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Local Talent May Ignite Royals
EMU's Regulo Cardoso takes a shot during a drill at practice Monday. Photo by Michael Reilly
The skies above Eastern Mennonite University had already begun to unleash their wrath on the college campus, but it did little to deter Royals coach Roger Mast as he drilled his soccer team through the late-afternoon monsoon.
After last season’s heartbreak – the Royals lost to No. 1 seed Virginia Wesleyan on penalty kicks in the final of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament – who could blame him for wanting to maximize practice time?
"You deal with it," Mast said with a chuckle.
EMU was picked to finish sixth in the ODAC this year by conference coaches, but that’s a bit misguided if you ask players and coaches around Park View. The Royals were the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament in 2005 and nearly won the championship.
Conference Title Goal
The road back to the cusp of a conference title will be a tricky one to navigate, with a few glaring holes to fill and some promising talent waiting in the wings. The most notable departure is that of midfielder Adam Shank and goalkeeper Tim Koehn. The loss of Shank will hurt the most because of his ability to get teammates involved in the offense.
Junior Ben Yoder – the leading goal scorer from last year with nine -- will take over the vacant midfielder position, and Mast believes he can conduct the Royals’ helter-skelter offense as well as Shank did.
"He may not be as creative [as Adam]," Mast said, "but he’s every bit the midfielder that Adam was. We’re looking to put him in a similar role with similar success."
Yoder may be able to take a few pointers from the summer trip he took to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he took an immediate liking to the attacking brand of Argentine soccer and its most glamorous team – Boca Juniors. He even got to witness some history at the Bombanera (Boca’s home stadium, which translates literally to "chocolate box.")
"It was unbelievable," Yoder said. "I got to see Boca clinch the championship against Independiente. It was just an awesome atmosphere, with soccer fans everywhere."
Record Number of Players
For the Royals to reap some of the benefits of last season, they will need to mesh plenty of new bodies into a cohesive unit. Mast said 32 players came out at the start of preseason practice – 26 remain after cuts – the most he can remember at any point of his career.
The crown jewel of the recruiting class may be ex-Harrisonburg High School striker Freddi Bautista who has impressed enough in early practices to be named a preliminary starter on the forward line.
Bautista’s presence should help the development of sophomore Regulo Cardoso, a speedy attacking midfielder who figures to play a dynamic role in EMU’s offense. Like Bautista, Cardoso is a former Blue Streak star, and the reuniting of the pair has been a boon.
"That’s why I’m happy," Cardoso said with a grin. "It helps to have someone to relate to."
Cardoso spent every day last season as the team’s only Latino, which helped him improve his English skills but often made him feel out of place socially. Since Bautista arrived on campus, the duo has been inseparable – and they’ve helped instill some fresh culture on the Royals’ roster.
"I love it," senior midfielder Andrew Moore said. "Of course, I have no idea what they’re saying in Spanish. They could be making fun of me. I love their [playing] style, though."
The influx of traditional Latino soccer elements has made combining the styles somewhat difficult. Both Cardoso and Bautista need the ball a lot to play effectively, especially Bautista with his ability to run at defenders one-on-one.
EMU has until the season-opener Saturday at Mary Washington to blend the two.
Newcomers Bring Promise
Another anticipated newcomer is former Stonewall Jackson High School forward Chris Hall, who led the Generals to the Group A final last year. Mast raved about his pace and fitness, as well as his technical ability on the ball.
"He works so hard," Mast said. "He’s committed and has pretty good touch [on the ball]. We’re going to have a lot of options this year."
The top offensive option may be sophomore forward Junior Kamandua, a physical force at 6 feet and 185 pounds. During Monday’s practice, the former Eastern Mennonite High School star certainly displayed that element of his game, taking a pass on the top of the 18-yard box, then teasing the defender with the ball before ripping a shot to the lower right corner of the net. Kamandua tallied four goals last year, although three came in the first game of the season against Gallaudet.
Replacing Koehn at goalie probably will be sophomore Jackson Maust of Bay Port, Mich.
If EMU – 10-7-4 in 2005 -- has one glaring weakness, it’s the ability to close out teams in penalty-kick situations. The Royals have been bounced out of the ODAC tournament the past three years via PKs, a fact that still leaves Mast shaking his head.
"I wish we could close teams out like Italy," Mast said, referring to the two goals the Italians scored against Germany in the World Cup semifinals in the waning minutes of overtime. "We can only try not to put them in that situation. We practice it all the time, but we haven’t had much success."
