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2010 Men's Soccer Preview: Q&A With Head Coach Gonzalez (Push Play)
9/1/2010 3:46:06 PM | Men's Soccer
Riverside—With just a few days remaining in training camp before the Highlanders opened the 2010 Men's Soccer Season against San Jose State, Head Coach Junior Gonzalez took some time to stop by the gohighlanders.com offices to give us his take on the upcoming season. (View the video preview).
Q: Before we get into the 2010 season, let's take a quick look back at 2009. There were a number of close losses — nine by one goal — what are your thoughts on how 2009 turned out and what does this year's squad take from that experience?
A: Any time you go through a season like that results-wise, it's tough on morale and the group in general, but I think going through a season like that and being so close to turning games around really helped the guys that are still here. It's helped them focus on the spring season. We had a 1-16-1 fall season, but turned it around and had a 6-2-1 non-traditional spring season.
The experiences we took away from the fall helped us have the best spring season in our history. It was an interesting year. We did some things with our formation during the non-traditional season that helped our team improve on the defensive side of the ball. In turn, hopefully it'll give us more opportunities to win and turn around those tight games.
Q: You had six seniors on last year's squad: Michael Galland, David Lozano, Nathan Paterson, Doug Thrasher, Robert Cate, and Xavier Perez. Who replaces their contributions in the lineup this year?
A: We have a small group (of seniors): Arnie Sanchez, a target forward, made the transition from his junior college career last season and I think it was tough for him. But he's found his stride and he's finishing opportunities and contributing to the attack so far in our two scrimmages.
We have Tyler Wilson, who had a stint throughout the summer with the Puerto Rican National Team, and has taken quite a bit away from that. He's now focused on leading the team.
Nissa Hatifie, a fifth-year senior, has been through the program in all its ups and downs the last few years as far as results are concerned. He has had to battle playing numerous positions but has now taken a leadership role with the team and is a mainstray in the back line.
Norm Mariscal, a transfer from Cerritos, is also a guy that came in last year and we had him playing midfield. Now he's playing on the defensive line and will contribue quite a bit as well.
Q: Are there other returning players you see making an impact this season, particularly those who may have been a little more behind-the-scenes last year?
A: I think the sophomores last year now turning into juniors. We have Cesar Diaz, Joel Garcia ... a lot of guys that were still trying to find themselves at this level have really done a good job of training over the summer and have made an impact so far.
Arnie Sanchez, like I mentioned before, I think is doing a good job up higher on the field and creating scoring opportunities.
To be honest with you, there's quite a few guys that were on that 2009 team that have really stepped up and are looking to contribute all over the pitch.
Q: One person who contributed quite a bit last year, Cody Suppé, goalkeeper, got the majority of minutes between the pipes last year. He's back once again, but you also have other keepers in camp who are vying for playing time. What can you tell us about each of their games?
A: Going into preseason camp they're all pretty much even. Cody Suppé did get a lot of time. We did have a transfer from Creighton, Nick Goldreich, come in. He's done a lot on many aspects of the program. He raised the level of competition between Cody and Nick, and then Alex Abelson, who's been coming off injury, is also right in the mix on choosing a number one.
So we've gone and started Nick for the first two scrimmages, but it's still pretty tight. The difference between all the keepers is pretty close.
Q: Let's take a quick look at some of the other newcomers on the field. Are there other players you haven't mentioned yet that you think are going to make immediate contributions?
A: We have guys like Aaron Long, N-Ze, Richie Osborne, Ruben Valencia ...
Q: N-Ze? you mean you're not going to try say his name?
A: (laughs) I'm not going to try and say his full name. His nickname is N-Ze.
And Joel Ampofo is a Ghanian student here at UCR that we picked up through the tryout process that we feel is an extremely talented player in the midfield who will be getting quite a bit of time.
The whole freshman class has been very good about how they've approached coming in, and really set a level of competitiveness for the returners. So its been a very competitive environment in the preseason.
Q: You've also got two new assistant coaches this year: Tim Cupello and Tim Hogan. What can you tell us about their backgrounds?
A: Tim Cupello is coming from Syracuse. Solid coach, very good at recruiting. He's enabled us to focus more on recruiting out-of-region as well, since he comes with a lot of contacts out-of-region. On the field, he's been great.
It's been a good relationship so far. He came in at the beginning of the summer, and we set a plan: the goals and the vision of what we wanted to accomplish this season. I think it's going fairly smooth to this point.
Then, Tim Hogan, having a specific goalkeeper coach that's committed to training the goalkeepers, and to be an extra set of eyes for the field players, is great. He comes out of Georgetown as a player and was a grad assistant there.
He also was at Florida Gulf Coast, his most recent school, and that's very similar to UC Riverside starting up as a young Division I program. He's brought quite a bit to the table so I'm very excited to have more staff and guys that are here full time that are willing to help out.
Q: The season opener is just a few days away. You've played two preseason scrimmages. What did you learn about your team against Cal Baptist and UNLV that maybe you didn't know going in, or what things were reinforced that you did know?
