Aug. 31, 2001
Chicago, Ill. - A multitude of question marks surround the UIC soccer program as it heads into the 2001 campaign, which kicks off this weekend at the UCSB Kappa Klassic in Santa Barbara, Calif. Coming off of their most successful season ever, which included a record 18 wins, an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and conference regular-season and tournament titles, the Flames will need to fill several holes in order to produce three-peat.
Gone from the lineup is two-time All-American and conference player of the year Eric Lukin as well as all-conference goalie Chris Jamal and a trio of starting midfielders in Greg Chrisman, Nick Dudziak and Ranko Tutulugdzija.
Despite losing a total of nine key individuals during the off-season, Head Coach Sasha Begovic wasn't left with the cupboard entirely bare as seniors Jay DeMerit and Kevin Brady and junior Joe Morelli all return to highlight a solid defensive unit.
That trio was sparkling last fall as they allowed an average of just six shots on goal while helping UIC pick up 10 shutouts. DeMerit, Morelli and Brady elevated their play to an even higher level in post-season action as they helped the Flames to a second straight conference tournament title after allowing just one goal in the three tourney contests. UIC then recorded back-to-back shutouts of Fairleigh Dickinson and 24th-ranked Bradley to reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Joining that threesome in the backfield is sophomore Josh Robinson and a talented trio of freshmen - Darnell Cole, Adam Jones and Elliott Kleven. Robinson, who put in solid minutes off the bench to start the 2000 season, moved into the starting lineup midway through the year and earned the starting nod in 10 of the final 13 games of the year.
Cole was a four-year letterwinner as a sweeper at Merrillville High School in Merrillville, Ind., and helped his Pirates' squad to a 10-6 record last fall. Jones brings a wealth of experience to UIC following a standout club and high school soccer career in Arizona and Texas. At McKinney High School last year, he started in all 19 games and registered two goals and helped out on five others. Kleven, who hails from Las Vegas, played for undefeated Silverado High School last year and added one goal and five assists as a starter in all 17 games.
"I would have to say that this is certainly one of best defensive teams I've ever had at UIC - for sure the deepest," Begovic said. "With Jay, Joe and Kevin all back, we're very solid, but we also have several guys that can step up and help out on defense."
A solid defense will certainly make life that much easier for the Flames' goalkeepers - Jeff Kusiciel and Casey Pudwill. Kusiciel, who played third string to Jamal and Scott Greene last season, should shoulder a bulk of the work between the posts this fall. A year ago, he saw action in four outings and compiled a 3.80 goals against average. Pudwill has yet to see any collegiate action after redshirting the 2000 season.
"Jeff will be our starting goalkeeper," Begovic said. "He's looking very sharp and a lot calmer than he did last year. Casey has also improved and I certainly wouldn't be afraid to put him into a game situation."
In the midfield, returnees Dennis King, Bruno Rasich, Pete Kelley, Jay Lindgren, Josh Taylor and Brett Wienke will be challenged for playing time by a whole slew of newcomers in Kurt Albertson, Brian Daugherty, Ben Drake, Ross Felten, Patrick Grange, Brandon Holloway and Micah Howser.
King, who had his season cut short by injury, made an immediate impact as a rookie, totaling five goals and four assists in the 18 games he played in. Rasich started in 13 of the 22 games he played in last year while putting in two goals and three assists. The junior netted one goal and a pair of assists during the post-season conference tournament to earn all-tourney honors. Kelley, Lindgren, Taylor and Wienke all played solid minutes off the bench last fall and will be expected to play the same role once again this year.
Albertson and Drake both cheered from the sidelines last year after redshirting the season while Daugherty transfers in from the College of DuPage and Felten joins UIC after beginning his collegiate career at Evansville last fall.
Incoming rookies Grange, Holloway and Howser should all see significant playing time in the midfield with the possibility to help out offensively as well. Grange, a native of Albuquerque, NM, was a three-time all-state selection and put up 19 goals and 11 assists as a senior. Howser, who hails from Austin, Texas, finished as McNeil High School's all-time scoring leader after tallying 11 goals and 12 assists last fall. Holloway, also an Austin, Texas native, starred on the Austin Warriors Club Soccer Team.
"With our midfield this year, I've got several players that I can move around to fit the situation," Begovic said. "I've got speed, I've got quickness and I have the size so I can adjust in the middle. We are just going to be very young."
Perhaps the biggest hole to fill this year is at the forward position. The returning threesome of Jake Stasko, Nate Day and Steve Collins will all need to up their scoring production to makeup for the loss of all-time leading scorer Lukin.
Stasko, who finished second on the squad in scoring last fall with 11 goals and a pair of assists, went on to earn conference all-newcomer honors following the year. Collins, who played in 23 outings, scored some big goals in his sophomore campaign, including the game-winners against Northwestern and Loyola, to finish with nine points. Day notched one goal in 13 outings before injury sidelined him the remainder of the year.
"Last year our midfield stepped up and scored some goals for us and I expect the same to happen this year," Begovic said. "With our forwards, Jake and Nate are both looking very nice and Steve is now 100% after having surgery in the off-season, so he'll be able to give us a lot more this year."
"This season, we won't have a star like we've had the last few years with Eric Lukin," Begovic said. "We're a young team, but we've got a lot of depth. If you stop one guy from scoring you're not going to stop UIC. "
