Men's soccer readies for second year, welcomes new talent

BOSTON, MA - With the challenges of an initial season of competition behind him and his team, second-year Wheelock College men's soccer head coach Sercan Fenerci focused on continuing to build the start-up program during the offseason by adding more seasoned players to the roster in an effort to further the momentum begun toward the end of last fall.

"It took us half the season to figure out who could contribute best at each position last year," said Fenerci, who also serves as an assistant men's basketball coach for the Wildcats. "We needed seven or eight games to figure out which formation suited us the best, but we played better during the last four or five games, and the players also realized what they were capable of doing."

Fenerci, who is joined by second-year assistant coach Bugra Akaktan, made it a point to bolster the midfield with newcomers, as a quintet of first-year Wildcats will provide talent to that segment of the field. "Whichever team controls the midfield controls the game," said Fenerci. "A midfielder's job is to support both the defense and offense, and we had a difficult time last year getting the ball to our forwards. If the new players contribute the way we're hoping, we'll be in pretty good shape."

Junior Francisco Perez-Turcios (Boston, MA/John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science) is the lone returner among the midfield corps, having drawn 10 starts last fall. A pair of sophomores joins the group, as Dan Campbell (Northboro, MA/Algonquin Regional) could also see time on defense, and the 6-foot-4-inch Paul Collins (Hyde Park, MA/Sharon) can lend his height as a forward. Freshman midfielders Zach Bushway (Bethlehem, NH/Profile) and EJ Patch (Lisbon, NH/Lisbon Regional School) were both all-state selections in their native New Hampshire during their respective high school careers and should make an immediate impact. Classmate Daquane Simmons (Manhattan, NY/Eagle Academy) rounds out the midfield contingent.

Wheelock played a 12-game slate during its first season, suffering setbacks in each contest, including all seven New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) games, but turned in one of its best showings against eventual league tournament runner-up Lesley University. On Oct. 15, the Wildcats yielded a pair of goals during the latter portion of the opening half but nothing further, being dealt a respectable 2-0 setback.

A driving force behind that result was junior keeper Victor Kashouh (Providence, RI/Classical), who made 14 saves versus the Lynx. In his first season playing the sport, Kashouh averaged 14.91 stops in 11 starts, leading all of NCAA men's soccer across the three divisions in saves average while posting the 18th-highest figure in NCAA history. For his efforts, Kashouh earned an NECC All-Conference honorable mention.

When seeking a keeper for last fall, Fenerci immediately thought of Kashouh, also a Wheelock basketball player, citing his propensity for defense on the hardwood; Kashouh placed third in the nation in steals last winter. After being afforded only limited practice time during soccer preseason prior to returning to campus, he turned away 29 Suffolk University shots in the team's debut on Sept. 14.

Sophomore defenders Andrew Stott (Plymouth, MA/Sturgis Charter Public School) and Oginga Walters (Johnston, RI/Cranston East) are joined by freshmen Al'Amin Cissi (Manhattan, NY/Eagle Academy), Ian Driscoll (Framingham, MA/Framingham), Matt Pennucci (Leominster, MA/Concord-Carlisle Regional) and Nicholas Restrepo (East Boston, MA/East Boston). Cissi is Simmons' brother.

Junior Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) tallied three times during Wheelock's inaugural season and returns as a speedy striker, while sophomore William Hall (Hingham, MA/Hingham) knocked in a goal and will also be employed as a forward. Both are among the team's four captains.

Wheelock's regular-season slate has increased to 17 contests, being bolstered by the addition of Curry College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), two teams that were regionally ranked last season by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The United States Coast Guard Academy, which is a carryover from the 2009 schedule, received votes in the regional poll during the campaign.

The Wildcats begin the season with three straight contests on their home field at Pine Manor College, beginning with Regis College on Saturday and including a match-up against Benedictine (Ill.) College on Labor Day, before hitting the road for the next five games. A seven-game NECC schedule begins when Wheelock hosts Becker College on Oct. 2. The six-team league tournament kicks off on Nov. 3.

Fenerci is blunt when discussing his team's goal for the fall. "We're going to go hard in every game and try to make the conference tournament," he said. "Many of the coaches in the league understand the position Wheelock was in as a start-up, and many went through similar situations to build successful programs, so the coaches know we'll be better. We brought in some players we're excited about, so we expect to be better this year."