A: Well UNLV last season had a great year. They were a few games away from making the NCAA Tournament, first winning season. So for us to come out and shut that team out and to score two goals, put two on the board ... I feel that defensively is what our main focus (has been) for the preseason. Getting the team organized and getting them to buy in and learn their roles and the new system, and I felt that with one week's training in preseason we did a good job on those things and getting the result.
Cal Baptist as well, a very solid NAIA team that has been to the tournament the last two years. It's a very organized team. They rarely are shut out. The defensive side of the ball was what we were mainly focusing on in the preseason. To get two shutouts I think is extremely positive.
Q: The first regular season match is just a few days away, San Jose State on September 1. You also have matches this year against the likes of Loyola Marymount and UCLA. What would you say is your philosophy when it comes to scheduling those non-conference opponents?
A: Obviously In the Western Region there's no easy opponent, but I think what we try to do is get some solid teams from each conference and test ourselves. We're have a neutral site where we play two out-of-region opponents, after we play San Jose State, at the UNLV Tournament. So we're playing two out-of-region opponents at a neutral site. I think It evens the playing field there.
San Jose is a solid opponent, but I think that it's a team where if we do the things we need to do, we should be able to hopefully come up with the result.
And then teams like UCLA, you have to test yourself before you get into conference. And UCLA is a proven, top-10 opponent. Going there is just going to help us build towards what we want to achieve, which is top-four in conference.
Teams like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Northridge ... those games will help us prepare for our overall goal.
Q: Speaking of the conference, the Big West Conference coaches poll came out this past week, and a familiar face is sitting on top of it UC Santa Barbara is picked to finish first in the league. They advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago. Why are they the favorites again this year?
A: I think most of the time the coaches go off last year's results in the preseaon coaches poll. I try not to put too much emphasis on that because the games haven't even been played. Every year it's a different squad, but I feel like they've proven themselves and its shown in their record. We expect those types of teams that have been consistent to be at the top.
Q: What other teams do you think have the best shot at knocking off the Gauchos and where do you see the Highlanders fitting into that mix?
A: I think that any team in the Big West Conference has an opportunity to knock off the Gauchos, I really do. It's one of the best conferences in the nation. I really try not to focus on what the other teams are doing, what results they can get. I focus on our squad, daily process. As we get into conference, I focus on the next match.
Q: Speaking of our specific results, when November rolls around, if UC Riverside is preparing for a Big West Conference tournament match, what will have been the keys to the team's success along the way?
A: I think just staying organized, sticking to a philosophy, a game plan. Making sure defensively that we're focused on not allowing opportunities, and to be free on the attack. Keep the ball moving at a good pace on the defensive and middle thirds of the field, and obviously the attacking third. Just sticking to our plan, focusing on what we do best as the UC Riverside soccer program.
Q: Before we get into the 2010 season, let's take a quick look back at 2009. There were a number of close losses — nine by one goal — what are your thoughts on how 2009 turned out and what does this year's squad take from that experience?
A: Any time you go through a season like that results-wise, it's tough on morale and the group in general, but I think going through a season like that and being so close to turning games around really helped the guys that are still here. It's helped them focus on the spring season. We had a 1-16-1 fall season, but turned it around and had a 6-2-1 non-traditional spring season.
The experiences we took away from the fall helped us have the best spring season in our history. It was an interesting year. We did some things with our formation during the non-traditional season that helped our team improve on the defensive side of the ball. In turn, hopefully it'll give us more opportunities to win and turn around those tight games.
Q: You had six seniors on last year's squad: Michael Galland, David Lozano, Nathan Paterson, Doug Thrasher, Robert Cate, and Xavier Perez. Who replaces their contributions in the lineup this year?
A: We have a small group (of seniors): Arnie Sanchez, a target forward, made the transition from his junior college career last season and I think it was tough for him. But he's found his stride and he's finishing opportunities and contributing to the attack so far in our two scrimmages.
We have Tyler Wilson, who had a stint throughout the summer with the Puerto Rican National Team, and has taken quite a bit away from that. He's now focused on leading the team.
Nissa Hatifie, a fifth-year senior, has been through the program in all its ups and downs the last few years as far as results are concerned. He has had to battle playing numerous positions but has now taken a leadership role with the team and is a mainstray in the back line.
Norm Mariscal, a transfer from Cerritos, is also a guy that came in last year and we had him playing midfield. Now he's playing on the defensive line and will contribue quite a bit as well.
Q: Are there other returning players you see making an impact this season, particularly those who may have been a little more behind-the-scenes last year?
A: I think the sophomores last year now turning into juniors. We have Cesar Diaz, Joel Garcia ... a lot of guys that were still trying to find themselves at this level have really done a good job of training over the summer and have made an impact so far.
Arnie Sanchez, like I mentioned before, I think is doing a good job up higher on the field and creating scoring opportunities.
To be honest with you, there's quite a few guys that were on that 2009 team that have really stepped up and are looking to contribute all over the pitch.
Q: One person who contributed quite a bit last year, Cody Suppé, goalkeeper, got the majority of minutes between the pipes last year. He's back once again, but you also have other keepers in camp who are vying for playing time. What can you tell us about each of their games?
