Men's Soccer youthful, experienced
After reaching the NCAA tournament last year, a young and hungry Men's Soccer team will be looking to make a return trip.
The Eagles will look to build on the successes of the past year with leading scorer Andrew Herman and leading assist man Shawn Kuykendall returning.
Herman was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2001 and a member of the All-Patriot League First Team last year. He scored a total of 11 goals, five of them game winners, and seven assists for a total of 29 points. Kuykendall was also a member of the All-Patriot League First Team, scoring seven goals, four of them game winners, and 11 assists. Both players will be important pieces for this coming season.
Last year the Eagles posted a 13-7-2 record with key victories over Georgetown, Boston College, Ohio State, Penn State and George Washington. The team's season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Maryland in a 1-0 loss. The Eagles have been to the NCAA Tournament seven times and hold a record of 10-7 in the Tournament. The closest AU has come to the National Championship was in 1985 when the Eagles lost in eight overtimes to UCLA, 1-0. Then, in 2001 the Eagles made it to the Sweet 16 and lost to eventual champ UNC.
Last year was a great year for the Eagles, but with seven starters and a total of 15 players graduating, the team will have a brand new look. Senior Brett Niebling will most likely lead the team as the only returning senior. Nine juniors and six sophomores join him. AU adds nine new faces to the team with eight freshmen and one sophomore transfer.
Head Coach Todd West has had a successful record of 33-24-6 in three seasons with the Eagles. He has taken the Eagles to the Tournament two years in a row and is also the fastest coach in AU's history to reach 30 wins. West is joined by assistants Gary Kingsley and Nick Stames.
The Eagles kick off their season on Aug. 20 at 4 p.m. against University of Maryland-Baltimore County at Reeves Field.
- ANDY VASQUEZ
Field Hockey prepares for PL action
This season the Women's Field Hockey team is prepared to go all the way-into the NCAA Tournament, that is, according to Head Coach Steve Jennings.
"This year we're going to get over the hump and win the Patriot League [Tournament]," Jennings said.
Should the team win the PL Championship, they would receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Although the team is young, with seven incoming freshmen and six sophomore starters returning, the playing experience is there, according to Jennings.
"We're young, but we have full potential," Jennings said.
The two seniors are likely to be the natural leaders of the team in their final season. Goalkeeper Lauren Miller and forward Melissa Snyder have both the offensive and defensive ends of the field covered. Senior Erin Silliman will not be returning for her last season at AU due to a prior back injury. However, she will still be a valuable asset to the team from the sidelines.
Sophomore Maureen Daniel is expected to step up again this season at the forward spot she started in all 18 games last year.
"[Daniel] is a workhorse in the middle of the field," Jennings said. "She's a strong player."
The freshmen will fill a variety of positions with three forwards, one midfield, two defense players and one goalkeeper. Jennings focused on recruiting mostly forwards for the 2003 season to help increase the scoring percentage.
"We tried to get more forward positions to get more goals, and we were lucky this year to have three sign," said Jennings. "Our defense has definitely been solid in the past years."
The Eagles travel to the University of Virginia for their first scrimmage on Aug. 23 at 1 p.m. The season opener will be against St. Joseph's University at Georgetown on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m.
- LAURA RANDISI
