2011 USF Men's Soccer Preview

Head coach George Kiefer and his 2011 Bulls are prepared for another big season. (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

The Bulls return to the soccer field for the 2011 season after a bit of a disappointing season in 2010. Head coach George Kiefer is entering his 10th season as the head coach of the Bulls, overall record of 102-53-23 at USF and looking to get back to the NCAA tournament. The Bulls lost a large group of talented players from the 2010 season, including goalkeeper Jeff Attinella who is playing well with FC Tampa Bay right now. Here are the Bulls and how they look headed into the 2011 season. [keep reading]

The Bulls finished last season with a mark of 9-5-4 with a 6-2 record at home, a 1-3-4 record away from campus and were 4-3-2 in Big East play, so the team has a lot to improve on. The team has been picked to finish 2nd in the Red Division in the Big East, so the expectations are high, so let's take a look at some of the players that will try to live up to the expectations.

Sophomore midfielder Leston Paul (5-8, 160-pounds) played a total of 17 games last season, scoring 1 goal and added 1 assists a s well (took just 4 shots on goal last year). He will have to step up his play this season as his playing time increases. Sophomore defender Marius Krathe, the 6-3 player from Norway had extensive overseas experience as a member of the U-17 and U-18 teams for Norway. He will be a huge member of the defense this season. Senior defender Aubrey Perry (5-9 180-pounds) played in 21 games last season, taking 5 shots (3 on goal). He was the anchor of the defense and made all of the defensive calls on the back line as helped lead the solid Bulls defense.

Junior midfielder/forward Kevin Olali (5-8 140-pounds) scored 1 goal and chipped in two assists last season. Coaches praise his ball handling skills and will need him to lead the charge on offense to get goals on the board. Junior defender/midfielder Ashani Faircloough (6-2 165-pounds) appeared in 17 games last season and took 5 shots on goal last season. He will have to continue to step up this season as the Bulls look for offense. Sophomore defender Ben Sweat (6-2 170-pounds) played in 18 games last season and added one assists. He played a key role on the defense last season and will need to continue to improve this season. Senior midfielder Santi Alexis (6-0 165-pounds) played in 15 games last season, scoring 1 goal and had 3 assists. The Bulls also welcome a new goalie to the mix, graduate transfer Chris Blais (6-4 195-pounds) out of Michigan. Blais was named the Big-10 defensive player of the tournament last season. He allowed just 1.31 goals last season and stopped 106 shots on goal, so the Bulls defense is strong once again.

So what can we expect from the Bulls this season? They are picked to finish 2nd in the Red Division, so expectations are high and the returning cast and the incoming players are going to play huge for Kiefer and staff. Facing 5 teams that made the NCAA tournament last season is a tough matchup for their schedule, but the Bulls have proven they can beat the best teams out there and Kiefer will have them ready. I predict an NCAA bid this season. If the team plays up to the hype this season, they will be playing late in the year. GO BULLS!