Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer 2011 Season Outlook

The 2011 season begins with very high expectations and a total re-construction for the Wilmington University Men’s Soccer program. Head Coach Nick Papanicolas, beginning his eighth season, is coming off a disappointing season in 2010, as the ‘Cats finished with a 6-11-2 record. It was the program’s first losing season since 2005.

Despite their overall record, there were many positive aspects for last year’s squad. The team began the year ranked #15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll. The team finished 5-5-1 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC), and was the number four seed in the CACC playoffs. The Wildcats placed one player on the NCAA Daktronics All-East Region Team (Tony DiVirgilio), and had four members named All-CACC (Tony DiVirgilio, Nickalus McDonald, Danny Nguyen, and Jorge Zapata). Last year’s team graduated a record 12 seniors, but assistant coaches Jeff Zoyac (8th season), Musa Kaba (6th season), Miles Dean (4th season), Greg Cope (4th season), and Jared Hughart (3rd season), have done an excellent job recruiting this offseason to help rebuild the program. Coach Papanicolas and his staff had qualified for the CACC Playoffs in each of his seven seasons at the helm, and this year the expectations are no different.

Ten players return from the 2010 squad, and they will be led by the team’s seven seniors. Leading the way is captain and midfielder, Nickalus McDonald. McDonald, a two-time All-CACC award winner, was a 2009 NCAA Daktronics All-America Third Team selection, and tied for the team lead in points (12: 4 goals, 4 assists). Assisting McDonald as captain is starting outside back Ryan Doyle. Rounding out the seniors are defenders Mike Lewis, Nick Smith, and Mike Loaiza, along with goalkeeper Russell Dobos.

The remaining returners include two juniors, including forward Justus Henry and midfielder George Dougba, while the sophomores making a return appearance are defender Manny Payton and midfielder Eddie Kowalo.

Coach Papanicolas and his staff have added many new faces to the program, as four transfers, four student-athletes coming off red-shirt years, and three freshmen are eager to make their Wildcat debuts. Leading this new ensemble of transfers are a pair of Croatian midfielders from Burlington County Community College, Kresimir Nurnberger (Gimnazija Zagreb VII/Zagreb, Croatia) and Matko Novak (Gimnazija IV/Zagreb, Croatia). Nurnberger, a junior, was a First-Team NJCAA All-East Region selection in 2009 and 2010, as tallied 15 goals and 26 assists during his career. Novak, a sophomore, was a 2010 Second-Team NJCAA All-East Region award winner, after scoring four goals and dishing out 10 assists during his freshman campaign. Junior forwards Victor Obassy (Community College of Philadelphia/George Washington HS/Philadelphia, PA) and Zach Hinte (Virginia Intermont College/Ocean Lakes HS/Virginia Beach, VA) have been added to help with the scoring. Obassy led CCP in scoring and was a First-Team All-Conference selection, while Hinte was an integral piece in the rejuvenation of the Virginia Intermont (NAIA) program.

This year’s freshmen class is comprised of three young men who will be the program’s core for the future. Leading the Wildcats is forward Vitor Lima (Colegio Universario/Londrina, Brazil) and midfielder Alex Gauntt (Millville HS/Cedarville, NJ). Rounding out the freshmen class is John Allen (Caesar Rodeny HS/Wilmington, DE), who should compete for the starting goalkeeper spot.

Five student-athletes are coming off their red-shirt years, and are sure to help out the program, giving the team valuable depth. Junior midfielders Jose Hernandez (Delaware Tech Community College/Colegio los Arcos/Caracas, Venezuela) and tri-captain Ray Kuemmer (Essex Community College/Patapsco HS/Baltimore, MD) are excited to make their Wildcat debut, while sophomores Tom Quaranta (Essex Community College/Perry Hall HS/Baltimore, MD) and Shaheen Rahmani (DIcksinson HS/Wilmington, DE) and freshman goalkeeper Spyros Stergiotis (Irogquios Ridge HS/Toronto, Canada) round out the squad.

Coach Papanicolas and his staff have high hopes for the season, and he knows the pressure will be on his squad, as they, once again, begin the year as one of the preseason favorites in the CACC.