Aug. 27, 2010

FAIRFAX, Va. - Just two years removed from a CAA Championship and appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the George Mason men's soccer team has set its sights on a return to postseason play in 2010. For the Patriots to appear in the postseason, sixth-year head coach Greg Andrulis will have to mold a highly-touted crop of newcomers, rated 13th in the nation by College Soccer News, with an experienced and dynamic group of returning players.

"The group coming back is very good, very experienced. We also have a very, very good freshman class coming in," Andrulis said. "We believe all of those guys at some point in their careers will be starters for us."

Andrulis expects the offense to excel in the upcoming season. Leading a dynamic group of returning strikers is senior Victor Freeman, a First-Team VaSID All-State and Second-Team All-CAA selection, who led the Patriots in goals, assists and points last season.

"Victor is a very good finisher. That's obviously the hardest part of being a forward is getting the ball in the back of the net," Andrulis said. "He's got an incredibly quick release and a great nose for the goal. He's a slasher, finds good spots and his shooting ability, his ability to put the ball where it needs to go, is an exceptional part of his game."

Third-Team All-CAA selection Ernesto Marquez will also be counted on to create opportunities on the offensive end in the upcoming season. Marquez scored four goals and added three assists last season.

Senior Parker Walton, sophomore Alhagi Toure and junior Draymond Washington will also be counted on to provide an offensive spark in the upcoming season. Washington scored four goals, Walton three and Toure two for Mason last season.

Newcomers Taylor Morgan, a transfer from Central Connecticut State University; Hugh Roberts, from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md.; and Wesley Sever, from Tampa Prep High School in Tampa, Fla., should all provide an offensive spark in their first season at George Mason. Morgan, a native of Southampton, England, has playing experience with the English Schools Football Association U-19 International Team. Both Roberts and Sever were named top prospects to watch by ESPN Rise.

"We added some great firepower in Taylor Morgan, Wesley Sever and Hugh Roberts. All of those guys are proven goal scorers coming from their club programs," Andrulis said. "Paired with our returning players, it is probably our most talented, but certainly our deepest group of forwards in the past few years and a group that will compete positively for playing time and also be able to push each other. We believe most of the goals will come through those guys."

Despite the loss of four-year starter Richard Edgar, the Patriots return an experienced group of midfielders. Junior Ryan Gracia has been a starter since his freshman season and is poised for a breakout season in 2010 after scoring three goals and tallying three assists last year. After battling through injuries last season, Eber Martinez returns for his junior season and expects to make major contributions with a clean bill of health heading into the year.

Senior Brent Brockman, senior Anthony Han, sophomore Derek Markheim and sophomore A.J. Sheta all earned valuable minutes last season at the position. The experienced quartet will be joined by freshman Geaton Caltabiano, a standout for the Baltimore Bays, to provide the team depth in the middle.

After having an all-new foursome of starters on defense last season, the Patriots return an experienced group in 2010. Team captains Fro Adu and Eric Zuehsow will both be counted on to provide leadership in the upcoming season. Sophomore Chase Miller, who started every match last season as a freshman, and junior Mike Foss, who started all but one match, will also be relied upon to hold opposing offenses in check.

"Eric Zuehsow and Fro Adu will anchor things for us. Last year, we were trying to replace an entire back line," Andrulis said. "This year, we have a group of guys with a year of experience under their belt. With Chase Miller and Mike Foss back, our back four should be pretty solid."

Senior Steven Wagoner, junior Sean Healy, sophomore Cooper Barham and sophomore Laurent Newsome will all return to provide depth on the defensive end. They will be joined by freshmen Alex Herrera, an Arlington, Va. native with U.S. Youth National Team experience, and Zak Haapaoja, who was named a top New Jersey Player to Watch by ESPN Rise while playing at North Hunterdon Regional High School.

Perhaps the most intriguing battle for playing time heading into the season will come at the goalkeeper position, where three players will vie for the spot vacated by graduated senior standout Sean Kelley, a four-year starter and First-Team All-CAA selection last season.

A pair of highly-touted newcomers in Mark Bixler and Sean Cote will battle for minutes with veteran Dustin Butcher, who is entering his junior season at Mason in 2010. Butcher has spent the past two seasons honing his game while watching one of the top netminders in the history of the program, Kelley, go about his business. Bixler and Cote both come to the program with impressive pedigrees. Cote was ranked the fifth-best goalkeeper recruit in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com, while Bixler was ranked the 10th-best goalkeeper prospect in the nation by the same media outlet.

"It's anybody's position to be honest with you. We had Dustin Butcher in the spring and he did very well in the spring games," Andrulis said. "Sean Cote is a very tall, lanky, athletic player, built in the mold of Sean Kelley. He has great range, great reach and great distribution abilities, great size for a goalkeeper and terrific quickness. Mark Bixler is an outstanding shot stopper. He's a very tough kid, very athletic, with good leadership skills.

"Dustin is the incumbent, having played with the spring team and having an understanding of our system and the way we play. Basically, he's been training for two years in anticipation of getting the spot. It's going to be a good battle for all three of those guys to see who rises to the top."

After playing three exhibition contests, including a showdown with defending national champion Virginia during the month of August, the Patriots open the regular season with a match against GW on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at the D.C. College Cup hosted by American University in Washington, D.C. In addition to competing at the D.C. College Cup, Mason faces a tough nonconference schedule that includes matches against Penn, Villanova and Maryland.

"It's a tough schedule. The challenging part of our schedule is six of our first eight games are on the road," Andrulis said. "We have a pair of road matches at Penn and Villanova, both teams that can be top-20 teams in the country. We also play Maryland at Maryland; they're undoubtedly a team that is going to compete for national championships year-in-and-year-out."

The Colonial Athletic Association schedule begins on Saturday, Sept. 25 with a match against Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. The Patriots conclude conference play with a home match against defending CAA Champion UNC Wilmington on Nov. 6. The top four teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will advance to the CAA Championship Tournament, with the winner of the conference tournament earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

"The key to being successful is to be very good in our conference and get in the conference tournament," Andrulis said. "With only four teams advancing, there is very little margin for error during the conference season. We need to do very well in the conference, get in the conference tournament and hopefully be successful enough there to get an NCAA Tournament bid."