FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Consistency is one of those rare qualities that play such an important role in a team's success during a season. It's rare because there are so many factors that come into play before consistency can be reached. But consistency has not been such a rare commodity around the Fairfield University men's soccer program.
Head Coach Carl Rees continues to cultivate consistency through his methodical approach to recruiting, training, and scheduling. It's because of his methodology that the Stags have become one of the top programs in the conference, in the region, and at times in the nation.
Fairfield has advanced to three of the last five MAAC tournament championship games and won two of those contests. Under Rees, Fairfield has earned 11 MAAC tournament berths over the last 12 years, which again shows the program's consistency. And, the team has earned a national ranking in six seasons with Rees at the helm.
And, the 2010 season appears to be no different than the previous campaigns under the head coach. The Stags will return their top two scorers, their starting goalkeeper, and nine of their starters this season. Fairfield needs to replace midfielders Christian Uy and Michael Eager, as well as defender Tucker Nathans, but has several prospects lined up to fill those vacancies.
Freshman goalkeeper Michael O'Keefe started every game of the 2010 season despite being a freshman. Still, the New Zealand native was able to make his mark by earning All-MAAC first team honors as well as MAAC All-Rookie accolades in his inaugural season. He picked up several MAAC Rookie of the Week honors a year ago. He finished the season with an impressive 1.29 goals against average with 79 saves for a .775 save percentage. The rookie picked up four shutouts by himself and combined for another pair of shutouts. He surrendered just eight goals in nine MAAC games (0.89 GAA).
Junior goalkeepers Doug Freeman and Sergio Lara will also challenge for playing time this season. The two student athletes did not see any playing time last season, but may be in the mix for the 2010 campaign.
O'Keefe's success was aided by the strong play of the defenders in front of him each game, including MAAC All-Rookie selection sophomore Adam Cowen and All-MAAC first teamer junior Jack Cleverley. Cowen missed the first half of the season, but came back for most of the MAAC portion of the schedule.
He responded by becoming one of the team's top defenders very quickly. He played in eight of the team's nine conference outings, and started seven of those contests. His instinct and ability to find the ball made him one of the team's top defenders a year ago, a position he will continue to hold this year.
Cleverley returns as one of the team's most experienced defenders, winning All-Rookie honors in 2007 in addition to last year's all-conference selection. His play around the goal turns potential danger into non-threatening situations.
Senior Jean Fauchet, senior Todd Rutledge, and sophomore Jonny Raj will be back in the lineup as defenders this year. Fauchet missed part of the season with an injury, but returned to make a contribution in the latter part of the season. He played in 14 games and started five as a defender. Rutledge started all 18 games in the back, and helped the defense post six shutouts. Raj also was in the starting lineup for every game despite being a freshman. He gained the respect of the league with his play and looks to build upon that success this season. He also contributed offensively with a goal and an assist, netting the game-winning score against Saint Peter's.
The midfield is secure with the return of seniors Jon Kaufman, Matthew Uy, Matt Ernst, and Shane Kurtz. Kaufman has been a mainstay in the center of the pitch throughout his career. Despite missing most of last season with injury, the Massachusetts native should be ready to challenge for one of the starting positions this year. A year ago, Kaufman tallied a pair of assists for two points in eight appearances. He also managed three starts, getting the nod against Monmouth, Towson, and Albany.
Ernst was a spot starter in 2009, picking 11 starts in his 18 appearances. He started eight straight games in midseason, before coming off the bench for three contests. He finished up by making three starts in the final four games. He scored two goals during the year, netting the team's lone goal against Towson and the game winner at St. Francis (N.Y.).
Kurtz came off the bench for all 15 of his appearances, picking up two goals and an assist for five points. The senior tallied a point in three of his final seven games, registering a goal against Rider and Canisius as well as an assist in the Saint Peter's game.
Uy returns as one of the program's most decorated midfielders, picking up All-MAAC first team honors as a junior. He has earned All-MAAC accolades in each of his first three years and looks to become the first four-time all-conference player since Billy Androutsos (2002-05). Uy was in the starting lineup for 18 games, which resulted in one goal and four assists for six total points.
Up front, Fairfield returns three of their top four scorers, all of whom were forwards on last year's team. Junior Jack Burridge and senior Erik Ilisije placed first and second in the scoring column, while sophomore Nuno Rodrigues finished fourth among his teammates. Burridge led all scorers with 20 points, registering eight goals and four assists. He tallied four game-winning goals in 2009, beating Albany, New Hampshire, Manhattan, and Albany. Burridge was fourth in the conference for points per game (1.18) and fifth for overall scoring.
Ilisije continued to emerge as one of the conference's top scorers with 12 points on six goals last season. Although he came here as a defender, Ilisije has scored 11 goals and four assists over the last two campaigns. He has improved his goal scoring total each year, going from one to five to six goals over his three-year career.
Rodrigues wasted little time in getting into the offensive game plan, scoring three goals and one assist in 18 games. His seven points were most among first-year players, and was one of three freshman position players to appear in every game. The forward scored his lone game-winning goal in a 1-0 decision over Northeastern.
Graduate student Kwadwo Asante and sophomore Victor Harris will also provide support up front after coming off the bench as reserves a year ago. Asante returned to the team after taking off a year, and earned quality minutes in 10 games. He posted a pair of assists in 2009, gaining a point against Harvard and Manhattan. Harris collected eight appearances which resulted in an assist against Manhattan as well.
Rees brought in another outstanding incoming class, one that includes nine student athletes. Tai Grinbaum will enter the pre-season as one of the Stags four goalkeepers, coming from Great Neck North High School in New York. The back will also gain some additional help with the addition of Anthony Arena, Matt Danaher, and Matthew Lamura. All three student-athletes will try and work their way into the lineup, and provide additional options for the coaching staff.
Daniel Shaw, Matteo Marzoli, and Sean Fahey represent the freshman class at the midfield position. The trio offers experience at the position that may result in minutes as the season progresses. At forward, Jon Clements and Patrick Bellaro will bolster the offense with their ability to score goals and distribute the ball.
With a roster full of experience and a solid class of newcomers, Coach Rees has a roster that could make another run at a MAAC championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament.
