Aug. 30, 2004

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi men's soccer program is coming off of their most successful season in four year's. The Panthers finished with a mark of 8-6-3 overall, including a school record eight overtime games. Adelphi also finished third in the Atlantic Soccer Conference (ASC) for the third consecutive season. However the 2004 version of the Adelphi Panthers will have a vastly different look from last year's squad. Adelphi lost three-time All-New York selection Gary Sullivan to the Major League Soccer (MLS) draft, last year's starting goalie, the team's top scorer and numerous role player's. Outlook This year's Panthers will be a mix of young players, transfers and returning veterans. "We have a talented group of players and we can have good success this season," said Head Coach Bob Montgomery, who is entering his 27th season at the helm. "It all depends on how quickly the team can come together." "If our newcomers and returners can blend early then we'll be ready to challenge for the conference title," said Montgomery. Goalkeeper The battle for starting goalkeeper duties is wide-open. Coach Montgomery has brought four goalkeepers into camp to battle with sophomore front runner Peter Ruff. "The three incoming freshmen (Matt Metzger, Rich Skoblicki, Vincent Treglia) are all top-youth players from Long Island," says Montgomery. "They all have different strengths and weaknesses." Also competing for the starting spot in the Panther net is Michael Hurley, who is both a Long Island product and a transfer from Division I power Old Dominion. Ruff has a leg up heading into camp, because he is the only goalkeeper with Adelphi playing experience. "Peter is coming off of a strong spring season, and has become a better player," said Montgomery. Defense Adelphi has two big holes to fill in the back with the loss of Sullivan to the MLS and Matt Sether to graduation. However junior co-captain Tal Lahav returns to anchor this season's defense. Lahav has appeared in every game for the Panthers since stepping foot on campus, starting all but one. "Returning we have Tal Lahav and then we have a lot of holes to fill," said Montgomery. "But we have experienced players to fill those holes." In his third season with the Panthers senior Tomas Tassara will be expected to take on a bigger role this season, after appearing in nine games in 2004. Also expected to make an impact are Einar Oddsson and Gergio Liasi. Oddsson is a youth national team defender from Iceland and could fill the gap at central defense. Liasi has competed nationally for his home country of Cyprus and can play left or central defense. Also vying for playing time will be Marin Filipovic, a solid defenseman out of Herricks High School. Midfield Despite losing two All-ASC performers from last year's midfield this might be Adelphi's deepest area of the field. The Panthers have six players coming into camp with significant collegiate experience at the midfield, the most of any position. "We're fortunate to have a very talented and versatile group of midfielders led by Tal Sheinfeld, Ron Forman, Jose Castillo, Tom Cross, Suleyman Pehlivan and Rolando Rojas," said Montgomery. Sheinfeld was the team's second leading scorer last season (11 points) and has over 45 games of collegiate experience. Both Forman and Castillo appeared in nearly every game for the Panthers last season as freshmen and bring a dangerous combination of speed and talent to the midfield.

Co-Captain Tal Sheinfeld will spark the offense.

Cross appeared in all 17 games in 2003 and should see plenty of time this season at the outside midfield, where the Panthers can use his speed and energy. Pehlivan saw action in 12 games last season at the forward spot and is being dropped back to the midfield this season where his ball control skills will help Adelphi control the pace of the game. Rojas will also see time at the midfield. Adding to the depth and competing for minutes will be Matt Smith, a transfer from Region III champion Herkimer County Community College. Also battling for field time are top Long Island products Frank Cascio, Steven Heisler, Carlos Quezada and Filippo Rappa. Maine all-state selection Andrew Worth could also see some action in the midfield. Forward Adelphi has lost every forward from last year's team, either to graduation or to a position change. However Adelphi has added a few players who could make the Panthers attack potent and very dangerous. "Our attack has been upgraded from last year with the addition of some great young players," said Montgomery. All-New York selection Rob Philippou and sophomore transfer Dieudonne Nonga add speed and finishing ability to the front line. Matt Smith and Andrew Worth could also log some minutes at the front, giving the Panthers depth and quickness at the foward spot. Schedule As usual the Panthers have a strong schedule, with road games against Syracuse University, Florida Atlantic University and FIU. But if Adelphi can break their streak of three third place conference finishes in a row and claim the top spot they'll be back in the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since 2000. Adelphi has six teams on this season's schedule who finished 2003 with a winning record and six teams who finished third of higher in their conference. The Panthers will also face two teams who participated in the 2003 Division I NCAA Tournament, and one team who finished the 2003 season ranked in the top 15 in the nation. Some of Adelphi's toughest games will come from within in it's own conference. The Panthers open their conference schedule on October 9th against Howard University at Stiles Field, and then they travel to Miami to face-off against FIU, who finished last season ranked #13 in the country. In addition the Panthers will host confernce powers Hartwick College and Oneonta State, who both finished last season with winning records. "We have a talented group in the conference this year and if our guys can blend early then we have as good a chance as anyone in the league," says Montgomery. "It'll be a challenge."