Soccer gets fresh start

In many Oberlin sports, coaches complain that they have too few players. Soccer coach Chris Barker may have found a solution to that problem.

For the team's first games, a win and a loss in a tournament last week at Heidelberg, all the players shuffled on and off the field as if the games were scrimmages. In fact, Barker considered the games part of try-outs and even with the heavy rotations, the team allowed just one goal - and scored one.

The Yeomen defeated Mt. Vernon with a goal by sophomore Jabali Sawicki and lost the final to Heidelberg. Senior sweeper David Reeves was named the tournament's most valuable player.

The 1-0 loss to Heidelberg was an improvement from a 4-0 loss to that squad last year.

Barker won't shuffle his line-up quite as much for the rest of the season as he did in the first games, but he does expect around 18 of his players to play in every game. In addition to the 22 varsity players on his team, Barker has put together a reserve squad coached by 1996 Oberlin graduates and former Yeomen soccer players Ted Cohen and Brandon Russell.

The team will give players who might otherwise be riding the pine for the varsity team - or who would not have made the cut - a chance to play eight games against reserve teams from other schools. And it will give the team relief in case of a repeat of last year's injury-riddled season, when 18 of 21 varsity Yeomen were hurt for at least some part of the season.

Last year, the team finished 5-11 overall and 2-6 in the conference, which tied it for last in the NCAC. Seven of the 11 losses were by just one goal.

The Yeomen, without any natural forwards playing that position, had trouble getting the ball into the goal and were outscored 31-17 over the course of the season.

That's something Barker hopes will change. Barker expects big things offensively from Sawicki, a sophomore who did not play last year.

Other key players will be captain Reeves, junior stopper Sam Krasnow and junior defender Brendan Cody. Cody has been out with an injury but should play this weekend.

Senior Dave Kumpe is the team's only experienced goalkeeper. Senior Dave Wallace, a former cross country runner, is playing keeper for the reserve squad.

All four seniors on the roster - Reeves, Kumpe, midfielder Josh Adams and defender Eric Kuehnl - are also in the starting line-up.

Junior Mateo Massanet is starting at forward in just his second season of organized soccer. Junior Nate Bryans is starting at fullback.

Three first-years - halfback Zach Fine, fullback Chris Nytch and halfback John Nishan - will start for the varsity team. The first-year class is so talented that Barker expects its members to take up seven or eight starting spots on the 1998 edition of the team.

But for now, the team expects to be in the conference hunt. "If we can put together the talent, we can beat anyone," Krasnow said.

Saturday, the Yeomen host Ohio Northern. The following saturday, they travel to Penn State-Behrend.

Send it Long:Eric Kuehnl passes to James Richter in a soccer practice. (photo by John Matney)