Aug. 8, 2001
A year ago, as the San Diego State men's soccer program went through its `changing of the guards' so to speak, the watchword on the Mesa was - New.
The team was getting acquainted with a new coaching staff with new ideas and goals, and as the 2000 squad assembled for fall camp the new faces went much deeper than just the coaching staff. The team greeted 12 newcomers to be exact. On top of that, the program was preparing to compete in a new facility.
A year later the newness has faded.
"The novelty has worn off and things have settled into more of a routine," said second-year head coach Lev Kirshner. "You never know how to be a head coach until you sit in that position and see what it's like. Now I know what to expect and we can be a more settled program. Everyone is more comfortable."
Another comforting factor is that the team returns seven starters and 11 letterwinners from that very unfamiliar squad that took to the practice field this time last year. These numbers give Kirshner and his staff plenty of talent and depth.
Having this depth is a very important step toward helping the program achieve its long- term goal of returning to the program's successes of old, successes that saw the Aztecs make a number of NCAA Tournament appearances with some of the nation's best soccer athletes.
"It's very exciting to have the roster numbers we do right now," said Kirshner. "I feel we have enough depth in our program that we should see great things begin to happen."
The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2001 Aztec squad.
Forward
Many look at the forward position as one of the most important, depthwise, on the field. This year's Aztec squad could defy that school of thought, listing only a few forwards on its preseason roster.
The Aztecs plan on moving senior Enrique Tovar up front after the he spent most of the 2000 campaign in the midfield.
Tovar, who transferred into the program a year ago from De Anza College, should have no trouble making the adjustment as he was the team's leading scorer a season ago. Tovar earned 14 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 18 matches on the way to all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors.
"Enrique is one of our most versatile attacking-type players," said Kirshner. "He has proven he can play the attacking center midfield and defensive center midfield and I think he will be a natural fit for the spot up front. Our objective will be to groom him into the responsibility. With his personality and abilities, I think he's going to jump on that."
Also expected to split time between the forward and midfield positions is Kevin Sapanli whose 2000 numbers (one goal, one assist in four matches) are deceiving, says Kirshner.
"Kevin is going to shake up the teams we play," the second-year coach said. "He hasn't seen much time on the field with us and people have forgotten about him. He was a big-time player as a youth and went away to Europe to refine his game and now I think he's really going to open some eyes. It's going to be a real pleasure to watch him and Enrique combine forces."
While many critics would be opposed to leaving a frontline so thin, the the Azecs should get enough of a scoring punch to make things interesting and will be backed by the more than deep and talented midfield.
Midfield
"Depth is wonderful for the competitive nature of winning and maintaining a starting job," said Kirshner.
And in no spot on the 2001 squad is depth more evident than in the midfield. The team lists eight players at this spot on its preseason chart, half of which are returnees.
"We have created depth in the wide positions where we were thin last year due to injuries. Very young players were put in places they were not ready for yet. Those players have now had a year to develop."
Back for his junior season is local product Travis Baker, who started in 16 matches for the Aztecs in 2001, earning a spot on the MPSF all-academic team.
"Travis has the ability to play any spot on the field", said Kirshner. "My hope is he will be a solidifying factor in the midfield."
Also being looked upon as a solidifying factor will be sophomore Carlos Menjivar, from nearby Chula Vista. Menjivar was one of the players who stepped up as a freshman to help cure the injury bug and scored two goals and an assist (five points). He is a very proficient shooter with half of his shots in 2000 being on goal.
"Carlos showed fantastic ability as a freshman," said Kirshner. "He has the kind of energy and talent that makes our midfield so strong."
Also back is sophomore Chris Novak, from Charlottesville, Va., who saw action in nine matches in 2000.
Four of the squad's eight newcomers should also compete for immediate playing time in the midfield, including Eric Wohl and Nick Natale.
Wohl is a two-time all-CIF honoree who finished his prep career at nearby Rancho Bernardo High School with 63 goals, 35 of which came during his senior year.
"Eric will help us tremendously," said Kirshner. "He has excellent ball-handling skills, speed and a knack for finding the goal."
Natale comes to the Mesa from the state of Oregon and fills the team's need for left-footed players. He garnered conference player of the year and all-state honors and finished his high school career as a top-10 point scorer in the conference's record book.
