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| The Bulls open the 2011 season with an exhibition matchup vs. the Jacksonville Dolphins (Picture. www.ju.com) |
The men's 2011 season begins tonight with a match up against the Jacksonville University Dolphins (scary aren't they?). JU finished last season with a 9-9-2 record (3-5-1 in conference play) and was 3-4-0 at home, so they can be beaten. They averaged 1.85 goals per game last season so Blais and the defense will have to take care of them and work hard to break their defense. Here are some of the players to note during this first game of the season. (Game starts at 7 PM) [keep reading]
Senior midfielder Darko Karamatic (5-10 180-pounds) is the leading returner scorer for the Dolphins. He played in 19 games last season, starting 18 full games. He had 6 goals and added 6 assists as well, so he will be a player the Bulls have to watch for this game. Senior forward Tyler Williams (6-0 185-pounds) (Pictured above) had 6 goals and 2 assists. He started just 5 games so the Dolphins will look to him to get more playing time and produce this season. Senior midfielder/forward Daniele Campailla (5-8 160-pounds) made 14 starts last season and scored 5 goals and had 4 assists.
Junior midfielder Davide Faya (5-10 175-pounds) had 20 shots on goal last season and scored 3 goals so the Bulls defensive line will have to watch him because he a striker that wants to fire away. Senior defender Tobias Hottner (6-4 200-pounds) had 18 starts last season and took 18 shots last year. Senior defender Casey Tafuri (former USF Bull) (6-0 185-pounds) made 15 starts last season and had 1 assist. Senior goalkeeper Johnny Foley (6-1 200-pounds) made 11 starts last season, allowing an average of 1.75 goals per game, making 44 saves (save percentage of .698). Junior goalkeeper Zach Greenwald (6-0 160-pounds) made 9 starts last season, allowing 1.41 goals per game, stopping 34 shots (.708 percentage).
The Bulls should win this game. The defense for USF is stronger especially with Blais in the net. The offense with Paul and company should be more than a match for JU and it will hopefully be a solid first win on the season for Kiefer as they prepare for a big year. GO BULLS!
After getting beaten by University of Tampa last year, I'm gonna hold my breath for this one. Any word on how the new goalkeeper looks? Jeff Antilla was an amazing player.
ReplyDeleteLast year our exhibition match was with Akron University, how did we end up with JU this year?.. What a downgrade. Beating Akron really pumped up last season since they are among the most elite programs. Beaten JU won't really mean much, honestly.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree Carl. JU and then UT doesn't make for the biggest competition for the start of the season, hope they bring the energy in the new stadium.
ReplyDeleteStanley, the limited tape I have seen of him is impressive. He moves laterally well, has a good sense to the game and should do a solid job. I wonder how the defensive schemes and the play of the backline will work with him right out the gate.
I wish I had more faith in this program, because we have an excellent coach. But our loss to JU and last season's disappointing finish didn't leave me confident we could win this one. And we didn't. We have all the potential in the world, as we had some stellar recruits. I wonder what the problem is right now.
ReplyDeleteI think the team is really inexperienced right now. Blais and the defensive miscommunication last night was ugly and an own goal was just careless and rough. They have another shot at Tampa coming up on Tuesday, so hopefully they can put it together. Talent is there for the team, new facilities, Kiefer, they should have a good year vs. a Big East conference that is not the strongest and is winnable.
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