Every successful program has its peaks and valleys. The key is to rebound from the valleys as quickly as possible, and that is the goal of NYU men's soccer in 2010.
After two straight losing seasons, the Violets looks to get back to their winning ways this fall. And, 15th- year head coach Joe Behan has a veteran team to pursue that goal.
In 2006, NYU advanced to the NCAA Final Four and then made a return trip to the tournament in 2007. Since then, the Violets have gone a combined 13-17-5 with a 3-9-2 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA).
This fall, the Violets' roster will feature 14 upperclassmen that have been through the rebuilding process and should be ready to lead NYU back into contention for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Losing two seasons in a row was extremely disappointing for the program, the players and the staff,” Behan said. “They will no doubt carry that feeling throughout the 2010 season and use it as motivation to turn things around.”
Returning to spearhead NYU's defensive efforts is senior Nick Coulson. He has started 30 games in the NYU backfield over the last two seasons.
Likely to replace the now-departed Marek Urbanski in net will be senior Matt Stieve, who played in five games last season and made three starts. In 335 minutes, Stieve made 12 saves and allowed three goals. The Violets were 1-2 in his starts, with the win coming vs. Hunter College via shutout.
Another dependable leader in the NYU lineup is senior Michael Burke, who splits his time between defense and the midfield.
“One of the main driving forces for us will be the work of our leaders, namely Nick (Coulson), Michael (Burke) and Matt (Stieve),” Behan explained. “If I were to base a prediction for this season, it would have to come from the work our players did in their summer program. After two difficult seasons, our leaders made sure that we showed up well in our summer workouts. We also had a very strong spring season in which we had a very good turnout against Dowling College. We lost 1-0, but played a great game against a very strong team. Our strong off-season will help us this year.”
While NYU is long on experience this fall, two sophomores will provide much of the scoring punch. As freshmen last season, Kyle Green and Ronny Scardino combined for eight goals and were named Second and Third Team All-UAA, respectively. Green's five scores were second on the team. He also tied for the team lead in assists with three and led NYU in shots with 39. Those youngsters will try to help NYU continue the progress it made late last season.
“We finished the second half of last season very well,” Behan said. “We won our last two UAA games and we also earned a draw at Emory for the first time in our program's history, which was a huge stepping stone for us. We want to keep that momentum going into this season.”
Aiding Behan on the Violets' coaching staff this season will be Michael Bonacuso and Ryan Finnegan. Bonacuso, now in his second season as an assistant coach, was a four-year player at NYU and is responsible for goalkeeper training sessions, game analysis, the team's fitness program, and recruiting. Finnegan, in his first full season on staff, was a member of NYU's 2006 team that advanced to the Final Four. His primary duties revolve around recruiting.
“Michael and Ryan are the newest additions to our staff and they've done a great job,” said Behan. “Michael has helped out with recruiting and has gained great experience in training. Ryan has done tremendous work in recruiting for our team.”
The Violets open the season on Sept. 1 at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
