2009 ECC Goalkeeper of the Year Chris Kucera returns to play this Thursday
Oakdale, NY- The Men's Soccer team will return to the pitch this Thursday at 3:00 PM as they host the University of Massachusetts Lowell for the 2010 season opener at Golden Lions Field. This will start a five game homestand that sees Dowling play their first three matches of the year all within five days of each other.
The Golden Lions last faced the River Hawks one year ago to the day, dropping a heartbreaking 2-3 double overtime match to start Dowling with a 1-2 record in 2009. After their game this Thursday, the Golden Lions will face an unfamiliar foe in St. Michael's College on Saturday, September 4th with a 7:00 PM start.
Two NE-10 matchups are to follow as Dowling remains at Golden Lions Field to host No. 16 ranked Franklin Pierce University on Tuesday. Dowling opened up 2009 by traveling to meet the Ravens, falling 0-3. A second non-conference match is slated for Saturday, September 11th as another home game sees No. 4 LeMoyne College come to Brookhaven, NY for a 1:00 PM kickoff. The homestand will end with a match against ECC rival Molloy College on September 15th.
After traveling to Mercy College on the 18th of September, the Golden Lions will return to Brookhaven for another four straight games, including a September 25th meeting with No. 8 Southern New Hampshire University. In Dowling's second game of 2009, the Golden Lions defeated the Penmen on the road, 2-1, in regulation.
October 9th has Dowling traveling to C.W. Post University for a pivotal midseason ECC matchup. The Pioneers would be crowned conference postseason champs after defeating Dowling in penalty kicks despite the Golden Lions winning a 1-0 regular season matchup earlier in the year.
Two more ECC matchups await the Golden Lions as they play host to the Purple Knights of The University of Bridgeport on October 23rd and then travel to face the NYIT Bears on October 30th.
"We're fortunate to have a strong group returning this year while bringing in some fresh faces to fill the gaps left by our graduating seniors." said Head Coach
John DiRico. "I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond to a schedule that has some tough opponents early on."
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The Returners
After losing All-Americans in
Moussa Keita,
Carl Rydin, and
Lamine Traore as well as All-Conference stars
Juan Vargas,
Michael Nicolini, and
Steven Schneider, Dowling still has a wealth of talent left over from 2009.
The 2009 ECC Goalkeeper of the Year
Chris Kucera will return in net this season after recording six shutouts last year. Helping Kucera on the backline and at midfield are returners
John Ortega,
Mouhamed Mboup,
Thomas Edwards,
Vladimir Milosavljevic,
Michael Pearce,
Edo Eiloni,
Harald Gundhus,
Marius Ramdahl, and
Aidan Pagano.
Forwards
Ajani Jones,
Stefan Draskovic, and
Jules Riche look to be a dominant force up top for Dowling.
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The Newcomers
3 Joseph Henton Back 5-10 Fr. Leicester, England / Beauchamp College
7 Sean Dougherty Midfield 5-4 So. Port Jefferson Station / Comsewogne HS
13 Dmitry Prokofyev Midfield 6-1 So. Tula, Russia / International HS of Lafayetle
14 Keith Vigorido Forward 6-0 Fr. Port Jefferson Station / Comsewogue HS
15 Sulemana Ali Back/Midfield 6-0 Fr. Accra, Ghana / Dewitt Clinton HS
16 Gerassimos Magoulas Forward/Midfield 5-11 Fr. Athens, Greece / Comsewogue HS
17 Jonathan DeFelice Back/Midfield 5-8 Jr. Miller Place N.Y. / Miller Place HS
19 Modou Seck Back 6-2 Jr. Dakar, Senegal / M.A.M Cheikh Ahmadou
21 Kadeem Bruney Midfield 5-10 Jr. Ossining N.Y. / Ossining HS
22 Jorge Ruiz Midfield 5-6 So. College Point N.Y. / Bayside HS
25 Alargie Jobe Forward 6-6 Jr. Orebro, Sweden / Alleskolan, Sweden
28 Brian Miller Forward/Midfield 5-8 Fr. Smithtown / Smithtown East HS
30 Matthew Nagaro Forward/Midfield 5-9 Jr. Seaford, NY / IPAD, Brazil