2010 Men's Soccer Season Preview

The 2010 edition of the Adrian College Men’s Soccer program, comprised of what could be one of the youngest rosters in the country, will looks to flip their 7-10-3 record of ’09 into a winning one. The team’s roster under second year head coach Chris LeFevre graduated only two players that started multiple games and returns only three upperclassmen, compared to 21 underclassmen.

The upperclassmen are led by senior goalkeeper and captain Alex Pavlika (Temperance, Mich./Bedford). Pavlika, a team Co-MVP, started all 20 games last season which included six shutouts and led the MIAA in total saves and saves per game. “He is one of the leaders that does it with good habits,” Coach LeFevre said. “He’s a 3.0 student and does a very good job of balancing academics and athletics. He’s one of the top goalkeepers in the conference and it’s because of his lifestyle. Hopefully our young players look at him and see that’s where hard work and discipline can get you.”

The underclassmen are led by the other Co-MVP from last year, sophomore Cazz Warren (Toronto, Ont./Archbishop Romero Secondary). Warren will look to capitalize on an outstanding freshman season where he was named All-MIAA Second Team. Warren ended his freshman campaign tied for the conference lead with eight goals scored, three of which were game winners.  “Cazz was fantastic for us last year,” LeFevre said. “He really opens the game up for his teammates with his awareness, speed and work ethic. He is driven to exceed expectations, not meet them. We expect Cazz to be a leader this year and continue the growth of the Adrian Men's Soccer Program.”

Also returning after a fantastic first year is Jamie Brower (Maumee, Ohio/Maumee). Brower started and played every minute of the season last year as a freshman at the center back position. Brower scored two goals while adding an assist. Brower stepped up to the challenge as a young player coming into a new team and lead from day one. “He is definitely someone that this team needs and is building around,” LeFevre said. “He grew as the year went on and we were pleased with what we saw out of him at the end of the year.  With a year of experience under him, we expect him to be recognized as one of the better center backs in the MIAA this year.”

The two other upperclassmen, Senior Ben Enser (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk) and Junior Brian Bush (Ypsilanti, Mich./Lincoln) played pivotal roles during the 2009 season. Enser, the Coaches Award winner, scored two big goals for the black and gold. Both goals by Enser were scored within 20 seconds of coming on as a substitute. The first against Hope College in their 1-1 tie and the other was a game-winner against Trine University. Bush, awarded the Most Improved player, played left back for the first time in his career playing in all 20games, while starting in 17.

Sophomore Aaron Armstrong (Waterville, Ohio/Anthony Wayne) will look to continue his success from his first season with the bulldogs. Armstrong was second on the team in points with eight, while leading the team with four assists.

The team will also welcome in 13 freshmen to the squad this season. Coach LeFevre believes this was a big year for the bulldogs in recruiting and has high expectations from this year’s class to help solidify the foundation for the program to build on for the future. Marcus Derrick-Huie (Mississauga, Ont.), Jerelle Gosling (Mississauga, Ont.), Ryan McCarthy (Brook Park, Ohio) and Quinton Wallace (Fort Wayne, Ind.) are just a few of the newcomers that could make an impact this season for the black and gold. “We are expecting our entire freshman class to come in and make a huge impact right away,” LeFevre said. “The biggest thing for them will be their fitness levels. That is one thing the freshman class did well last season. The most important thing for our team is for every player to be consistent. If they can do that during the position battles in the pre-season, they will earn a spot on the field.”

The Bulldogs will face a tough schedule this season with matches against three schools that are ranked in the top 15 pre-season national poll, including the season opener against Rochester (#6). The team then travels the Adidas Invitational to take on Ohio Wesleyan (#13) and Capital, who received votes in this years poll. The squad will round out their first seven games with back-to-back matches against Elmhurst who received top 25 votes last season and MIAA champion Calvin (#2) who finished runner-up in the DIII tournament. “Those games early in the season are preparing us for the best teams in the MIAA,” LeFevre explained. “We have the expectation of being a top 25 team and this is showing the guys that this is what we need to do to be a top 25 team. We could have made an easier schedule but the point of a tougher schedule is the experience of playing those types of teams. If we can be a competitive team in those first six games, we will have prepared ourselves to be a very tough team to beat in the MIAA.”