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2009 Outlook
Being only one win away from a national tournament in back to back seasons may seem frustrating on the surface, but for head coach Todd Beall and the Golden Tornadoes it serves as motivation heading into the 2009 campaign. Beall has guided the Golden Tornadoes program to back to back 12-win seasons and consecutive trips to the NCCAA Eastern regionals. Unfortunately, Geneva has seen each of the past two seasons end at that regional tournament. As the 2009 season begins, the goals are clear for Geneva College and Beall as they prepare to take the next steps to success.
While the past two years have been rewarding, nothing brings a quicker smile to Coach Beall’s face than talk of the 2009 prospects. “We feel as though we have put together a very exciting mix of talent for the upcoming season,” Beall explained. “We did not lose much in terms of offensive production last year, but we do have some holes to fill in the back.” In order to find offensive losses to graduation, one must flip to page two of the statistical sheet. In other words, the top nine scorers from 2008 will all be returning to the mix in 2009.
At the top of that offensive list from a year ago is Bruce Fox with ten goals and 21 total points. Alongside Fox was then freshman Josh Mann, who scored four goals in his first collegiate season. Geneva will also welcome back a healthy Jake McCracken to the fold, along with Zachary Buffalini, both of whom combined for seven goals last year.
While the offense looks to be set for the upcoming season, it will be the defense that Todd Beall will be looking to solidify early in the fall. The Golden Tornadoes will have to replace two-time captain and team leader Mark Zurbrick in the back. Meanwhile, senior David Callahan will take over the goalkeeper job on a full-time basis after splitting time with Sam McCracken a year ago. “There is no doubt that we have to find some guys to step up on defense,” said Beall. “We feel very good about our potential to put the ball in the net, but we need some other folks to help out in front of David and give us defensive support.”
Leading the way on defense among returning players will most likely be Chris Morshl, a two-year starter on the back line. Morshl also showed a propensity to move forward and be effective with a pair of game-winning goals in 2008.
The fun for college coaches is to see how their newcomers will fit into the program. Coach Beall is extremely excited about his 2009 recruiting class and feels very confident that several will make immediate contributions. “All the signs are there for several of our freshmen to come in and contribute,” Beall said. “We are going to get an early look at many of these kids who will have an opportunity to win a job early in the season.”
Because of the influx of new talent, Beall will have many more options to choose from when it comes to filling out his line-up card. “It is the one problem any coach loves to have,” said Beall. “We will have tremendous internal competition which will ultimately make our program stronger. We are much deeper in terms of our all around depth than in any other year I have been at Geneva.”
It won't take long to see how the new players mix with the veterans. One thing they will all have in common is their desire to take the next steps of success for Geneva men’s soccer.