Washington College men's soccer preview

A new chapter in the long history of Washington College men's soccer begins this fall as the Shoremen embark on their first season under head coach Roy Dunshee. Dunshee, a long-time successful high school coach and operator of a soccer skills teaching company, will look to boost a program coming off a 3-11-2 record a season ago.

With seven seniors on this year's roster, the Shoremen have no shortage of veteran leadership. That leadership begins with their two co-captains - defenderJustin Geho (Westminster, MD/Cardinal Gibbons) and midfielder/defenderTim Marcin (Wilmington, DE/Concord). Geho is the Shoremen's lone returning All-Centennial Conference player, earning honorable mention a year ago. He has started all 50 of the Shoremen's games during his collegiate career and scored one goal on 21 shots in 2011. Marcin is a returning captain and has started 49 of the Shoremen's 50 games during his collegiate career. He scored two goals on 16 shots and tallied one assist a year ago.

Fellow senior Robert Gavora (Falls Church, VA/Flint Hill School), a defender, joined Geho, Marcin, and graduated goalkeeper Chris Phipps as the only four Shoremen to start all 16 games in 2011. Gavora tallied one assist and four shots a year ago. Senior midfielder/forward Ryan Duffy (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill Academy) scored two goals on nine shots and started all but one game, while forward Matt Sedney (Ridgefield, CT/Ridgefield) made one start in 12 games and recorded five shots. Goalkeeper Tyler Cabot (Hightstown, NJ/Peddie School) is in the unfamiliar position of being the team's most experienced goalkeeper after appearing in 11 games over the past three years as a back-up to Phipps. Rounding out the senior class is midfielder/defender Trevor Wittman (Baltimore, MD/Calvert Hall) who returns to the team after stepping away from the sport early last season. Wittman made 19 starts in 25 games during his first two seasons.

The Shoremen's six juniors include four returning players plus a pair of newcomers. Defender/midfielder Josh Goheen (Bel Air, MD/John Carroll)played in all 16 games a year ago and made four starts while registering seven shots, while midfielder Sam Wild (Chalfont, PA/Central Bucks West)scored one goal and had two assists while making 12 starts in 15 games and midfielder Chris Nardo (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) made six starts in 16 games and had one assist. Defender Sal Melillo (Nutley, NJ/Don Bosco Prep), who made one start in nine games, rounds out the quartet of returning juniors. Midfielder Keegan Fisher (Annapolis, MD/Broadneck) joins the team in his third year at Washington College while forward George Gabriel(Cambridge, England/Hinchingbrooke School) arrives from across the pond.

No fewer than 10 sophomores dot the Shoremen's roster and six of them each appeared in at least 12 games as freshmen. Midfielders Bob Libera (New Providence, NJ/New Providence) and Zach Stocksdale (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) each played in all 16 games and made 10 starts. Libera also had one assist. Forward Sam Draper (Centreville, MD/Queen Anne's County) also played in all 16 games, as did midfielder Brandon Wilfong(Hampstead, MD/North Carroll), who made three starts. Brandon's twin brother, midfielder Matt Wilfong (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll), started all of the 15 games he played, scored one goal, tallied a team-best three assists, and fired off 13 shots. Defender Daniel Grosscup (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Lutheran) saw action in 12 games and made one start. Defenders Joseph Fili (Sparks, MD/Loyola Blakefield) and Adam Smith(Laytonsville, MD/Colonel Magruder) played in five and two games, respectively, a year ago. Goalkeeper Lin Robinson (York, PA/York Country Day) did not see game action as the team's third-string keeper in 2011, while forward Taylor Price-Kellogg (Clayton, NY/Thousand Islands) joined the team last spring.

The Shoremen's five-man freshman class consists of forward Cody Gray (West Chester, PA/Westtown School); defenders Jack Butler (Potomac, MD/Winston Churchill), Yaron Greenberg (Kiryat Ono, Israel/Ben Zvi), and Chris Koch (Hadley, MA/Hopkins Academy); and goalkeeper David Myers (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill).

Dunshee will not be the only new face on the coaching staff this season as the Shoremen have three new assistant coaches as well - former Stevenson standout player and graduate assistant Vincent Caltabiano, former Israeli professional league player Meir Lewin, and former Howard Community College head coach Jeff Reinoehl.

The Shoremen will open their season at home against Shenandoah University at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 in what should be a good barometer of the team's preseason progress. Washington played to a scoreless draw with Shenandoah last season. The non-conference schedule also includes road games at Eastern Shore rival and perennial power Salisbury, Immaculata, Catholic, and Division II Goldey-Beacom and home games against Goucher and Penn-State Brandywine. Centennial Conference play kicks off Sept. 15 as the Shoremen will travel to Dickinson College.