August 21, 2006
Men's Soccer Looks to Veterans for Right Chemistry in 2006 
DOBBS FERRY, NY - The Mercy College men's soccer team advanced to the conference tournament last year, making the program's second appearance in three years under head coach Chris Gonzalez, and finished 8-6-2. They dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals to Dowling, falling in an epic penalty kick round, but with 11 letterwinners returning, including seven starters, the Flyers expect to contend for the league title again in 2006.
"We have a lot of players with experience under their belts now and they'll be hungry to win again," said Gonzales.
One key to Mercy making a championship run will be the success of some dangerous offensive players as the Flyers will be looking to adjust their style a bit this year. "Typically we like to build up out of the back and try to control possession," said Gonzalez. "This year I'd like to push a little more instead of the other team dictating what we're doing."
Leading that attack will be sophomore forward Michael Frimpong-Manso, the 2005 NYCAC Rookie of the Year. Frimpong-Manso led the squad last year with nine goals, four assists and 22 points. Senior midfielder Alexandre Augusto is a playmaker coming off a season in which he tallied eight points on two goals and four assists, and senior Cesar Vieira is also an important contributor in the midfield.
"We have some very creative and skillful players on the attack that other teams some times have a hard time stopping," said Gonzalez.
On the other side, another key to their success will be defense. Anchoring the backfield is a group of returning veterans in seniors Norton Carnegie, Lennox Brown and Cogan Dowden, while senior goalkeeper Nicholas Evans also returns in net. Last season they each played and integral part of a defense that posted six shutouts and held opponents to a 1.33 goals against average.
"Having a strong defense is obviously important and those guys were really the engine last year," said Gonzalez. "Solid defending and goalkeeping is what's going to get us through against the tougher teams."
One luxury Mercy could have is depth as Gonzalez has reloaded his roster with a talented group of newcomers. Included in that pool are midfielder Nizar Chahbani, along with Mohammed Diallo and Issiaka Sow in the backfield. All three are transfers from Borough of Manhattan Community College that could earn starting spots.
"All three will play key roles," said Gonzalez. "Those are the guys that are going to make the biggest impact and all of our newcomers will make important contributions."
The final ingredient in Mercy's quest for a league crown will be how well the veterans and newcomers gel in a short time frame. With only 10 days of pre-season training, Gonzalez knows how important this is.
"We have a lot of new faces, so we have to get them integrated and make sure our team chemistry is right," said Gonzalez. We need to get them all on the same page as quickly as possible and if we can do that we'll put ourselves in a good position for a successful year."
The season will kick-off on August 25 and 26, when the Flyers open up at a tournament hosted by West Chester University. All totaled, Mercy will play a full schedule of 18 regular season games, nine at home and nine on the road. Included in that slate will be three teams that were nationally ranked last year. Two of those opponents, Dowling and New York Institute of Technology, will be a part of Mercy's eight-game East Coast Conference (ECC) schedule. The top four teams in the regular season standings will advance to the ECC Tournament as they attempt to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
"It's a very difficult schedule this year, probably the most challenging since I've been here," said Gonzalez. "We're playing some of the best teams in the country so it's a challenge that will be a great experience and we're looking forward to it."
