Coyote Soccer Looks to Join Playoff Mix in 2008
CALDWELL, Idaho -- Coming off back-to-back 11-win seasons, The College of Idaho men’s soccer team is poised to make a return to the postseason – after missing out on the playoffs in three of the last four years. With four All-Cascade Conference performers returning to the pitch, a schedule that features ten of their 16 matches in the Treasure Valley, and the Symms Field advantage – it all points to success for the Yotes during the 2008 season.
CCC PRESEASON POLLS: The C of I was the unanimous selection to win the South Division as the 2008 Cascade Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll was released last week. The Coyotes, coming off a third-place finish last season and an 11-6-1 overall record, claimed the all nine first-place votes in their division - as the CCC splits into a North-South arrangement for the first time this season. Joining The C of I in the South Division are second-place Corban, followed by Cascade, Northwest Christian, and Oregon Tech. The North was led by defending loop champion, Concordia, followed by Warner Pacific, Northwest, and Evergreen State. The first official Cascade Conference rater ranking was released as well, with Concordia taking the top spot, followed by Warner Pacific, the Yotes, Northwest, and Evergreen State – with Concordia ranked No. 24 in the initial NAIA poll and Warner Pacific receiving votes.
LAST SEASON / PLAYERS LOST: It was a tough 2007 season to swallow for the Coyotes, who recorded a 3-1 preseason record, including a 4-0 blanking of a quality Biola team. However, the Yotes mustered just an 8-5-1 record in CCC play – with all five losses by a one-goal margin (including back-to-back losses at home to end the season, knocking the team out of the playoff race). Five seniors will need to be replaced – including two-time All-CCC goalkeeper Jay Gentle (now a C of I assistant), two-time All-CCC forward Michael Delgado, All-CCC defender Stephen Reinschmidt, defender Cameron Johnson (now a C of I assistant), and striker Scott Ward. Also not returning is two-year starting defender Brandon Koomler, who missed most of last season due to injury.
POSITION BY POSITION – GOALKEEPERS: A trio of goalkeepers are vying for the starting role in the net for the Coyotes – as a freshman will start for the Yotes for the first time since the 1999 season. Leading the way following the first week of training is Aaron Reynolds (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who was an All-Southern Idaho Conference selection as a prep and was a standout with the Boise Nationals club team. At his heels is fellow youngster, Trevor Spielman (Idaho Falls, Idaho / Idaho Falls HS), who helped his high school team to the state tournament last year. Also in the mix is Theodore Coleman (Lagos, Nigeria / Armand Hammer United World College-USA), who grew up in Nigeria and spent last season as a redshirt.
POSITION BY POSITION – DEFENSE: Two starters return in the back-third for the Coyotes in 2008, as Derek Erstad (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) and Brian Weiss (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) return for their senior season. Erstad has started 43 games in his C of I career and has a good left foot, while Weiss is a very physical player. The Yotes will start the season with an experiment in the back, as last season’s top scorer, Alex Penrod (Las Vegas, Nev. / Cimarron-Memorial HS) will move to the other end of the field. The All-American, who scored eight goals last season, will allow the Yotes to attack a bit more from back. Two other returners will be in the mix – senior Scott Thompson (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) and sophomore Mats Boehnke (Carson City, Nev. / Carson HS) – both of whom played in a reserve role last season. Two freshman also could see playing time – Jon Latorre (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho / Coeur d’Alene HS) and Spencer Ward (Kent, Wash. / Kentwood HS). Latorre was an All-Northern Idaho selection as a senior, while Ward earned All-Conference honors in the highest classification in Washington high school athletics.
POSITION BY POSITION – MIDFIELD: The Coyotes are loaded in the midfield this season, as experience will be a key as The C of I looks to control the tempo of play. Two-time All-CCC midfielder Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan / International Secondary Inst.) is poised for another breakout season, coming off a six goal, nine assist sophomore campaign. Three other starters flank him, including All-CCC selection Mauricio Both (Cacheoira de Sul, Brazil / Nampa HS), who had five goals in 2007, Garga Caserta (Aracatuba, Brazil / North Idaho CC), who had four goals and five assists, and Jesus Lopez (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS), who had three game-winning goals for the Yotes last season. Joining the quartet is the Yotes lone junior college transfer Brian Griffiths (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC), who had a solid two-year stint in the NWAACC, along with freshman Brad Byers (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS) and Jon Schmehl (Hayden, Idaho / Coeur d’Alene HS) – who both earn All-Conference honors in high school.
