University of the Cumberlands Men's Soccer 08-09 Preview

The Patriots men’ soccer team finished last season with a 12-8-1 record and a conference finish of 4-1. The Patriots also finished 4-5-1 against nationally ranked top 25 teams, playing the top ranked schedule in the nation. A Cumberlands first in the history of the men’s soccer program was notched as three Patriots earned the honors of being named to the NAIA All-Region XI team as well as NAIA All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Cumberlands graduated eight seniors including NAIA All-Americans Gino Ray (Slidell, LA) and Joe Townsend (Halifax, England) as well as Bosko Cupac (Somerset, KY) who will join the women’s soccer coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Patriot Head Coach Paulo Neto said, “Joe was the anchor of our defense, Bosko was our consistency and creativity in the midfield, and Gino was our top scorer. Needless to say, they will be very hard to replace and it will definitely take our entire team to step up to fill the gaps their departure is going to cause.”

An outstanding class of freshmen will join the program in the fall including two Kentucky high school All-Stars and four players with international experience. On top of that, look for several other new faces to join the program that have tremendous potential and with the right training will, more than likely, eventually become impact players as well. The Patriots also have eight returning starters coming back in the fall, with six of those registered as seniors and two as juniors. Junior Luis Souza (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) will anchor the returnees. Souza earned Mid-South Conference, NAIA Region XI, and NAIA Honorable Mention honors in 07. At the forward position, he played in 19 games scoring nine goals and aiding on four others. Senior Mid-South Conference honoree John Mills (Derby, England) will lead the Patriots midfielders for his final season. Other key starters should include: Sean Aspenlind (Sacramento, CA), Blazej Skoczyolas (Ontario, Canada), Jordan Dagley (Somerset, KY), Lokahi Bounds (Honolulu, HI), Marcio Farias (Sorocaba, Brazil), and Igor Petsch (Bogota, Columbia).

With pre-season starting August 16 th, there will only be two weeks for the players to get ready for the first official game of the season. Coach Neto said, “This will be a tough task to accomplish. It’s just not enough time to give the team an ideal preparation, but we will be ready. We have a game plan when it comes to our system of play. More importantly, however, is our team philosophy. The system may change every game, or even during the game to fit the characteristics of the players, but the essence of how we play will stay the same.” The game plan, the goal, the scheme is one in the same for Neto and his team, win the Mid-South Conference Tournament. That plan, goal, and scheme will have to begin in the pre-season if the Patriots are to experience the success they so look to achieve. In addition, new rules will certainly impact Cumberlands in 08 as well. This season the qualification process for the NAIA National Tournament has changed. Beginning in the fall of 2008, the Mid-South Conference Tournament champion automatically qualifies for the first round of the NAIA National Tournament which is going to be played regionally. Coach Neto is excited about the new change. “This change will add a new dynamic to our conference games and in my book has increased our chances to achieve this milestone for our program,” said Neto.

When asked about the upcoming season, Neto stated, “Lindsey Wilson is always the team to beat, not only in our conference or region, but nationwide. The way I see it, they force us to be better every year and the strength of their program has a lot to do with the excellence we are creating at UC. NAIA men’s soccer is without a doubt as good as it gets when it comes to college soccer in the United States.”

As the Patriots are calling last season the “Unfinished Season,” Coach Neto and the rest of the coaching staff are looking to improve off of last year’s season and to pursue a Mid-South Conference Championship to finish the job and the season right. Finishing 07 playing their best soccer and having been eliminated from a NAIA appearance should provide extra motivation for the 08 Patriots to accomplish their “Unfinished” goals. “ I believe things happen for a reason and we hope that all the drawbacks we experienced in 2007 have made us stronger and more worthy of accomplishing our goals in 2008,” said Neto.

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