Boys Soccer Preview: MCC remains strong, but lacks stars
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| Rick Graefe photo/ Vianney captains (from left to right) Chris Garavaglia, Rico Frazier and Jon Roeckle will try to lead the Golden Griffins to the MCC championship this fall. |
While that statement remains true this fall, in a way, things have changed. The talent is still there, the coaches remain the same, but the buzz is missing.
The consensus this season is the star power is missing. There is no Will Bruin, no Michael Roach, no Zach Bauer, no Taylor Twellman, no Tommy Meyer, no Jeff DiMaria or anyone of that ilk.And that’s not to say it’s a bad thing. Instead, it’ll open an opportunity for a new cast of characters to make a name for themselves.
The league, which remains as competitive as ever, is as wide open as it’s been in a long time. With the lack of star power, the teams, on paper, appear more balanced.
This could be the year every team goes 2-2 and share the league championship.
One team looking to maybe make a run at the title is Vianney. We start our look at the MCC in Kirkwood with the Golden Griffins.
Vianney (18-9-2 overall, 2-2 league)
A true testament to how tough the MCC can be is the fact Vianney finished last two consecutive years and still managed to make the Class 3 final four. One year, they fell to rival Christian Brothers College High in the title game. The following season, they finished fourth after losing to Lafayette in the semifinals and Kansas City powerhouse Rockhurst in the third-place game.
This year, coach Dave Gauvain would like to see his kids compete and capture the MCC title.
“We put a lot of stock into it,” Gauvain said. “We try to get them (the players) to realize we need to beat teams like this (to compete for a state title).”
For too long, the Golden Griffins have been an also-ran in the MCC. The two years they made it to the final four they went the “outstate” route, while the other four league members gobbled one another up at some point before the final four.
As the season nears, Gauvain feels this group could be the one to put all the pieces together and return Vianney to a higher perch.
Leading the way is senior captain Rico Frazier and junior captains Chris Garavaglia and Jon Roeckle. Gauvain points to those three as the examples the rest of the team follows.
All three of them are at home on different parts of the pitch, as Frazier is a center midfielder, Garavaglia is in the back and Roeckle is up top.
“All three are such good, hard working kid,” he said. “They set a good example. We’re excited about that.
“We’ve got a talented group, it’s not just those three, but it starts with those three,” Gauvain said.
To achieve their goals, Gauvain said the plan is simple. They need to score more goals and allow fewer goals.
The defense was stout last season, allowing more than two goals just a handful of times. However, all of those games turned into losses.
He wants the team “trying to focus on defending better as a team.”
Gauvain would also like more of a scoring punch.
Roeckle chipped in 17 goals last season and junior Steve McAnany added eight goals and 16 assists.
The Griffins take on Collinsville and Whitfield before diving into the CBC Tournament, which is a round-robin tournament hosted by CBC pitting the host against league mates DeSmet, St. Louis University High and Vianney. It’ll be a quick test to see where the Golden Griffins stand.
“It’s another statement part of the season,” Gauvain said.
CBC (23-6-1, 3-1)
The Cadets are the defending MCC champions and enter this season with a roster loaded with seniors, 15 in all.
“I think we’ve got some depth and experience,” CBC coach Terry Michler said. “And we’ve got some good young kids.”
Up top, you’ll find four-year varsity staple Nick Sanchez, who netted 12 goals last season and senior Sean Kuster, a three-year varsity player who scored six goals a year ago.
While these two will be dangerous, they’ll be part of what Michler feels could be an offensive machine.
“I think we can play through a lot of guys,” he said.
Senior midfielder Zach Godat has proved himself an offensive threat, as he can create space and repeatedly put the ball in the box.
“He’s an old-school winger,” Michler said. “He could probably have 20 assists if we can finish what he brings in the box, and he can bring it.”
The attacking midfield will be made up of senior Zach Hundelt and junior target players Sam Carenza and Matt Hutchinson.
Junior Austin Tierney is the first official line of defense for the Cadets. The steady junior will start the offense and anchor the defense.
“He solidifies the defense,” Michler said. “He’s a hard-working kid.”
In his third season patrolling the net is junior keeper Drew Duncan.
“He’s become a presence back there,” Michler said. “He’s grown bigger, he’s filling out.”
In between Tierney and Duncan will be junior Ryan Tinsley at center back. The outside backs appear to be, for right now, sophomores Alec Cochran and Matt Clarkin. But, seniors Tom Grieshaber, Derek Basant, Ryan Mann and Pat Swaney could all roll in and out at some point.
In the midfield, you’ll also find seniors Kyle Schraier, Joe Barron and Alex Malloy.
Sophomore Derek Cornell, in his second varsity season, will be up top.
SLUH (26-4-2, 2-2)
The Junior Billikens didn’t win the MCC last season, that honor went to CBC. However, SLUH advanced to the Class 3 state championship match and, despite a loaded roster, dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Rockhurst.