A: Going into preseason camp they're all pretty much even. Cody Suppé did get a lot of time. We did have a transfer from Creighton, Nick Goldreich, come in. He's done a lot on many aspects of the program. He raised the level of competition between Cody and Nick, and then Alex Abelson, who's been coming off injury, is also right in the mix on choosing a number one.
So we've gone and started Nick for the first two scrimmages, but it's still pretty tight. The difference between all the keepers is pretty close.
Q: Let's take a quick look at some of the other newcomers on the field. Are there other players you haven't mentioned yet that you think are going to make immediate contributions?
A: We have guys like Aaron Long, N-Ze, Richie Osborne, Ruben Valencia ...
Q: N-Ze? you mean you're not going to try say his name?
A: (laughs) I'm not going to try and say his full name. His nickname is N-Ze.
And Joel Ampofo is a Ghanian student here at UCR that we picked up through the tryout process that we feel is an extremely talented player in the midfield who will be getting quite a bit of time.
The whole freshman class has been very good about how they've approached coming in, and really set a level of competitiveness for the returners. So its been a very competitive environment in the preseason.
Q: You've also got two new assistant coaches this year: Tim Cupello and Tim Hogan. What can you tell us about their backgrounds?
A: Tim Cupello is coming from Syracuse. Solid coach, very good at recruiting. He's enabled us to focus more on recruiting out-of-region as well, since he comes with a lot of contacts out-of-region. On the field, he's been great.
It's been a good relationship so far. He came in at the beginning of the summer, and we set a plan: the goals and the vision of what we wanted to accomplish this season. I think it's going fairly smooth to this point.
Then, Tim Hogan, having a specific goalkeeper coach that's committed to training the goalkeepers, and to be an extra set of eyes for the field players, is great. He comes out of Georgetown as a player and was a grad assistant there.
He also was at Florida Gulf Coast, his most recent school, and that's very similar to UC Riverside starting up as a young Division I program. He's brought quite a bit to the table so I'm very excited to have more staff and guys that are here full time that are willing to help out.
Q: The season opener is just a few days away. You've played two preseason scrimmages. What did you learn about your team against Cal Baptist and UNLV that maybe you didn't know going in, or what things were reinforced that you did know?
A: Well UNLV last season had a great year. They were a few games away from making the NCAA Tournament, first winning season. So for us to come out and shut that team out and to score two goals, put two on the board ... I feel that defensively is what our main focus (has been) for the preseason. Getting the team organized and getting them to buy in and learn their roles and the new system, and I felt that with one week's training in preseason we did a good job on those things and getting the result.
Cal Baptist as well, a very solid NAIA team that has been to the tournament the last two years. It's a very organized team. They rarely are shut out. The defensive side of the ball was what we were mainly focusing on in the preseason. To get two shutouts I think is extremely positive.
Q: The first regular season match is just a few days away, San Jose State on September 1. You also have matches this year against the likes of Loyola Marymount and UCLA. What would you say is your philosophy when it comes to scheduling those non-conference opponents?
A: Obviously In the Western Region there's no easy opponent, but I think what we try to do is get some solid teams from each conference and test ourselves. We're have a neutral site where we play two out-of-region opponents, after we play San Jose State, at the UNLV Tournament. So we're playing two out-of-region opponents at a neutral site. I think It evens the playing field there.
San Jose is a solid opponent, but I think that it's a team where if we do the things we need to do, we should be able to hopefully come up with the result.
And then teams like UCLA, you have to test yourself before you get into conference. And UCLA is a proven, top-10 opponent. Going there is just going to help us build towards what we want to achieve, which is top-four in conference.
Teams like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Northridge ... those games will help us prepare for our overall goal.
Q: Speaking of the conference, the Big West Conference coaches poll came out this past week, and a familiar face is sitting on top of it UC Santa Barbara is picked to finish first in the league. They advanced to the Sweet 16 a year ago. Why are they the favorites again this year?
A: I think most of the time the coaches go off last year's results in the preseaon coaches poll. I try not to put too much emphasis on that because the games haven't even been played. Every year it's a different squad, but I feel like they've proven themselves and its shown in their record. We expect those types of teams that have been consistent to be at the top.
Q: What other teams do you think have the best shot at knocking off the Gauchos and where do you see the Highlanders fitting into that mix?
A: I think that any team in the Big West Conference has an opportunity to knock off the Gauchos, I really do. It's one of the best conferences in the nation. I really try not to focus on what the other teams are doing, what results they can get. I focus on our squad, daily process. As we get into conference, I focus on the next match.
Q: Speaking of our specific results, when November rolls around, if UC Riverside is preparing for a Big West Conference tournament match, what will have been the keys to the team's success along the way?
A: I think just staying organized, sticking to a philosophy, a game plan. Making sure defensively that we're focused on not allowing opportunities, and to be free on the attack. Keep the ball moving at a good pace on the defensive and middle thirds of the field, and obviously the attacking third. Just sticking to our plan, focusing on what we do best as the UC Riverside soccer program.
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