Warriors face stiff opening tests this weekend at Babson College Classic
Listen to head coach Greg DeVito's assessment of the season ahead.wav (:45)
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- The men's soccer team fell just short of its first at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament last year, with New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) runner-up MIT getting the nod instead.
At right: Maxim Fantl
Saturday, the Warriors open their 49th intercollegiate season, beginning their quest for a second NCAA tournament berth in three years against that same MIT squad at 3:30 p.m. in an opening game of the Babson College Classic at Hartwell-Rogers Field. The competition will not get easier Sunday, when Eastern faces host Babson at 1 p.m.
Last year, Babson gained the automatic bid awarded to the NEWMAC tournament champion, defeating MIT in the title match. Both teams lost first-round NCAA decisions and finished with outstanding 16-4-2 overall record., Babson falling to Little East Conference champion Rhode Island College. Eastern settled for the top seed in the ECAC tournament, winning its first two tournament matches by a combined 11-0 count before dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 3 seed Coast Guard. When heavy rains made Eastern's Thomas Nevers Field grass surface unplayable, the title game was moved to Coast Guard's turf field.
The meeting with MIT will be the first ever against the Enginees for Eastern. The Warriors and Beavers have met only once, Eastern coming away with a 1-0 win in the opening round of the 1969 NAIA New England Tournament (its 14th straight win without a loss) at the old Alumni Field. Babson has appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments.
The Warriors return ten letterwinners (six starters) under third-year head coach Greg DeVito (26-11-6 record) and are the pre-season coaches' favorite to capture their second conference title in three years. Last year, they were ranked as high as second in New England and 13th nationally during a 14-game unbeaten streak -- one better than an unbeaten produced by MIT a year ago. Eastern's 15 wins overall last year equaled the second-most in a season in program history. The Warriors (15-4-3) were the No. 1 seed in the ECAC New England Division III Tournament, marking the first time since 1975 that they qualified for post-season play two consecutive seasons.
This year, Eastern is led by seniors Nicholas Boretti (Marshfield, MA), Maxim Fantl (West Hartford), and Chris Bourdeau (Thompson), and sophomores Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) and Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA). Last year's LEC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, Fantl is a three-time all-conference pick at forward and a two-time all-region pick. Boretti is a two-time all-conference pick at midfield and forward. Bourdeau was named to the all-conference team in his first season last year after transferring from Assumption College. Appel finished second in the conference in goals-against average and save percentage and was third in shutouts. Smiles was named all-conference in his first season and is the lone returning starter on defense
Top losses include second-team All-America defender Kyle Bedini and all-conference defenders Jimmy McConville and Bill Constantine.
Joining centerback Smiles defensively this year will be four freshmen: Jon DeCasonova (Glastonbury), Bradley Fletcher (Middletown), Dan Fish (Marlborough) and Kyle Smith (Ledyard). Bourdeau will be in the middle at midfield and will be joined by sophomore Sean Collins (Bristol), freshman Nick Miller (Northborough, MA) and Fish. Senior Sean Capezzone (Colchester), sophomores Matt Esposito (East Haven) and Scott Mishley (Bridgeport) and freshmen Cory Tobler (Portland) and first-year sophomore Matt Furman (Montville) will share time on the wing. Capezzone appeared in only five games last year due to an early-season injury.
Fantl and Boretti will return up front and will get help from Capezzone, Tobler, Furman and freshman Glenn Melzen (Glastonbury).
Four keepers are on this year's roster, with freshman Jordan Munsell (Waterford) the best bet to back up Appel.
