The American International College men's soccer team, with second-year head coach Luke Perry at the helm, has high expectations, despite what the preseason rankings - AIC was selected to finish 11th out of 14 teams - might say.
"Reflecting on last year and the league position, I think it was the same position, we finished 11th, you can't blame the coaches," said graduate student midfielder Matthew Moore. "But we know as a team and the coaching staff know that we've got a lot of ability and we definitely think we can finish top four, top five."
The Yellow Jackets begin their 2016 season with a trip to Washington, D.C., beginning with matchups against Barton College on Friday and the University of the District of Columbia on Sunday.
RECAPPING 2015: Finished with a 4-8-5 record. One highlight was an early-season, double-overtime 1-0 victory against Mercy College on Sept. 9, when a goal from midfielder Alejandro Alvarez secured Perry's first career victory as a head coach. The Yellow Jackets also had victories against the New York Institute of Technology, Saint Anselm College and the University of New Haven.
KEY LOSSES: Lost eight seniors, including forward Alec Cerquiera, who led the team in scoring with seven goals and two assists. His fellow All-Conference Third Team selection, midfielder Frazer Cronin, graduated as well. Forward Ed Sharman (seven points) was the team's second-leading scorer, while captain Kyle Kazukynas added six points.
GOALIES: Senior Sebastian Tamayo saw the majority of time in goal for the Yellow Jackets last season, appearing in 16 of the team's 17 matches with a .784 save percentage. Sophomores Nicholas Romei and Tyler Diotalevi couldalso see time in net.
FORWARDS: Graduate student Jason Burnusuz is the top returning scorer, with five points in 2015. Senior Kevin Diaz and juniors Ousmane Sangary and Sam Jepson will provide leadership for incoming freshmen Steven Hernandez, Nikola Popovich and Joshua Mitchell.
MIDFIELD: Alvarez was named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie team last year. Moore will look to be a leader in the midfield as well, guiding newcomers Jake Durham, Derek Pereira and Lukas Firestone.
DEFENSE: Senior Lasse Olrik notched a goal for the Yellow Jackets last season. Graduate students Benjamin Jepson and Kyle Estell will help lead a balanced defensive squad, which includes three total seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen
"I think we've got a great balance within the program," Perry said. "I'm going to let them do the talking on the field and make their point for themselves."
KEY DATES: After two games in the nation's capital, the Yellow Jackets will travel to New York for a Sept. 7 matchup against Mercy College and a Sept.10 tilt against NYIT. AIC's home and conference opener falls on Sept. 13 against Merrimack College. The team also takes on preseason top-ranked Southern New Hampshire University on Sept. 24 at home, along with second-ranked Adelphi University on Oct. 25 at home.
