Tulsa Men's Soccer 2003 Season Outlook
8/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 26, 2003
One year ago, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's soccer team once again established itself as one of the top-25 programs in the nation. TU began the season with an overtime victory over 15th-ranked Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the season opener and then won three more games to post the best start in school history.
Next, Tulsa shocked the nation by knocking off top-ranked Stanford on the Cardinal's home field. The Golden Hurricane's success did not go unnoticed on the national level as TU received the highest national ranking in school history of No. 12 and was the top-ranked team in the Midwest Region heading into conference play. Tulsa faltered a bit in the always-tough Missouri Valley Conference and wrapped up the year with a 10-9 overall record and a sixth-place 4-5 MVC mark.
With all the success TU gained last season, the 2003 Golden Hurricane squad will look to not only match last year's early success, but maintain it through an entire season. Tulsa returns 13 letterwinners, including eight starters, and features eight newcomers. The Hurricane also welcomes back 96-percent of its scoring offense.
Last season, the Hurricane set a goal of winning one game at a time. Although 2003 is a new season, the Hurricane will once again set it sights on winning one contest at a time.
"Once again our goal is to win one game at a time and to not look ahead," Tulsa's ninth-year Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. "Last season, we started out well, but we began to look ahead when we opened up MVC play and I think we lost sight a bit. The difference between teams in our conference from top to bottom is so small, so there is no room for error."
A foursome of seniors returns to guide Tulsa to another promising season of soccer. Leading the way will be three-year starters Mario Gonzalez and Stephen Warwick, along with Kris Glasser and Bryan Rudd. These four seniors would like nothing more than to conclude their careers with a MVC Championship and a run in the NCAA Tournament.
"Our team has its goals, but we also have what we call the "prize" which is a conference title. Winning a championship in the MVC is a tall order with all the great teams, but we feel like we're capable of doing it. We also want to make a trip to the NCAA Tournament and compete for a national title. We proved that we could play at that level last year," McIntosh said.
"This year, we need to be more disciplined in our play, take fewer chances and make fewer critical mistakes on our half of the field. We are a very good attacking team and we proved that by scoring a lot of goals during the spring. We return all of our scorers and I believe that we will give teams a lot of problems this fall," McIntosh added.
Forwards
The Golden Hurricane attack begins with its forwards and it all starts with TU's "Dynamic Duo" of junior Kyle Brown and sophomore Ryan Pore.
Last season, Brown became the school's first-ever back-to-back all-MVC first team performer after scoring six goals and five assists for 17 points. Brown was second in both goals and points and was first on the team in assists. A two-year letterwinner and starter who has started all 37 games of his career, Brown's career numbers include 13 goals and nine assists for 35 points. He was also named to the NSCAA all-Midwest Region third team last year.
In his first season, Pore started 17 of 19 games and led TU in scoring and goals with nine goals and one assist for 19 points. He posted five game-winning goals and recorded two of TU's three goals against Stanford. He was named to the all-MVC second team and to the all-newcomer squad.
Also competing for playing time and possibly a starting spot at a third forward is Glasser and Jonathan Lange.
Glasser has evolved into a "sixth man" for TU as he was the first player off the bench last year. He will vie for a starting spot or may resume his role similar to last season. Glasser is a three-year letterwinner who has played in 41 career games with nine starts. His career numbers include four goals and three assists for 11 points. Lange transferred to Tulsa from North Carolina where he redshirted his freshman season and will still have four years of eligibility remaining.
"Our strength this year is in our forwards and midfielders," said McIntosh. "Kyle and Ryan are both becoming better players with their ability to create better chances for each other. I think they are one of the best forward combinations in the country. Kyle is a 'game changer' as he can change the complexion of an entire game and he has become very good at it. Ryan knows where to score goals and puts himself in good position to finish. He is getting a lot better with setting up teammates and making everyone around him better players.
"Kris will play a lot either up front or in the left midfield. He is very quick in tight spaces and dangerous inside the penalty box. Jonathan is a good target player. He has quick feet and is very good in the air. Jonathan came in during the spring and was able to learn our system, so he could play quite a bit," McIntosh added.
Midfielders
Tulsa's midfield spots are solid from top to bottom with a total of five veterans holding down key positions. TU's center midfield is in the hands of seniors Gonzalez and classmate Warwick.
A three-year letterwinner and starter, Gonzalez has started 53 of 54 career games and boasts career numbers of 11 goals and 13 assists for 35 points. He will move from the defensive midfield spot to the front as an attacking midfielder this season. He is also the team caption.
Warwick and Gonzalez will basically switch places in 2003. Last year, Warwick played the attacking midfield role, but will move to the defensive midfield this season. He is also a three-year letterwinner and starter who has started 54 of 57 career games. Warwick's career numbers include 11 goals and 16 assists for 38 points, and needs just two assists to move into TU's top-10 career list.
Competing for playing time and perhaps a starting spot either at center midfield or in another spot in the midfield is freshman Matt Thomas, while sophomore Matt Wiley will compete for playing minutes in the center midfield.
A native of Oklahoma City, Thomas is a good passer with excellent field vision and speed. Last season, Wiley played in four games and recorded one assist. He will look to provide quality depth to the center midfield positions.
