Healthy team looking to improve on last year's record
The STAC men's soccer team has something to be excited about. Not only is their team healthy following an injury plagued season, but they have three of their top four scorers back from last year's team. The Spartans will have to make up for the loss of Steven Ocampo who graduated last year as the current all time* leader in goals(15), assists(16) and total points(46). The play of senior Gerald Jones, along with an influx of talented newcomers, will give STAC some new options. Jones is one shy of tying the all time* leader in the goals category with 14 over his three year career. He was the top scorer from the 2007 season with four goals and one assist, playing through injury.
Junior Jesse Trajkovski, a top returnee on the defensive end, will help fill the shoes of solid defensive player John Lumsden, who also graduated last year. Playing in the backfield along side Trajkovski is senior Steven Rozycki, who has moved to the middle of the field this season. Sophomore Christopher Hernandez, who was the STAC rookie of the year despite playing through an injury, is back after a successful recovery from knee surgery. The remainder of the backfield consists of junior Michael Felix and sophomores Brett Mielcarek and Matthew Kaminski. They will be battling for a starting role which adds an increased level of competition and intensity to the Spartan practices. Mielcarek, a transfer from Southern New Hampshire has not played a significant amount over the last two years due to injuries, but is looking to come back strong. Newcomer Edgar Barragan will be playing an outside defensive spot where he will add great speed as well as the ability to play up more on the field.
Senior captain, Andres Gomez a center midfielder for the Spartan's and true team leader will play the middle of the field along with sophomores Renan Lopes and Peter O'Malley. Lopes a key newcomer and transfer from Union Community College is a student of the game who has great field vision. O'Malley who plays more of a defensive role in center midfield is back after playing through a series of minor injuries last season. Another top creator for the Spartans will be wide out Konstantinos Sapountzis along with sophomore Giuseppe Chiarelli. Freshman Jimmy Earl possesses great speed and the ability to play either the midfield or striker positions and will be another key asset to this year's squad.
In the striker position, junior Jon Michael Nabais has returned to the Spartan's following a successful rookie season as one of the team's top scorers. Nabais spent his sophomore year at Dutchess Community College, but has returned to STAC this year as an immediate scoring threat. Freshman Remington Lee is a versatile player who plays off the ball well and will also contribute in the striker position.
Competing in goal for the Spartan's are freshmen Andrew Tartara and Nicholas Croce. Tartara, a 6'1" goalie who has played a great amount of travel and club soccer, should be able to step into the role rather quickly. Croce a 6'2" goalie with a solid build will be competing for valuable minutes this season as another top net tender.
Completing STAC's roster are freshmen; Michael Heron, Michael Kelley, William Miller and Sean O'Hara. They will be role players this season, gaining valuable experience that will help them compete for starting positions in the future.
The Spartan's will kick off their season on the road this evening against Bloomsburg University at 6:30pm. They play their first home contest on September 10th against Felician College at 3:30pm at the North Rockland Soccer Complex.
* Records are based on NCAA Division II only