MEN'S SOCCER LOOK TO FINISH WHAT THEY STARTED
August 18, 2003
The Lakeland College men's soccer team will have one common goal going into the 2003 season, "Finishing What You Started." Lakeland played in a school record eight overtime games last season en route to a disappointing 5-10-6 record. With eight returning starters and a strong recruiting class, the team will be looking to finish off games this year and improve on their 4th place Lake Michigan Conference finish.

Entering his 3rd season at Lakeland, head coach Marc Colwell would like to continue the turnaround that started at mid-season in 2002. At that time, Lakeland was 1-8-2 before finishing 4-2-4 over their final ten games.

"It all started to click at mid-season for us last year. The team's goals and expectations for this year are to build on what we started in 2002," stated Colwell. "We are also looking to win the conference regular season and the conference tournament to get into to the NCAA Tournament."

Former Lakeland College standout Steve Vollmer has joined the coaching staff this season and should make an immediate impact with the players.

"Steve was a fixture for this team for the last four years. He loves Lakeland College and has stayed to help us continue what we've started here," Colwell remarked.

The following is a breakdown of each position for the Muskies:
Goalkeeper:
Sophomore Joe Silverburg (South Bend, IN) started all 21 games last season and finished with 101 saves. Silverburg will be pushed for the starting job by Green Bay native and senior Adam Sherwood, who is moving back to goalkeeper after playing in the field last season. Colwell stated, "The goalkeeping job is wide open right now. Someone has to come in and win that position."

Defense:
Leading the defense will be returnees Ryan Holl (Plymouth, IN) and Tim Romanello (North Prairie). Holl, who was moved to center back at mid-season, was named Honorable Mention All-Conference last season along with being selected to the Lake Michigan Conference All-Rookie Team. He was instrumental in helping Lakeland finish 4-2-4 over their final ten games. Romanello battled through ankle injuries last year, but is healthy and ready to reclaim his spot at outside back.

Sophomore David Radder (Kiel), and freshmen Steve Shannon (Sheboygan), and Trey Summers (Franklin) will compete for the other outside fullback spot. Radder played a significant role at right outside midfield last season and could earn time there as well. Colwell said, "All three of these players can play in the midfield as well, but we need to create some depth in the back. I'm hopeful that one of them will step up and win a job in the back."

Midfield:
Carmelo Teran, a senior from Leon, Spain, returns to lead Lakeland in the midfield. Teran a First Team All-Conference player led the team with six assists last season and should benefit from the addition of a talented group of freshmen forwards. "Carmelo is our field general- he dictates the flow of the game for us. I expect him to have an even bigger impact this season with the addition of some target players for him to find. "

Complimenting Teran in the middle will be senior Gabe Vollmer, from Madison. Vollmer is a central midfielder who appeared in only 17 games last season because of a lingering injury. "Gabe is fully recovered from his injuries and should play an attacking role for us in the midfield. I expect Gabe to live up to his potential and put forth the effort every practice and every game."

Mike Smolinski, a senior from Menasha, will once again patrol the left side of midfield. "I think Mike is ready for a break out season. He has shown flashes the last two years and I am hopeful he can sustain it for an entire season." Smolinski started 20 games last season and was the team's 3rd leading scorer with five goals.

Freshman Mike Gorack, an outside midfielder from Algonquin, Illinois, will battle for a starting spot on the right side of midfield or as a holding midfielder. Gorack was a member of the Jacobs High School team that won their conference for the past 3 years and narrowly lost 2-1 to the Wisconsin State Champs, Milwaukee Marquette. Gorack was the team MVP his senior season.

Juniors Shuaib Basheer (Dubai, UAE), Pat Hodgins (Kingsford, MI), and Antiseto Rangel (Chicago, IL) will all compete for time in the midfield. David Arrowood, a sophomore from Neenah, will provide depth in the back while competing for time at outside midfield.

Forward:
Up top is the place that is most unproven for Lakeland though a dynamic incoming class of forwards should provide the extra offense Colwell believes the team lacked last season. Freshman Scott Kress joins the team after a stellar career at local Kiel High School, coached by John Adema. Kress, an Honorable Mention All-State player, is the Kiel H.S. all time leading goal-scorer, registering 99 goals in his final two seasons.

"Scott Kress is a proven goal-scorer and will step right in and become a fixture for us at forward. The addition of Scotty alone will make us a very dangerous team," said Colwell.

Freshman Tyler Opichka, a forward from Green Bay also capped an outstanding prep career at Pulaski High School with a stellar senior season in which he scored 30 goals and dished off 14 assists. Opichka played in the Wisconsin All Star Senior High School game along with newcomer Trey Summers in July. Opichka will also be in the mix for a spot at center midfield.

Sam Schroeder, a freshman from Big Lake, Minnesota, and David Meister, a transfer from the University of Southern Indiana, will also compete for time up front. Schroeder was his high school team's leading scorer the last four seasons and should bolster the team's offense. Meister played at the same high school as sophomore Ryan Holl and was their team's leading scorer as a senior. Sophomore Apolonio Ruiz (Wautoma) had a great spring season and is another option at the forward spot as he looks to improve his status on the team and get some more minutes.