FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S SOCCER ENTER 2007 SEASON RANKED 9TH IN
NJCAA DIVISION III PRESEASON POLL

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s soccer team heads into the 2007 season ranked ninth in the year’s opening NJCAA Division III National Poll and hoping to build on the momentum established during the 2006 campaign. Last season the Fighting Tigers posted a program best 15-2-1 overall record on their drive to the Region III Division III Tournament Runners-up spot. The number nine opening national ranking is the programs best since the 1998 season.

Leading the Fighting Tigers into the season will be a pair of 2006 NJCAA All-Region III selections in senior midfielder Essaha Jallow, Bronx, NY, Dewitt Clinton High School, and senior goalkeeper Abdou Seck, Bronx, NY, Dewitt Clinton High School. As a freshman Jallow established himself as one of the region’s smoothest and smartest players operating in the midfield scoring five goals while passing out five assists. Seck allowed only eight goals in 16 games during the season tying the school record for most shutouts in a season with 11 by displaying explosive athleticism, soft hands and excellent vocal defensive positioning skills.

Cobleskill also returns several other talented upperclassmen that will play a major role this year after highly successful rookie seasons. Senior defender Menesky Magloire, Brooklyn, NY, Clara Barton High School, should be the anchor of the team’s defense after demonstrating mental toughness, intelligence and offensive skill which saw him score a goal and pass out two assists as a freshman. The team’s midfield will be solidified by exceptional distribution skills of senior Rilwan Salawu, Brooklyn, NY, F.D. Roosevelt High School, who scored seven goals and passed out 11 assists on the season and the powerful foot of senior Greg Klopfer, Voorheesville, NY, Voorheesville High School, who scored five goals to go with eight assists on the year. Senior  forward Jamey “Speedy” Crumb, McGraw, NY, McGraw High School, returns to the field bringing his exceptional energy and quickness to the attack after a freshman year that saw him score six goals and pass out eight assists. 

The recruiting class is led at the forward position a pair of offensively potent forwards in freshman Lucas Heffron, Lansing, NY, Lansing High School, and freshman Tajae Williams, Uniondale, NY, Uniondale High School, who will each be counted on to find the back of the net for the Fighting Tigers.

In the midfield, freshman Cedric Bouemboue, Brooklyn, NY, Aviation High School, brings a well rounded highly skilled field game to the Orange & Black while freshman David Gardiner, Malta, NY, Ballston Spa High School, will bring additional speed and aggressiveness to the outside midfield. Additionally freshman Corey Lewis, Plattsburgh, NY, Chazy High School, has proved to be a blue collar performer through the early season workouts while freshman Jacob Spiegel, Chazy, NY, Chazy High School, will swing between the midfield and the defense adding flexibility to the rotation.

Defensively, freshman Steve Medwinter, Brooklyn, NY, Erasmus Hall High School, has shown good instincts to go with speed and skill, freshman John Trybulski, Langdon, NH, Fall Mountain High School, brings a tough physical presence to the backline, and freshman Patrick Akin, Warwick, NY, Warwick Valley High School, has demonstrated the ability to be a scrappy man-to-man marker. Freshman Jamal Niles, Brooklyn, NY, Thomas Jefferson High School, should also play a significant role bringing a calm demeanor and field savvy to Fighting Tiger protective shield.    

Fighting Tiger Head Coach Rob Szmarz, the 2006 Mountain Valley Conference, NJCAA Region III and Adidas/NSCAA Northeast Junior College Division III Coach-of-the-Year, is upbeat and positive heading into the 2007 season.

“On paper we have the talent to duplicate what we did last season and maybe more because of better depth at every position,” said Szmarz. “Hopefully we can improve on a game-by-game basis and continue to establish ourselves as a regional play-off factor.”

When asked about his impressions of the team through the early going, the Cobleskill mentor was candid.

“We took our biggest hit due to graduation on the defensive side of the field so we will be counting heavily on Menesky Magloire and Abdou Seck to stabilize things while our freshmen learn the college game. We then need our highly talented midfield to jell quickly in order for us to be successful.”

The Fighting Tigers will open the season on Saturday September 1st when they travel to Delhi, NY to face 2006 NJCAA Region III Semifinalist Alfred State College in the opening round of the SUNY Delhi Invitational hosted by SUNY Delhi at 3:00 PM. Cobleskill will then play on Sunday versus Jamestown Community College at 2:00 PM.

The Cobleskill home and Mountain Valley Conference opener will then follow on Tuesday September 4th when the number nine ranked Fighting Tigers will host the number two ranked Generals of Herkimer Community College in a battle of national soccer powers at the Cobleskill Soccer Complex beginning at 4:00 PM. Admission to all Fighting Tiger regular season home contests is free to the general public. For more information interested parties can contact the SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department Monday through Friday at (518) 255-6244 between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM.