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2003 Season Outlook One of the toughest soccer schedules in school history is in place to challenge the 2003 edition of Yellow Jackets soccer. That's OK for the man responsible for it. Third-year head coach Ben Belleman has laid a solid foundation for his program while posting a 30-12-2 mark during his first two seasons. He is used to preparing his teams for challenges and a long list of worthy opponents will provide a stern test. "We will definitely be a better team," proclaimed Belleman, whose squad advanced to the NAIA Region IX Final Four last fall. "We have a good core of veterans and we continue to attract new players that have a quality soccer background. However, we will be playing a significantly tougher schedule. The wins and losses may not reflect our improvement." The Jackets open the season with four road matches beginning on August 26 when they travel to face defending American Mideast Conference North Division champion Notre Dame College. Longtime soccer power and local rival Wilmington is back on the schedule and then the kickers head to the Olivet Nazarene Classic where they will face Cornerstone and The Master's. The home opener is Sept. 9 against Wittenberg.
The rest of the schedule features five opponents who were at one time or another ranked in the NAIA Top 25 last season including defending NAIA national champion Mobile and defending AMC South Division champ Rio Grande, who held down the No. 1 position for multiple weeks. Nine home matches in all are upcoming and all will be played under the lights. A trio of senior captains will set the tone to what lies ahead. Heading the list is forward Jon Waldo, who is one of the most prolific scorers in school history. His 48 career goals and 26 assists rank him 4th on CU's all-time scoring list with 122 points. An All-NAIA Region IX selection, he is two assists away from becoming the program's all-time leader. Brian Vance has started all 39 matches at midfield in which he's played over the past two seasons. He is also an NAIA and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete. The other captain is defender Todd Beall, who has started 37 of 38 matches in the back. Joel Reemtsma is another senior in his fourth season at Cedarville. He will be vying for playing time at the goalkeeper slot that was vacated by four-year starter Matt Reid.
Five juniors return with a wealth of varsity playing time already to their credit. Defenders Tim Thomson and Matt Green will help anchor the back line with Jason Auyer, Peter Dryer, and Joe Zuerner ready to help again at midfield. Sophomore midfielder Phillip Ellis ranked 2nd on the team in scoring as a rookie with 7 goals and 5 assists. Alex Benedict also put together a notable freshman season by playing in all 20 matches with 2 goals and 4 assists. Other returning sophomores who can expect to contribute are midfielders Andrew Belleman, Tyler Schumacher, and John Sommer as well as goalkeeper Luke Marietta. Senior defender Gabe Heagy, junior goalkeeper Casey Sullivan, and sophomore midfielder Grant Knight are all transfers who should see playing time this season. Seven freshmen appear on the varsity roster and several could step right into playing significant roles before the campaign is finished. "We're still young and that will have to play itself out," stated Belleman in summary. "As always we're looking forward to the challenge especially with what lies ahead in the South Division of the American Mideast Conference. Whoever grabs one of the four post-season qualifying spots will have earned it. We respect everyone we have to play." | |||||||||||||||