POSITION BY POSITION – FORWARDS: The Yotes will look to a pair of returners to pick up the scoring punch up top with Alex Penrod moving to a defensive role. All-CCC striker Antonio Bautista (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) scored seven goals and assisted on five others as a sophomore and provides stability on the right side, while Emir Kobic (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) will roam the left side, having scored four goals and an assist in limited action as a freshman. Three others will be in the goal-scoring mix – junior Esteban Cabrera (Quito, Ecuador / Payette HS), and freshmen James Collet (Pocatello, Idaho / Pocatello HS) and Travis Newbold (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS). Both Cabrera and Newbold use speed to their advantage, while Collet is an imposing striker, standing at 6-3.
NON CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The Coyotes will play four non-conference games in 2008 – all of them in the Treasure Valley. The Purple and Gold will open up the regular-season with a tussle against Northwest Nazarene, who returns to the pitch for the first time since 2002. The Crusaders (7-3-1 as a club team in 2007) are led by C of I grad and former All-American, Coe Michaelson, with the Yotes dominating the all-time series, 40-10-2. The Coyotes will also meet second-year program, Great Falls, on the final day of August. The Argonauts (2-0) play a physical brand of soccer, but picked up a pair of one-goal road victories at Evergreen State and Northwest to open 2008. The Yotes close out the preseason with matches against Division III teams – Whitman and Pacific. The Missionaries (10-9-1 in 2007) were picked fourth in the Northwest Conference preseason poll and are led by returning All-NWC selections Stephen Phillips and Brett Axelrod, while the Boxers (8-7-2 in 2007) return ten starters from last year, as they meet the Coyotes for the first time since 1995.
CASCADE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: For the first time, the CCC will split into divisions – as nine teams compete in men’s soccer, the largest contingent of teams in the 16-year history of the conference. The North Division looks to be very competitive, led by defending loop champ, Concordia. The Cavaliers (16-4 in 2007) return CCC Player of the Year Alex Ponce (14 goals, 13 assists), along with keeper Garrett Staples and Lucas Egenwall – who both earned All-America honors. Warner Pacific will also be a team to be reckoned, as the Knights (11-7) return the 1-2 scoring punch of Davor Lukic (11 goals, 7 assists) and Chris Price (9 goals, 11 assists) from last year. Northwest (6-12) returns 16 members of last season’s team, including seven starters, while Evergreen State (7-10-1) looks to continue their late-season success, going 6-3-1 over their final ten games. Joining the Yotes in the South Division are Corban (6-10-2), who return six starters from last year, and Cascade (8-10), who has a new head coach in Mike Alfers. Second-year program, Northwest Christian (1-16) should be much improved this season, while first-year program, Oregon Tech, should be competitive after drawing from the talent rich Klamath Basin soccer pool. The Cascade Conference Tournament will return for the first time since the 2003 with a different catch – the winner will receive an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships. The top-two teams from each division will advance to the playoffs, along with the next two teams with the highest Longo rating.
ABOUT THE COACH: Brian Smith (5th year, 41-25-3) is in his fifth season as head coach of The C of I men's soccer team. In his first season two seasons, the Coyotes narrowly missed a spot in the NAIA Region I Tournament, despite a second and third-place finish in the Cascade Conference standings. In 2006, however, the Yotes claimed their first CCC title since 2001 and advanced to the regional semifinals. For his efforts, the Coyote skipper was named CCC Coach of the Year. Last season, the Yotes missed out on the postseason by one game. Smith, who helped the Coyotes to a 35-21-1 record as a player for longtime coach, John Calpin, from 1990-93, returned to his alma mater in 2004 after a successful high school coaching career in the Treasure Valley. He coached the Timberline High School boys’ team for three years, before taking over the THS girls’ program in 2002 – earning Idaho State Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2001 and Southern Idaho Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2003. After earning All-District honors as a player and graduating from The C of I with a degree in political science in 1994, Smith has assisted the Coyote program along with serving as a coach with the Boise National Soccer Club during the past decade.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the Coyote men’s soccer program, head to the official homepage of the Coyotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm.