New Era for Men’s Soccer Starts with 2008 Season
Philadelphia, PA- The 2008 season will be a history-making one for the Philadelphia University men's soccer team as they join the Division II ranks for the first time since 1956. Head men's soccer coach Matt Digney is returning for his third season and will be counting on veteran leadership to guide the Rams.
"The CACC has good soccer and is a great place for this team to be. Our goal is to make the playoffs and go to the NCAA Tournament every year," said Digney.
The key returners for the Rams include senior captains midfielder Rocco Avallone (Champaign, IL/ Centennial), defender/midfielder Nick White (Tulsa, OK/ Booker T. Washington), and goalkeeper Charles "Buddy" Custer (Cinnaminson, NJ/ Cinnaminson), along with junior forward/midfielder John Cloud (Whitefish, MT/ Whitefish).
"This year the guys understand my system and have turned a corner with their maturity and leadership," said Digney.
Other returners expected to have an immediate impact are junior defender Robert Richardson (Warwick, RI/ Berkeley Institute), junior forwards Kristoffer Perez (Parlin, NJ/ CBA) and Sean Campbell (Westbury, NY/ Long Island Lutheran) along with sophomore midfielder Michael Mousaw (Marmora, NJ/ Ocean City).
Key newcomers include junior transfers midfielder/forward Svetozar Gladic (Novi Sad, Serbia/ Sacred Heart University) and midfielder/defender Emmanuel Asangmbeng (Riverdale, MD/ PGCC). Incoming freshman that should contribute include goalkeeper Jason Barber (Princeton, NJ/ Princeton HS) and forward Alex Null (Lock Haven, PA/ Central Mountain).
Last season the Rams went 3-13-2 overall and 1-3-1 in conference play while competing at the NCAA Division I level.
The first game of the season is on August 29th when the Rams travel to Wilmington University to take on Millersville at 4:30 p.m.
