PRIMED AND READY RAMS HAVE SIGHTS ON CHAMPIONSHIP RUN
Mix of talent, diversity and experience lead Black and Gold
August 28, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. – A mixture of talent, diversity and experience usually make up a good organization. When great people are added to the mix, there are no limits to how far that organization or team can go.

“People are what all good organizations are about,” Head Coach Tim O’Sullivan said. “We have the best people in place and that is why I have high expectations and high hopes for our team this year.”

Such is the case for the 2008 Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer program who returns seven of its 11 starters from last year’s squad, which made a run at the Colonial Athletic Association and finished the season with 12 wins, the most since 2004.

The preseason has only added to the high expectations for the squad as the Rams have been showered with accolades, including senior midfielder Gerson Dos Santos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) being named the Preseason CAA Co-Player of the Year, along with ODU’s Trevor Banks. Along with Dos Santos, the German duo of Dirk Dittrich (Stuttgart, Germany) (pictured left) and Jorit Loehr (Bremen, Germany) were also named to the Preseason All-CAA team.

As a team, the Black and Gold were picked second in the conference behind perennial conference power, Old Dominion.

Two new faces will be joining O’Sullivan in the guidance of the Rams as Marco Genee and Saul Monterro, a familiar face from the Black and Gold’s Elite 8 run in 2004. Genee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, while Monterro not only knows the VCU community, but also has a passion for the game he shined at as a player for the Rams.

The coaching staff has help in leading the team as veterans like Dittrich, Dos Santos and Loehr, along with senior goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra (Woodbridge, Va.) (pictured below), junior midfielder Owusu Sekeyre (Suame-Kumasi, Ghana) are vital parts of the Black and Gold’s success on the pitch this season.

“We are very fortunate to have natural leaders returning like Dirk, Gerson, Andrew, Jorit and Owusu,” Genee said. “It only helps us and enables us as a coaching staff to do even more.”

Those veterans’ leadership skills will be put to a test right away as VCU has three of its first five contests against top-25 teams, including the top-ranked and defending nation champion, Wake Forest in the season opener.

“I believe to be the best, you have to play the best,” O’Sullivan said. “This is the only way to truly know yourself as a team. During these games, I am sure we will create pictures that we will be proud of, and I also feel we will be provided with snapshots of areas that we need to improve.”

“We believe we have the right mixture of players to bring the team to the next level,” Monterro added. “They are as a talented and competitive as they come. Its our responsibility as coaches to provide them with the games that will help them grow as players.”

Along with the strength of the beginning of the season, the CAA regular season schedule brings a number of tough tasks including Old Dominion, who received several votes in preseason polls, Towson, Hofstra and the upcoming Drexel.

Even with all the challenges, the Rams feel locked and loaded to return to the elite CAA status they held in the early portion of the decade, primarily thanks that talented crop of returners.

“Really it’s our returners that are our biggest strengths,” O’Sullivan said. “Their experience and their ability as players to change the result of any game will be our strength.”

Dykstra will be a stalwart between the pipes as he is coming off his best season of his outstanding three-year career and gets help from a strong back line that includes a second All-CAA performer in Dittrich.

Dos Santos and Sekyere will be looked upon to lead the offensive efforts of the Black and Gold as the dynamic midfield duo combined for 12 goals and eight assists last season.

Loehr remains a wild card as his athleticism and versatility allows him to factor into the back line or up top as a scoring threat, which he turned into last season with seven goals and three assists.

Along with the Rams’ highly-recognized talent is a stable full of gifted players that may fly under the radar for many of VCU’s opponents. Sophomore Evan Slusser (Prince George, Va.) is a player with unlimited potential that the coaches’ see big things coming from, along with junior Otavio De Luca (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and senior Joey Lyonnais (Fredericksburg, Va.).

The forward position is where the Black and Gold took the biggest hit from last year with the graduation of Sven Meusch and Pat Viray who combined for 16 goals and eight assists.

”All of our forwards have the tools to be excellent players,” Genee said. “All it takes is a little better understanding of the game and the willingness to learn from others and the sky is the limit for them.”

Leading that group is fifth-year senior David Rosenbaum (Washington, D.C.), who had to sit out last year with a leg injury. Rosenbaum’s speed will be his biggest tools as it will help create scoring opportunities not only for himself but also his teammates.

Those teammates that Rosenbaum will be aiding will be juniors Jake Van Yahres (Charlottesville, Va.) and Forsan Asad-Radwan (Amman, Jordan), both talented forwards who will reek havoc on opponents’ defenses.

One of the biggest keys to this season for the Black and Gold will be the crop of newcomers that the coaching staff brought in, all players that could contribute right away for VCU.

“I expect that many of our newcomers will be vital players for this team.” O’Sullivan said. “Michael Denkewitz, Thomas Huepper, Phillip Daldrup, Ole Laabs and Mirwies Zahelzi have the potential to start and be very big contributors to this year’s team. As always with us, it will be how fast they adjust and learn about their new environment that will determine their role within the team.”

High expectations and lofty goals are only set for teams that are loaded with talent and the desire get better day-by-day, two attributes that the 2008 VCU men’s soccer team possesses. Those attributes will be what helps the Rams return CAA glory and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.