Northwestern University Athletics
Q & A Season Preview With Head Coach Tim Lenahan
8/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 10, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After only three days of practice together, Northwestern will take to the field against another opponent in its exhibition opener at 10 a.m. Saturday at Marquette. This is the first of three exhibition matches for the Wildcats, who open their regular-season Friday, August 25 at home against Hofstra in day one of the Lakeside Classic.
The Wildcats enter this season with 21 returning letterwinners and seven starters back from a 2005 team that went 9-7-2, one year after posting the best season in school history in 2004. That list includs two 2005 all-Big Ten selections in Brad North and David Roth along with a healthy Gerardo Alvarez, a two-time all-conference selection and the 2003 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Combine that with a talented incoming recruiting class, ranked 21st in nation by collegesoccernews.com, and the Wildcats seemed poised to make a serious run in the Big Ten and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to the start of preseason practice, NUsports.com sat down with head coach Tim Lenahan to get his impressions and expectations for the 2006 season:
NUSports.com: After enjoying the best season in program history two years ago (15-6-2), how hungry is this team to get back to the NCAA Tournament and show the nation they are better than its 9-7-2 record indicated?
Coach Lenahan: "Despite our record, we were within a win or two of making the NCAA Tournament. That same record the year before would have been good enough to get us in the dance since the Big Ten was so strong. We need to keep everything in perspective in that 2005 was our second winning season ever (since Big Ten play began in 1991) and our second-best season ever--playing a very difficult schedule. We were ranked in the top 25 during the year and probably finished ranked in the top 25 percent of all programs. This is just four years from a program that went 35 games without a win in 2000-01. We lost our starting goalie (Justin Pines), starting center midfielder (Will Nicholas) and had the Big Ten's leading scorer (Gerardo Alvarez) playing injured all year. That being said, I think our team is very hungry to get back among the nation's elite programs. I think you will see a more disciplined, determined and focused team."
NUSports.com: Describe your coaching philosophy and what makes playing soccer at NU so special ...
Coach Lenahan: "My coaching philosophy has been the same wherever I have coached--and that is to create a family environment where players feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves. I want players who have the commitment level, character and talent to make Northwestern soccer one of the most important things in their lives."
NUSports.com: Are you looking for any of your newcomers to step in right away and contribute?
Coach Lenahan: "Our freshmen class is one of our most talented to date. College Soccer News had this group ranked 21st in the country in terms of recruiting class. As mentioned, Eamon O'Neill comes to us as a scorer that brings a tremendous amount of energy and competitiveness that should make an impact on the Big Ten. Mark Blades is a very steady player in midfield or defense and was the Ohio Player of the Year and a High School All-American. Pat Coleman is a very athletic central defender who will be an excellent player for us and hopefully can help us right away. Kevin Valenta and Drew Pavlovich bring a high soccer IQ and soccer savvy to our team and should be good players in the not-to-distant future. Lastly, Dan Pydo, a transfer and fifth-year senior, brings us the one thing our team is missing: experience on the defensive side of the ball. We are hoping that Dan's leadership and experience will help us to replace our 10 seniors who graduated last year."
NUSports.com: Talk about the offensive firepower you have coming back and how important they are in determining your success this season ...
Coach Lenahan: "Gerardo's injury last year kept him from being the player he is and it definitely had an effect on Brad North and Dave Roth's productivity. After off-season surgery, we are hoping to have the "G" of old. I think this, with both Brad and Dave's game maturing, will make us a very dangerous offensive team. Dave is one of the best assist guys in the country, averaging 10 assists per year in his first two years and Brad is big central striker that will move among NU's all-time leading goal scorers before the year is over. Add into that mix freshman Eamon O'Neill, Dan Chille, who is arguably the best one vs. one player in the Big Ten and the return of Will Nicholas, and you have some guys who can score some goals."
NUSports.com: Talk about your competition at goalkeeper and are you looking for a starter to emerge or do you like playing more than one? "We have four goalkeepers competing for the position so I am interested to see how the keepers have grown over last year. Will Briley was the most consistent for us in the spring, Misha Rosenthal most capable of making the spectacular save and Justin Pines the most experience having started every game his sophomore year in 2004. Rich Nassif brings a tremendous amount of energy and organization to the position. I am hoping that one keeper separates himself during the preseason, but if we have to play several to get it done, that will work as well."
NUSports.com: Talk about the competition in the Big Ten this year and how challenging you expect the league to be in 2006 ...
Coach Lenahan: "As always, the Big Ten is one of the premier conferences in the country--whereas in the past it might have been Indiana, Penn State and everyone else. I think top-to-bottom it may be the strongest conference with no weak teams. I think each team has a legitimate chance to win the league. Penn State is the defending champion, Indiana is the premier program in the country, Wisconsin returns all its players, and Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State always field tough teams."
NUSports.com: Do you think you have a good mix of non-conference teams to get you prepared for the conference season?
Coach Lenahan: "We open our season with six difficult non-conference opponents. Hofstra has won the Colonial Athletic Association championship each of the last two years. We follow that with Dayton, one of the top programs in the A-10. Santa Clara is one of the elite programs in the country and UC Irvine is listed among the teams to watch for this year. Drake and Bradley are two tough Missouri Valley Conference opponents to end our first six games. We will have a good idea where we stand after those six games. The rest of our non conference schedule consists of Chicago area teams. Many of our players have played with and against their players in club soccer so there is a familiarity that makes for intense rivalries."
NUSports.com: What other areas of this year's team do you see vital to your success?
Coach Lenahan: "I think the key to our season is the growth of our sophomore and junior class. Tyler Voigt, Carl Pett, Chris Kammo and Geoff Fallon all had great springs and I am hopeful they can continue that trend. Drew Ratner, Matt Witt and Brian Usinger have been waiting for their chance to lead our defense and they will certainly get their chance this year. It is great to have veteran players as well to add depth to the team and we certainly have that in John Carlstedt, Kyle Moore, Jeff Mills and Clark Kiesling. All are excellent leaders off the field and have a great chance to make an impact.
"All in all, there is a lot of optimism heading into the year."