Playing opposite of each other at the right and left midfield positions will be the senior Rudd and junior Jamie Dabney, respectively, while redshirt sophomore Justin Roman and redshirt freshman Haden Snyder, will push the upperclassmen for playing time. Dabney is a two-year letterwinner and starter who has started 35 of 37 career games. His career numbers include five goals and four assists for 14 points. Last season, he started in all 19 games and notched three goals and three assists for nine points. Dabney's goals and points were the third best effort on the team, while he tied for second in assists.
Rudd is a very versatile player who gives Tulsa its most consistent serve from the right side. He is a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter who has started 38 of 54 career games. His career numbers include two goals and five assists for nine points. A year ago, he earned starts in all 19 games and registered one goal and three assists for five points. His three assists tied him for second on the team. Roman and Snyder each received a redshirt last season and earned valuable experience as practice players.
A pair of incoming freshmen who will battle for playing time are Brian McCurdy and Michael Clarke.
McCurdy is another player who can play a number of different positions on the team, and may in fact see minutes in many different areas of the field during his first season. Clarke is an ambidextrous player who played on a Region IV team during his prep career.
"Our midfield is filled with very experienced players and quality depth," McIntosh said. "Mario had a very good spring and probably played the best he's every played since he has been at Tulsa. He will create chances for others and he finishes very well. Stevie has excellent field vision and is one of our best passers. He spreads the ball around and helps us maintain possession. His role this season will be to do the 'dirty work' on the team as a defensive midfielder. Matt Thomas and Matt Wiley will compete for playing time. Matt Thomas is a solid distributor of the ball and he has a great work rate. Matt Wiley is a very crafty player with good field vision.
"Jamie covers a lot of ground and has the ability to beat people on the dribble, while Bryan is very good at getting from the back to the front of the attack quickly. Justin and Haden are very similar players. Both players needed some time to develop and it paid off as both of them had really great spring seasons. Brian is a very dangerous player who leaves everything on the field. Both Brian and Michael will compete for playing time and could see a lot of minutes. Michael played at a high level before he came to college. He is very skillful and has great stamina," McIntosh added.
Defenders
Tulsa's defense looks to be in solid hands with the return of a pair of two-year starters in juniors Michael Haynes and Scott Kincaid.
Haynes will play on the right side of the defense and draw the opponent's top player to mark. He is a two-year letterwinner and starter who has started 36 of 38 career games. Last season, Haynes started all 19 games and attempted three shots from his defender position. He was named the team's Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Kincaid will play opposite of Haynes on the left side. Kincaid's strength is his ability to attack out the back and get forward. A two-year letterwinner and starter, Kincaid has started 35 of 38 career games and has career numbers of one goal and three assists for five points. A year ago, he started 18 of 19 games and chalked up one goal and two assists for four points.
After a successful spring season, sophomore Joe Wear will look to crack the starting lineup on the TU defense. Wear played in six games last season and earned starting assignments against Vanderbilt and #5 SMU.
Another sophomore who will compete for playing time is Drew Williamson. Williamson has played mostly in the center midfield, but could play as a right back this year. Last season, he played in 13 contests and scored one goal and recorded one assist for three points.
A pair of freshmen will push for playing time. Oklahoma City native Anthony Holloway and Cary Wicker will look to crack the lineup during their first season. While Holloway is a very athletic defender, Wicker's size will allow him to play either as a defender or midfielder.
"Michael is one of the best 'man markers' anywhere. He can shut people down. He is also very fast and good in the air. Scott is a great one-on-one defender who also marks very well and is tough. Joe really came on during the spring and developed more of an understanding of our system. He communicates and organizes very well," McIntosh said.
"I thought Drew was one of the few freshmen who got better as the season went on. He had a good spring and should play a lot this season. Anthony can play on either side. He is very proficient as a marker and in the air as well. For a big kid, Cary has good speed and is very mobile and versatile. His position will be based on team needs," McIntosh said.
Goalkeepers
Perhaps the lone question mark of the 2003 team will be in goal. And while the goalkeeper is a very important position on the field, Tulsa has two players battling for the starting spot.
Junior Terry Boss has spent the last two seasons playing behind departed senior Brent Salter. Boss has played in just three career games, but has proven he is worthy of the starting nod.
Competing with Boss for the starting assignment is sophomore transfer Justin Durst. Durst came to Tulsa from TCU, where men's soccer was recently de-emphasized to a club sport. Durst is very familiar to the Golden Hurricane lineup and has proven himself in pressure situations. Last season during the Microtel Inn & Suites/Golden Hurricane Kickoff Classic, Durst came in for the Horned Frogs in the second half with a 1-0 deficit against Tulsa. Although TU prevailed 1-0, Durst collected five saves and kept the Hurricane off the scoreboard despite his team playing with just eight players.
"Both Terry and Justin are competing for the starting position and I might not name a starter until the preseason or very early in the season. It's that tight of a race," McIntosh said.
"Terry has great size and is a exceptional shot stopper. He has very good footwork and is very quick. Justin is very athletic. He has the highest vertical jump on our team. He is a solid shot stopper and communicates very well," McIntosh added.
