Wildcats Eager to Open New Campaign Friday at Delaware

Cats posted a 2-1 win over the Blue Hens in 2017

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Friday night's season opener at Delaware will be Tom Carlin's 11^th as Villanova's head men's soccer coach. And the excitement level figures to be just as high as it was for him back on Aug. 29, 2008, when the Wildcats knocked off Temple 3-1 in his VU debut.

"This is our time," stated Carlin. "We only get three or four months out of the year to do this. We're trying to get things right, get the guys in the right mindset. Our attacking and defensive schemes are a little different than they were last year. So there's some tweaking still going on, but it's exciting. Our staff really enjoys coaching this group."

After a 2016 NCAA Tournament appearance, the follow-up was less than what the 'Cats had hoped for. Villanova posted a 7-11 record, including 2-7 in the rugged BIG EAST in '17. A series of near miss results played a part in that, yet the commitment to the program's culture remained strong. It's still intact even after the exit of a core group of veterans that included team captain Andreas Bartosinski, leading scorer Lucas Hodges, and four year starting goalkeeper Will Steiner.

"We truly have a bunch of emerging leaders," noted Carlin. "It's new and fresh. We're inexperienced in some respects but we really love the group. There is a good camaraderie. Guys are communicating when we are in team meetings. We have some upperclassmen showing the younger guys the way.
"It's been a good vibe throughout the preseason."

As they have throughout the last three seasons, the Wildcats will lean on senior midfielder Zach Zandi as the ball distributor who alleviates pressure defensively and can spark the offensive attack.
"Zach's fantastic," Carlin said. "Now that he's into his last year we find ourselves as coaches thinking what life will be like without him next year. All the time he's been here we've been trying to basically to find another guy just like him, so that we'd have two of him. There's only one though.

"Zach sets the tempo for us. He gets us out of so much trouble on the ball, he's always working hard. He's a great person who loves everything about Villanova. Through and through, he's the man."
Villanova is hopeful that a balanced attack will help it prosper. Despite the subtraction of the likes of Hodges and Bartosinski, the staff believes it is well stocked with capable finishers.

Two juniors, Jacob Anderson and Jack Gilliam, figure to see expanded roles after serving as role playing forwards in their first two seasons. Sophomore midfielders Yusuf Cueceogl and Theo Quartey – named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team a season ago – both flashed scoring skills over the course of their rookie seasons. And Lafayette transfer Evan Vare is a proven scorer at the college level, having tallied seven in each of his two seasons as a Leopard.

There was one significant preseason setback though, with the loss of gifted freshman forward Seidu Shamsudeen to a foot injury that ended his season before it began.

"We were really looking forward to seeing Seidu as part of our attack," said Carlin. "We felt like he was the forward we were looking for. To lose him in August to a season-ending injury is tough, especially for him."

Yet Carlin believes the deep roster of options can help offset the loss.

"Jake (Anderson) is back in good form after having surgery for his own foot issue," stated Carlin. "Evan (Vare) has scored consistently at this level. Jack (Gilliam) is coming into his own. Yusuf (Cueceoglu) and Theo (Quartey) both have the skill to be dangerous in the attacking third and we expect Sean Teixeira and Richie Schlentz to contribute in their own ways in that area."

Carlin also likes the potential to create more opportunity off set pieces, when backs Shane Bradley, Conor Bradley and Enda O'Neill can be major factors.

"We have to be better this year on corner kicks and free kicks," Carlin stated. "We like what we've seen thus far."

The Bradleys, O'Neill – a transfer from Wisconsin – and Luca Mellor, now in his second season in the Blue and White, will be critical in the defensive third of the pitch. Kian Zapata, a senior who has seen limited minutes earlier in his career, figures to have an enhanced role too. Junior Andres Camacho has also shown significant skill through his first two seasons to go with versatility.

In goal, the expectation is that Carson Williams, who served as an understudy to Steiner in 2017, is ready to handle a heavy workload in front of net.

"It's not easy replacing a Steiner," Carlin stated. "But Carson's doing a great job. He's finding his voice, finding his command."

On Friday evening, it all begins at Delaware at 7 p.m. This kicks off a five game stretch to open the season that figures to challenge this unit before BIG EAST play begins at Marquette on Sept. 15.

"Any of these teams we are playing could win their conference," Carlin noted. "There are no breaks, no easy games. These are the kinds of RPI games you need to have if you want to get to the NCAA Tournament."

This will be the fourth straight season the Wildcats will meet the Blue Hens. In each of the previous outings, they have posted a 2-1 victory. None of those triumphs have come without toil.

"Delaware is a quality opponent," stated Carlin. "They have a great, possession oriented attack. It's always a fun game to be a part of. We've been lucky the last couple of years. You know they're going to have attacking spells and so will we. They have a solid defensive team and the offensive quality to break teams down."

Let the games begin.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Andreas Bartosinski: Midfield; 5' 11"; Senior

#10 Lucas Hodges: Midfield; 5' 10"; Senior

#1 Will Steiner: Goalkeeper; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

#19 Jacob Anderson: Midfielder/Forward; 6' 4"; Junior

#6 Conor Bradley: Defense; 6' 0"; Junior

#4 Shane Bradley: Defense; 6' 1"; Junior

#3 Andres Camacho: Midfield; 6' 0"; Junior

#14 Jack Gilliam: Midfield/Forward; 5' 11"; Junior

#5 Luca Mellor: Midfield; 6' 0"; Junior

#27 Theo Quartey: Midfield; 5' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#17 Andreas Bartosinski
: 5' 11"; Senior
: Midfield

#10 Lucas Hodges
: 5' 10"; Senior
: Midfield

#1 Will Steiner
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: Goalkeeper

#19 Jacob Anderson
: 6' 4"; Junior
: Midfielder/Forward

#6 Conor Bradley
: 6' 0"; Junior
: Defense

#4 Shane Bradley
: 6' 1"; Junior
: Defense

#3 Andres Camacho
: 6' 0"; Junior
: Midfield

#14 Jack Gilliam
: 5' 11"; Junior
: Midfield/Forward

#5 Luca Mellor
: 6' 0"; Junior
: Midfield

#27 Theo Quartey
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: Midfield