While St. Louis University High lost a large chunk of its team, it still returns several key parts.
Back are senior captains Brian Schultz, Nick Maglasang and Tim Milford.
Schultz netted 20 goals last season and returns up top. Maglasang, a midfielder who’s signed with Saint Louis University, scored four goals to go with six assists, while Milford was the anchor of the SLUH defense when Tommy Meyer was out for various reasons last season and, even when Meyer returned, Milford was a stalwart in the backfield.
Also returning is senior forward Ryan Vincent, who scored three goals last season.
In the lineup will also be sophomore midfielder Richie Hoffman and senior Vianney transfer Tim O’Connor, who’ll be in the midfield.
Coach Charlie Martel senses this version of the Junior Bills is hungry. The near miss at the state title appears to have left the returning players feeling like there was work left to be done.
“This summer, it was one of the best offseasons we’ve had in a long time,” Martel said. “I think they understand we lost quite a bit (from last year).”
Nine seniors and one sophomore, Hoffman, make up the returning players. The rest of the team spent last year on the JV, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“We’ve had seniors who’ve had good seasons on the varsity after coming up from the JV,” Martel said. “We’re counting on some of these guys.”
SLUH is firmly entrenched in its system, varying what it likes to only if its personal totally demands it. This year, the Junior Billikens are expecting to run two forwards and four midfielders instead of three forwards and three midfielders.
Defensively, the Junior Bills have been tough to score on in recent years and that shouldn’t change with Milford once again anchoring the backline. If SLUH can keep other teams out of the net, they’ve shown they can always be dangerous on set pieces, especially corner kicks.
The Junior Bills start the season with O’Fallon, Gibault and Webster Groves before joining Vianney, DeSmet and host CBC at the CBC Tournament.
CCP (21-4-4, 2-2)
Every season, it seems, Chaminade, for the most part, can keep its opponents out of the net. The question that has plagued the Red Devils recently is whether or not they can put the ball in the net.
This year, it’s more of the same as there is little proven scoring returning to the Red Devils roster.
Jimmy Meyerkord, a junior, is the leading returning scorer with nine goals and five assists, while junior Sito Sasieta chipped in four goals and one assist.
“We’ve got some holes to fill,” coach Mike Gauvain said.
He does have a nice core of returning seniors to rely on, however. Returning to the starting lineup are senior midfielder Joseph Radice, senior midfielder Ryan Bauer and senior midfielder Michael Robson.
Also expected to be a force is junior defender Kevin Wilson and senior Jimmy Vogt. Junior Tony Auck will also be in the back.
Stepping in to replace goalkeeper Nick Collico will be either juniors Greg Boyer, Zach Toth or Harry Lenzin.
The Red Devils lost 14 seniors last season, a hefty number. The Red Devils could be less than their normal best at the start of the season. The schedule is one of the best in the state.
This weekend, the Red Devils and CBC will host Cedarburg, Wis., and Peroria-Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday with back-to-back games.
The next weekend, Chaminade travels to Indianapolis for the Great Midwest Classic, where it’ll take on North Central, Barrington and Downers Grove.
“It’s about the eighth year we’ve gone out there,” Gauvain said.
The Red Devils also have dates with Providence, N.C., and Davis of California on top the CYC Tournament, Jefferson City Shootout and Quincy Tournament.
Chaminade will find out quickly whether or not it can do what Gauvain believes it will need to to be successful.
“Up front, we’ll need to score some chances,” he said. “We have to fill in some spots in the back.”
DeSmet (17-4-4, 1-3)
For the Spartans, it’s life after Will Bruin.
The now-graduated Bruin was a force of nature in the DeSmet lineup for all four of his varsity seasons.
With Bruin off at Indiana University, terrorizing NCAA defensive backs, DeSmet must craft an identity without one of the best soccer players to ever walk the school’s halls.
Complicating matters will be the fact the Spartans don’t have a home field advantage, as the stadium is currently under construction. They only have a handful of home games and those will be played on the DeSmet practice field.
Instead, this team will have to find its own way.
Longtime coach Greg Vitello says it could be October before his team has truly discovered who it is and how it will function.
“By the first of October, we will have figured out who can play and who can’t,” Vitello said.
In the team’s favor, Vitello and his staff love the players, as he added: “We don’t mind being patient with these guys.”
Leading the way will be a handful of returning seniors.
At forward will be Tom Gaus. In the midfield will be Steve Seithel. Tim Krekler, Dan Pogue and Justin Klenke are in the backfield. Gaus is the leading returning scorer with six goals and seven assists.
The rest of the team is, for the most part, loaded with seniors. Vitello loves having an older team. Those players are, typically, bigger and stronger than their younger counterparts. Big and strong is good when you’re playing in the pounding, physical style the Spartans have employed for as long as anyone can remember.
“For the first time in a long time, we’re heavy on seniors,” Vitello said. “They’re all solid kids, too. They’re fun to coach.”
