Drexel University Athletics
Doug Hess Q&A
Before every season begins, DrexelDragons.com sits down with head coach Doug Hess to discuss his expectations on the upcoming season. Here is the 2016 Doug Hess Q&A:
Q: This is still a young team, but after two years of the rebuilding process, how excited are you to start seeing results on the field?
A: Cautiously-optimistic is the way I am approaching it. Rome was not built in a day and I know a college soccer team is much the same. We have some good pieces in place at this point, but we will not know who we truly are until we start playing games. I know this group is committed to one another and the cause, so that in and of itself is very exciting.
Q: How important is it to not only have senior leadership, but have seniors like Jameson Detweiler and Tyler Afflerbach who were major contributors to a CAA championship team to mentor this young squad?
A: There is no doubt in any college team, senior leadership is one of the most key ingredients to a team – guys that have been in the trenches, that have both succeeded and failed. Both Jame–o and Tyler have been constants through the last three years, players with strong character and their everyday consistency will be needed. It is going to be equally crucial that our junior class step up. With the larger part of our roster still being freshman and sophomores, it is essential for players like Dakota Peterson, Erik Alexandersson, Colin McGlynn, Connor Ryan, and Tristan Thompson to bring the right work ethic into training every single day.
Q: There are once again a lot of new faces on this team. Who do you see as immediate contributors?
A: Yes, another big in-coming class. Eight new players, plus the addition of Emmanuel Adeleye in spring training and the return of Armin Efendic from ACL surgery last fall. A massive amount of “new” faces, ten of twenty-six. With so many new guys, we felt it important to play more pre-season games this year to get them playing and learning more about one another through playing. That said, both Eden Ben Hemo and Danny Klemm have shown well at the back at times through pre-season and Carlos Cuevas has proven to create some dangerous moments for us up top.
Q: You often talk about building the team from the back to the front. How do you see this defense progressing throughout the preseason and what are your expectations of them this year?
A: I always contend, you still need to score to win in any game you play, but often the ability to sustain the game at zero is equally important in keeping the team at a level mindset so you can score. We showed well in our first two pre-season games with sustaining play, but struggled in our last one. I cannot stress enough with our group, the commitment of eleven men when we are out of possession. In CAA play over the last five years, the team that has the fewest goals against has either won outright or at least a share of the league title. All winning teams defend; it may look different how they defend, but they all commit to it. We had a stretch of 10 games last season that we only gave 6 goals away to our opponents. If we can show that same commitment over a full seventeen game season, good things can happen for this group.
Q: Goal scoring has been an issue for the Dragons over the last couple of years. Who do you see stepping up this year? Along those lines, you talked last year about the potential impact of a 10-goal scorer. Is that a realistic expectation for anyone on this year’s team, or would you anticipate a more balanced offensive attack?
A: As I just said, in order to win in any game, you must score. Goals have been sparse in our team since the ’12 and ’13 seasons, but we remain hopeful that this group can get us back on track. Drexel has not had a 10+-goal scorer since the likes of Phil Karn in 1995; Nathan Page got close with nine in 2012. Scoring goals is far and away the hardest thing to do in soccer, but it is crucial to our success. I am hopeful that one will emerge, but I honestly believe the responsibility of scoring goals will fall on a crop of players - Colin McGlynn, Xavi Bou Hernandez, Aaron and Tristan Thompson, Armin Effendic, Sebastian Cabral and Carlos Cuevas. After that, we will be dependent on the odd goals here and there from our midfield and defending groups through run of play or set pieces.
Q: This is the first time since the championship seasons that no one from your coaching staff left from one season to the next. How much of a difference has that made in the way the team has approached the offseason?
A: Consistency on the coaching front matters equally as much. It is no different from the marketing and branding fields, a good brand is built over time and that brand is built with a consistent and constant message. A consistent message from a consistent group breeds clarity for our group. That said, both Sean and Billy have been integral in keeping that message constant. We are fortunate to add Jordan LeBlanc to our staff, a former top player in the CAA at ODU, and we are confident in his abilities to help advance our group as a whole.
Q: Once again the season begins with three games away from home. Is the hope that such a stretch will get the team ready for the grind of CAA play later in the year?
A: I would say it is a philosophical decision more than it is anything else. I am not quite sure it will prepare us per se for CAA play, but for any team to be good they must be able to win in difficult situations. Making our team play away from home, out of their comfort zone, is a great way to test our group.
Q: What are your general thoughts on the schedule you and your staff have put together?
A: Based on last season, we have a solid schedule outside of our league play. Six of our nine out of conference opponents were 10-game-winning teams last season (Iona, Rhode Island, Temple, Princeton, Columbia, and UMBC) and ten wins in a 17 or 18 game season is a pretty good standard of measure. We were fortunate enough to add a Big East opponent in St. John’s that will give our group a great test right out of the gate. Overall, we are pleased as a staff at the balance of our schedule.