With this kind of depth in the midfield SDSU should be able to put considerable pressure on the ball and likewise its opponent's defensive units.
Defense
Options on the defensive side of the ball will be many in 2001.
"We have a number of players that will be fighting for three or four spots depending on what defensive scheme we use," said Kirshner. "Again depth will bring about healthy competition for these starting jobs."
This season the Aztecs will again call on the services of sophomores Jon Povey and Ryan Curtis, whose size and strength anchored the defense a year ago.
"Both Jon and Ryan did an outstanding job for us last year and exceeded our expectations," said Kirshner.
The veteran in the backfield will be junior Tyler Tinling, he moved from forward to defender last year. The second-team all-MPSF pick started 13 matches in 2000.
Also entering the mix will be sophomore Jeff Whitton, who saw action in only four contests last season due to illness and injury and who Kirshner says made considerable improvement during spring ball.
New to the defensive corps will be 6' 2" junior college transfer Adam Kulpa from Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz.
Also new to the fold is two-time all-CIF recipient freshman Drew Picone.
Goalkeeper
Returning at goalkeeper are junior Brian Barnes and senior Tim Edwards.
Barnes was the team's primary starter a year ago, recording a season-record 90 saves, a mark that put him third on the program's career saves list with 154 stops and earned him first-team all-MPSF honors.
"I feel confident in saying that Brian is one of the top young keepers in the country," said Kirshner. "I'm expecting even bigger things from him this season."
Fighting for playing time alongside Barnes is 6' 2" senior Tim Edwards. Although he saw considerably less playing time than Barnes in 2000, he had good showings against top programs. He spent all 90 minutes in the net versus fifth-ranked Portland, recording seven saves and earned the first shutout of his career against UNLV.
"Tim is an ultimate talent," Kirshner said. "He comes back for his senior year and is going to be driven and motivated. I'm expecting him to fight Brian for the starting job."
"I could put our two goalkeepers in any program in the country and I know they would succeed," said Kirshner. "We have healthy competition at this spot and that excites me."
Newcomer Colin Hanke, a junior transfer from Washington, brings even more depth to the net and should learn a lot from his fellow upperclassmen.
Schedule
As the Aztecs strive toward their goal to return to the status of one the nation's best programs, they plan to do so by playing some of the nation's best teams.
In its 2001 campaign, SDSU will face five teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, including conference opponent San Jose State which spent time atop the national rankings last season.
The Aztecs' non-conference slate sees them host 2000 tournament participants UCLA, Brown, CSU Fullerton and San Diego (USD). Brown advanced to the round of eight at last year's national championship.
"This season we have one of the best schedules this program has ever had," said Kirshner. "In terms of the quality of teams we are going to play it is a fantastic schedule. What makes it even better is that teams like UCLA, Brown and USD come to our field."
SDSU has a clear-cut home field advantage in 2001, hosting 13 home matches starting with its season opener against Santa Clara on Aug. 31.
The September home stand includes the USD/SDSU Tournament in which the Aztecs host Hofstra on the 14th and Albany on the 16th. The October schedule is similar with five of eight matches coming at home, including UCLA on the 7th.
"This home-heavy schedule gives us a great opportunity to win many ball games," said Kirshner. "This is significant when it comes to turning the corner with this program."
The team takes the show on the road only a handful of times in 2001. September sees them travel to Oregon with matches against Gonzaga and Oregon State in the Diadora Classic. In October, the team heads to conference foes San Jose State and Fresno State as well as a non-conference tilt at CSU Fullerton.
The team's regular-season travel schedule concludes in November with a MPSF match at CSU Sacramento on the 4th, followed by the conference championship on Nov. 8-11. The conference tournament will be hosted by Fresno State, with all eight teams competing in the single-elimination bracket.
The Aztecs close the season at home against USD on Nov. 18.
Conference play gets underway on Oct. 12 with the first of four home MPSF contests coming against Denver. The Aztecs also host Air Force, UNLV and New Mexico at the Sports Deck.
"I'm excited about our conference schedule," said Kirshner. "My outlook on our chances in league play is a very positive one. There's very little reason why we can't compete for the championship."
Add these schedule factors to a team with as much depth and talent as the 2001 squad boasts and things should get interesting.
And success will once again become a more familiar face on the Mesa.