Depth is a good thing.
Allen County Community College head soccer coach Doug Desmarteau counts 22 on the Red Devil men’s squad for 2010. And that’s a good thing.
“We don’t have a ton of experience back but this is one of our deepest teams in my history here,” Desmarteau said as he prepared for his sixth season as head coach.
“We have solid players back from last year. Some saw more action than others. And we have quality freshmen coming in.”
The Red Devils are looking for that balance as they make another run at the Jayhawk Conference and Region VI playoffs. Four straight NJCAA Region VI final four appearances for the Red Devil men have left them wanting more.
“We get to the Final Four then can’t take that next step into the championship game. Last year, I think it was about getting there more than winning a championship,” Desmarteau said.
“Not this year. These guys are not going to be satisfied in getting to the Final Four. Our sophomores came together in the spring and we have a good team chemistry going into the season.”
One of the players feeling the sting of last year’s 8-1 semifinal loss to Cloud County Community College is sophomore goalkeeper Zack Hanks. Hanks, who redshirted his freshman year, was Allen County’s No. 1 goalkeeper a year ago.
Hanks leads a group of 11 sophomores back on the soccer field for ACCC. Hanks is 6-3 and considered by his coach as one of the top goalkeepers in the Jayhawk Conference.
“Zack is a very good leader and vocal with the team. He is a very good shot stopper,” Desmarteau said.
The other captain is sophomore defender Sam Travis. Travis will play midfield this season and “he wins a lot of balls for us.”
Leading the charge for shots on goal are sophomores Christian Rodriguez, and Roberto Rivera. Desmarteau said they look for a strong push in scoring from Rodriguez and Rivera, who saw limited action last year, had good technique and physical tools to put pressure on defenses.
Tyler Hagerman played midfielder a year ago but has been moved to center back to help defend the goal. Chris Villatora is another strong defender.
Eder Nieto, Kyle Pilant, Taylor House, Tommy Hoppough and Ben Hannah round out the returning sophomore players for ACCC. Desmarteau said they all play roles on the field for the Red Devils.
“We won’t have just one guy people can shut down offensively. We should have three to five guys who can score for us,” he said. “Matt Searcy and Henrique Pinto, who is from Brazil, should give us two freshmen who can score. Henrique has a nose for the goal. We’re just solid all the way around the field this season plus we have people who can rotate in at spots.”
Allen County has three international players this season. Besides Pinto, freshmen Dalwinder Dosanjh and Melvin Gray are from England.
Other freshmen on the team are Chase Tjelmeland, Tyler Jordan, Luis Caldera, Riley Schaffer, Andrew Sullivan, Braden Ward and Sean Cahill.
Tjelmeland, Searcy and Jordan are from the Topeka area and Schaffer is from Perry. Ward and Cahill are from Ottawa. Caldera and Sullivan are from Las Vegas, Nev.
With the departure of assistant coach Jeremy McGinnis, Desmarteau turned to an old friend. Chas Frisco joins Desmarteau along with Jordan Knowles as assistant coaches.
“Chas and I have been coaching together for 15 years. He has a masters in art and was in the Atlanta area,” Desmarteau said.
“We have coached at all different levels and he pushes me. Chas coming here helped refresh me as a coach.”
McGinnis left to become assistant men’s and wo-men’s soccer coach at Ottawa University. Frisco had been the assistant soccer coach at Friends University for several years before leaving for Atlanta.
Allen County opens the 2010 season with three straight home games, starting Sunday. Ranger Community College from Texas is here Sunday.
Next Thursday, Northeastern Oklahoma from Miami, Okla. is here and Forest Park out of St. Louis, Mo., plays here next Friday.
“Last year we were underachievers in the regular season. We got focused at the end and won a couple of big games. This season our team is highly motivated to have a strong season throughout, building up to the playoffs,” Desmarteau said.
Allen County finished 8-9-2 last year.
Allen County Community College
2010 Men’s Soccer Schedule
Aug. 29 — Ranger, 2 p.m.
Sept. 2 — NEO, 4 p.m.
Sept. 3 — Forest Park, 4 p.m.
Sept. 7 — Pratt, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14 — Kansas City, Kan., 3 p.m.
Sept. 17 — Dodge City, 4 p.m.
Sept. 20 — Coffeyville, 7 p.m.
Sept. 22 — Neosho County, 4 p.m.
Sept. 25 — Garden City, 4 p.m.
Sept. 28 — Cowley County, 4 p.m.
Oct. 1 — Cloud County, 4 p.m.
Oct. 5 — Independence, 4 p.m.
Oct. 7 — Richland, Dallas, Texas
Oct. 8 — Western Texas, Dallas
Oct. 14 — Barton County, 4 p.m.
Oct. 17 — Northern Oklahoma, 4 p.m.
Oct. 19 — Johnson County, 4 p.m.
Oct. 21 — Hesston, 7 p.m.
Home games in bold.