Q: This is still a young team, but after two years of the rebuilding process, how excited are you to start seeing results on the field?
A: Cautiously-optimistic is the way I am approaching it. Rome was not built in a day and I know a college soccer team is much the same. We have some good pieces in place at this point, but we will not know who we truly are until we start playing games. I know this group is committed to one another and the cause, so that in and of itself is very exciting.
Q: How important is it to not only have senior leadership, but have seniors like Jameson Detweiler and Tyler Afflerbach who were major contributors to a CAA championship team to mentor this young squad?
A: There is no doubt in any college team, senior leadership is one of the most key ingredients to a team – guys that have been in the trenches, that have both succeeded and failed. Both Jame–o and Tyler have been constants through the last three years, players with strong character and their everyday consistency will be needed. It is going to be equally crucial that our junior class step up. With the larger part of our roster still being freshman and sophomores, it is essential for players like Dakota Peterson, Erik Alexandersson, Colin McGlynn, Connor Ryan, and Tristan Thompson to bring the right work ethic into training every single day.
Q: There are once again a lot of new faces on this team. Who do you see as immediate contributors?
A: Yes, another big in-coming class. Eight new players, plus the addition of Emmanuel Adeleye in spring training and the return of Armin Efendic from ACL surgery last fall. A massive amount of “new” faces, ten of twenty-six. With so many new guys, we felt it important to play more pre-season games this year to get them playing and learning more about one another through playing. That said, both Eden Ben Hemo and Danny Klemm have shown well at the back at times through pre-season and Carlos Cuevas has proven to create some dangerous moments for us up top.
Q: You often talk about building the team from the back to the front. How do you see this defense progressing throughout the preseason and what are your expectations of them this year?
A: I always contend, you still need to score to win in any game you play, but often the ability to sustain the game at zero is equally important in keeping the team at a level mindset so you can score. We showed well in our first two pre-season games with sustaining play, but struggled in our last one. I cannot stress enough with our group, the commitment of eleven men when we are out of possession. In CAA play over the last five years, the team that has the fewest goals against has either won outright or at least a share of the league title. All winning teams defend; it may look different how they defend, but they all commit to it. We had a stretch of 10 games last season that we only gave 6 goals away to our opponents. If we can show that same commitment over a full seventeen game season, good things can happen for this group.
Q: Goal scoring has been an issue for the Dragons over the last couple of years. Who do you see stepping up this year? Along those lines, you talked last year about the potential impact of a 10-goal scorer. Is that a realistic expectation for anyone on this year’s team, or would you anticipate a more balanced offensive attack?
A: As I just said, in order to win in any game, you must score. Goals have been sparse in our team since the ’12 and ’13 seasons, but we remain hopeful that this group can get us back on track. Drexel has not had a 10+-goal scorer since the likes of Phil Karn in 1995; Nathan Page got close with nine in 2012. Scoring goals is far and away the hardest thing to do in soccer, but it is crucial to our success. I am hopeful that one will emerge, but I honestly believe the responsibility of scoring goals will fall on a crop of players - Colin McGlynn, Xavi Bou Hernandez, Aaron and Tristan Thompson, Armin Effendic, Sebastian Cabral and Carlos Cuevas. After that, we will be dependent on the odd goals here and there from our midfield and defending groups through run of play or set pieces.
Q: This is the first time since the championship seasons that no one from your coaching staff left from one season to the next. How much of a difference has that made in the way the team has approached the offseason?
A: Consistency on the coaching front matters equally as much. It is no different from the marketing and branding fields, a good brand is built over time and that brand is built with a consistent and constant message. A consistent message from a consistent group breeds clarity for our group. That said, both Sean and Billy have been integral in keeping that message constant. We are fortunate to add Jordan LeBlanc to our staff, a former top player in the CAA at ODU, and we are confident in his abilities to help advance our group as a whole.
Q: Once again the season begins with three games away from home. Is the hope that such a stretch will get the team ready for the grind of CAA play later in the year?
A: I would say it is a philosophical decision more than it is anything else. I am not quite sure it will prepare us per se for CAA play, but for any team to be good they must be able to win in difficult situations. Making our team play away from home, out of their comfort zone, is a great way to test our group.
Q: What are your general thoughts on the schedule you and your staff have put together?
A: Based on last season, we have a solid schedule outside of our league play. Six of our nine out of conference opponents were 10-game-winning teams last season (Iona, Rhode Island, Temple, Princeton, Columbia, and UMBC) and ten wins in a 17 or 18 game season is a pretty good standard of measure. We were fortunate enough to add a Big East opponent in St. John’s that will give our group a great test right out of the gate. Overall, we are pleased as a staff at the balance of our schedule.