Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Seton Hall on September 19, 2025 , Loss , 0, to, 2
Men's Soccer
at Seton Hall
Final
0
-
2
Providence College Athletics
2002 Men's Soccer Outlook
7/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 1, 2002
The Providence men's soccer team will have a number of new faces in the lineup this season as third-year Head Coach Chaka Daley has brought in seven freshmen. Daley also has 14 players returning who have excellent skills and experience. With a core of returning players and the talented group of incoming players, the Friars should challenge some of the BIG EAST's top teams this season.
Senior captain Jonathan Alva-Cavero (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) will lead the Friar midfield this season. Last year marked his first season at Providence after transferring from the University of South Florida. He started 16 games and was a team leader for the Friars. Joining Alva-Cavero to stabilize the midfield will be senior Mauricio Solano (Coral Springs, Fla.). Solano, who was hampered by injuries last season and gained another year of eligibility with a medical red shirt, has the ability to impact the Friar lineup. He should contribute on offense with his ability to score and create scoring opportunities. Sophomore Carlos Suero (Plantation, Fla.) also returns to the midfield for the Friars. In his first season at PC, he added one goal and one assist in 16 games.
Daley will have plenty of depth in the midfield as he has four new members of the team that will battle for playing time. Freshmen Anthony Petrarca (Johnston, R.I.), Ian Wexler (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Derek Nobrega (Cumberland, R.I.), as well as junior transfer Ian MacKenzie (Barrington, R.I.), all have the ability to contribute for the Friars. Petrarca played his high school soccer at LaSalle Academy and participated in the Rhode Island Olympic Development Program. Although he was not highly recruited, the coaching staff believes he will be a solid player early in his career for the Friars. Wexler brings offensive skills to the lineup. A former All-State performer from Minnesota, Wexler registered 96 points in his career at Benilde-St. Margaret's High School. Nobrega is another talented player from Rhode Island. He comes to Providence after a successful career at Mount St. Charles Academy where he scored 30 goals and 54 assists for the Mounties. MacKenzie enters their first year with the Friars after transferring to Providence. MacKenzie had a productive career at Dean College where he scored 10 goals and added 22 assists in 34 games.
Senior Todd Stigliano (Newington, Conn.) and sophomore Jeff Smith (Omaha, Neb.) will be the key players in the Friars' offense this season. In 33 career games, Stigliano has scored six goals. As a sophomore, he was one of the team leaders in goals with four. Smith scored one goal last season while starting 16 of the team's 17 games. Head Coach Chaka Daley will look for Smith to be a major contributor on offense after gaining valuable experience his freshman season. He is a talented player who also will see time at midfield. Sophomore Neville Thompson (Miami, Fla.) had a positive rookie season for the Friars. In 16 games last year, he scored one goal and added one assist. He gained valuable experience in his first year in the BIG EAST. Freshmen Eion Lynch (Yarmouth, Maine), who earned All-New England honors last season at Yarmouth High School, will help improve the Friar frontline. He spent four years with the Olympic Development Program in Maine.
On defense, the Friars will need to fill the void created by the graduation of two-time All-BIG EAST defender Kempes Corbally (Dublin, Ireland). Junior Jonathan Rhode (Guilford, Conn.) will move into the Friar backfield this season to add experience and strong play. After just two seasons, Rhode has established himself as one of the Friars' top players. He had a strong freshman season, scoring two goals and adding two assists while starting 16 of the team's 18 games. In 2001, Rhode started all 17 games and registered two assists.
Juniors Jeff Sawyer (Chicopee, Mass.) and Greg Bennett (Dublin, Ireland) gained significant experience last season and will be needed to contribute in the backfield in 2002. Sawyer, who is a consistent performer, started all 17 games last season. Bennett returned to the lineup in 2001 after missing most of his freshman season with a leg injury. He played in 15 games as a sophomore. Junior Tyler Cundy (Barrington, R.I.), sophomore Shawn Deehan (Salisbury, Md.) and junior Joe Burbige (Babylon, N.Y.) all return on defense for the Friars. Cundy joined the team late in the season and will be looked upon to contribute after two years in the program. Deehan added one assist in 11 games as a rookie.
Freshmen Zachary Tobin (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Brian Baker (Annapolis, Md.) are two of the top newcomers to the team. Tobin, who also will see action at midfield, scored 45 goals and added 44 assists in four seasons at North Kingstown High School. For his efforts, he earned two Parade Magazine All-America honors. Baker has been a starter for the Maryland Olympic Development Program for the last four years. He also was a four-year starter at Archbishop Spalding High School. During his senior season, Baker registered 18 points (six goals, six assists) at Archbishop Spalding. Freshman Ryan Farrell (Glastonbury, Conn.) is another rookie who will add to the Friar defense. Farrell earned All-State honors for two consecutive seasons at Glastonbury High School and also played for the Connecticut Olympic Development Program.
In goal, Head Coach Chaka Daley will need to replace three-year starter Danny Glynn (Manchester, England) who graduated in the spring. Senior Michael Greulich (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore Jeff Newman (Northboro, Mass.) will battle for the starting spot. Greulich played in seven games in 2001, posting a 2-4-1 mark and a 2.33 goals against average. Newman, who did not play last season, has the ability to help the Friar defense this season.
The Friars will enter the 2002 season with a mix of newcomers and a few competitive veterans in the lineup. The team, which promises to be exciting, will strive to earn its first BIG EAST Tournament berth since 1998.
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