Aug. 24, 2006

ERIE, Pa. - The 2006 edition of Mercyhurst men's soccer will look to build upon the success that recent Laker teams have enjoyed. The Keith Cammidge era has brought great success to the Erie campus the last four years during which the Lakers made the NCAA Tournament as the top seed from the Great Lakes Region, made the Final Four, were ranked No. 1 in the nation, were crowned conference champs three years in a row, and compiled a combined 54-16-7 record.

The Lakers will have no shortage of talent returning in 2006. Five players earned All-GLIAC status in 2005: Jason Pedra, Andy Tait, Zach Hiltner, Daniel Mudd and Kyle Jackson. The team also returns 79 percent of its goals, 69 percent of its assists and 79 percent of its points from 2005.

MIDFIELD
Mercyhurst should be especially strong in the midfield this season with three returning All-GLIAC performers. Senior Jason Pedra is a three-time All-GLIAC selection. He led the Lakers with four assists and was third with both three goals and 11 points. For his career, Pedra has 22 goals and 12 assists. Kyle Jackson was named All-GLIAC after leading the Lakers with eight goals and 17 points. The junior has 13 career goals and eight assists for 34 points. Zach Hiltner also returns after scoring five goals and tallying 11 points, both second on the team. The three-time All-GLIAC pick has 13 career scores and 31 points.

Three other seniors also return in the midfield. Bjorn Alnaes started all 20 games in the midfield last year. Two of his four career goals are game-winners. Matt Richards played in 15 games and scored his first career points with a pair of assists. Dan Young played in 12 games and joined Alnaes and Richards on the GLIAC All-Academic team.

DEFENSE
Andy Tait will lead the Laker backline after earning his second career All-GLIAC honor. Also an All-Great Lakes Region selection in 2005, Tait has played in all 58 games in his career. He scored his first career point with an assist last season. Jeffrey Powell, a sophomore, also played in all 20 games last season for Mercyhurst.

Michael Nelson played in 13 games as a freshman in 2005. Nicholas Thompson saw limited action as a freshman, appearing in just five games.

FORWARD
Tyler Emerick is the lone returnee with extensive experience after appearing in 20 games as a freshman. He scored two goals and assisted on two others in his rookie campaign. Senior Shotaro Itaya scored one goal on one shot last season, giving him three career goals on four shots. Sean Spangler scored one goal while appearing in seven games as a freshman.

GOALKEEPING
The return of sophomore Daniel Mudd gives the Lakers a strong presence in net. As a freshman in 2005, he played all 1914:03 in goal for Mercyhurst, earning second team All-GLIAC accolades. He blanked six opponents in his first season with a 1.13 goals against average and stopped 76 shots. David Smith, who also played tennis at Mercyhurst as a freshman, will concentrate full-time on soccer as Mudd's backup.

NEWCOMERS Although Coach Cammidge has a history of downplaying expectations of any newcomer to the program, there is a quiet confidence that there are some talented players moving to the `Hurst who are capable of pushing the program even more. "I think we have a nice blend of American and foreign players on the team that, hopefully, will continue what's been a positive soccer experience at Mercyhurst. We've created a program of quality and consistency that should be successful again next season."

Players competing for time this season include forward Kurt Young, midfielders Stephen Duggan, Rabii Karanouh and David Moehle, back Justin McInturff and goalkeeper Shane Hoyne.