do believe several of our guys are capable of accomplishing that feat.
Q: Defensively, Tal Bublil seemed to emerge as a leader on the squad last season. Talk about his impact on the defense, and who else you see having an important role this year.
DH: Tal is an important piece to our back line for sure. It is a funny thing that when Tal plays well, we play well. He is our captain and oldest player in the group, so that being the case we look to him for leadership.
Ben Miller is a lunch pail guy, he shows up every day and goes to work. His senior leadership will also be an important part in our back line. Likewise, we get Skylar back into the fold after his season of injury. Both these guys will be important pieces in supporting the attack from our back line and being a constant competitive source for our team.
Q: The incoming class this year features one freshman, two sophomores and a junior. Talk about integrating them into this year's rotation, and also talk about the experience they bring to the table (particularly the College Cup Final Four appearance for Guido Pena with Creighton last season).
DH: First and foremost, I believe they address some areas of need in our team. Jameson Detweiler adds a left-footed defender to our team, which we currently do not have. We struggled to score at the beginning of last season and we are hopeful that both Guido and Fabio Machado can contribute in that area. Guido seems to be more of a creator, while Fabio likes to get on the end of plays. Likewise, Jared' Girards addition brings more depth to our midfield and a true holding midfield type mentality. We are hoping that as he gets himself into the mix, it will free Kenny up to attack more.
Three of them bring at least a year of collegiate experience with them to Drexel and of course, Guido comes from one of the top college programs in the country and already has experienced a trip to the Final Four. Having already been in and around the college game, this will help in these guys getting acclimated to our team right away. I am excited to see how each will contribute to our team.
Q: Give us an update on how the pre-season went and what that might lead to this fall.
DH: We played two strong opponents (Villanova and Penn State) from two strong soccer conferences (Big East and Big 10 respectively) – a 2-0 win over Nova at home and then a 1-0 loss in State College. It was great to see many of our guys play in both games and see our capabilities.
I thought we were good in the first half of both games, but allowed the game to get a bit too stretched for our liking in the later moments of each. These games give us not only a good idea of where we are right now, but also what we need to keep working on in preparation for our opening weeks.
We had two forwards score in our game with Nova, but only managed one shot out of forwards in the Penn State game. There is a tendency of forwards to spend more time in a build up and less time in front of goal. It is going to be crucial that our forwards produce through the year and take on the large portion of scoring.
We played extra time in both pre-season games and saw our guys only conceded once in 225 minutes of play (.4 Goals Against Average). Defense does not win games; you still need to score to win, but you need to be able to defend well in order to allow your team to win. The more we can embrace our defending responsibilities all over the field, the better we will be.
We collected a few injuries through the pre-season, but that is to be expected. It is key that these guys work themselves back into fitness and that we are ready to step up as injury occurs. There is always a game on the horizon and the team must be ready to perform, regardless of who is available for selection.
Q: The team opens with five of its first six games on the road, including games at Denver, Air Force and Virginia. What do you hope to gain out of scheduling such high quality opponents early in the season?
DH: The CAA presents challenges and we know from the get-go we will be on the road for half of those games. What better way to prepare than to test ourselves out of the gate on the road. The Colorado trip will force us to play two games at altitude against two teams that have seen success in recent years (Air Force won 11 games last season and Denver has won the Mountain Pacific regular season two of the last four years, and has gone onto the NCAA College Cup on both occasions).
Likewise, going to Charlottesville to play Virginia early on will give our guys a similar taste to the Creighton trip last year – playing against a top team in a tough environment. We want to play these games because we believe they will show us the picture of where we want to go as a program.
Q; The league is obviously in the midst of some changes that are impacting the face of CAA men's soccer. What are your thoughts on the conference this season?
DH: There are not too many schools that have not been affected by conference realignment over the last year and the CAA is not immune from this shift either. While VCU has departed, this is still an extremely strong soccer conference. Over the last ten years we have seen seven different schools win regular season championships and seven different schools claim CAA Tournament championships. Likewise, eight of the ten years saw us grab multiple bids to the NCAA College Cup.
Last year nearly 70% of the games were decided by a goal or less. This league is a constant test and one that you must have a week to week, and even day to day mentality. When you get a result it is a quick exhale and then prepare for the next opponent; when you don't, you must have a short-term memory and be ready to move on. So as far as this year goes, I am confident it will be a tight race once again.
Drexel's Autocomplete With Men's Soccer Coach David Castellanos
Tuesday, March 18
Drexel Men's Soccer Hype Video 2022
Thursday, September 22
2018-2019 All Sport Highlight
Thursday, May 23
Dragons Defeat Big 10 Foe Rutgers 3-2
Wednesday, October 03