Men's Soccer Season Preview

As the fall sports teams gear up for competition, gopetrels.com is previewing the upcoming season. Here's a look at the 2010 men's soccer team.

2010 Men's Soccer Preview

Oglethorpe men's soccer Head Coach Jon Akin begins his eighth season at the helm for the Stormy Petrels and will be doing so in 2010 as the all-time wins leader in school history with 58. Akin surpassed former coach Bucky Reynolds with the historic victory over Piedmont College on October 13, 2009 as the Petrels prevailed, 3-2 in Demorest, Ga.. The 2009 squad, however, dealt with a bevy of injuries at key positions en route to a disappointing 6-10-3 overall record that Akin hopes to reverse in 2010 with a roster choc full of talent that he and the coaching staff have recruited to the Oglethorpe campus.

Akin will have the luxury of fielding a side in 2010 that features nine returning starters from 2009, highlighted by the return of sophomore midfielder and All-SCAC Third Team award winner Ben Robertson (Boone, N.C.). Re-joining Robertson on the pitch will be goalkeeper Jon Beaver (Knoxville, Tenn.), midfielder Aaron Walker (Woodstock, Ga.), midfielder Harrison McConnell (Chamblee, Ga.) and midfielder E.J. Ovie-Ogodo (Bessemer, Ala.).

Rounding out the returning starters for Akin are midfielder Nathan Post (Lilburn, Ga.), defender Taylor Spear (Marietta, Ga.), forward Russell Thompson (Blairsville, Ga.), midfielder Casey Sheppard (Savannah, Ga.) and the lone senior on the squad and team captain, defender Evan Britton (Smyrna, Ga.).

Despite the wealth of experienced returnees, Akin worked tirelessly in recruiting and brings in a large class with lofty expectations. Highlighting the newcomers is junior Division I transfer forward Mark Lavery (Woodstock, Ga.) who competed for the University of Kentucky just last season. Joining Lavery are five talented freshmen with a chance to crack the starting line-up: defender Chris Beno (Marietta, Ga.), defender Steven Bott (Lawrenceville, Ga.), midfielder Ellis Curry (Lutz, Fla.), forward Nick Williamson (Pensacola, Fla.) and forward Ricardo Morgan (Coventry, England). The Petrels will also have the services of returning forward Jeff Arsenault (Crestwood, Ky.) who missed most of last season with an ACL injury. Oglethorpe's first team roster also features an additional eleven players talented enough to press the incumbent starters for playing time and whom will certainly be used as substitutes throughout the 2010 campaign.

The 2010 schedule will prove daunting to the Stormy Petrels with only 8 of 18 contests scheduled to take place on the Petrels' home field (Salamone Field). Oglethorpe plays two neutral matches at Emory University against Hampden Sydney (Sept. 4) and Illinois Wesleyan (Sept. 5) and will play seven of their 11 SCAC matches on the road. The Petrels kick off the season on September 1 when they face Reinhardt at 3:00 p.m. on Salamone Field. Senior Day festivities will be held on October 24 versus Rhodes College.