Men's Soccer
Head Coach: Chris Apple, 15th yr. at UR, 177-49-38
League Affiliation: University Athletic Association
Pre-Season Ranking: #20 by NSCAA, #16 by Hero Sports
2014 Overall Record: 10-5-4
2014 UAA Record: 3-3-1 (T-3^rd)
Post-Season: Reached Second Round of NCAA Div. III Championships
First Game: Tuesday, Sept. 1 at SUNY Geneseo, 7 pm
First Home Game: Saturday, Sept. 5 at 1:30 pm vs. Rutgers-Newark (Flower City Classic)
 
With so many seniors graduating in May, this was a different pre-season, wasn't it?
Yes, we spent a significant amount of time learning new roles and responsibilities and building and understanding our team identity.  It's a work in progress, but we've already made significant strides.
 
What did you identify as items you wanted to work on in pre-season?
We established team expectations for how we go about our daily work: performance standards for concentration, effort and commitment.  Then we jumped into team shape and movement on defense, attack and in transition.
 
What are your team's strong points?
 I think we have great balance this year.  We have some really dynamic attacking players, good team speed, midfielders who can pass and ball-win and determined backs and goalkeepers. 
 
Who are some of the veteran leaders you will count on this year- and why?
Our seniors (Buck, Davidson, Fafinski, Greenway, Sergeant) are already doing a terrific job in this regard.  They are leading by example every day on the field and communicating effectively in the locker room and one-on-one with our younger players.  We also have several juniors who are emerging as leaders and taking on more responsibility which we love to see.
 
Traditionally, the defense is always strong. How does it shape up this year?
Our team defense is coming together well.  The attacking players are working hard to get pressure to the ball early and our midfield and defensive lines are organizing well and making it tough to earn chances.  Tyler Buck has converted to a central defender and he, Jeff Fafinski and Mike Sergeant offer us good senior leadership at the back. Underclassmen Zach Kanaley, Tanner Chester and Sam Cekala are also performing well at the back.  Our GK corps looks as strong and deep as ever.  
 
Who are some of the people who will be creating chances?
Jeff Greblick, Alec Greenhalgh, Andrew Greenway and Alessandro Incerto are all in good form up front and Brendan Kelly and Alex DiPerna are dangerous wide players.  Geoff Rouin and Pete Martin offer nice versatility and depth in attack.  Ben Swanger, Mikey Cross and Aleks Dombrowski sit a bit deeper and use their passing ability to create for others.
 
You have a number of new faces on the team. How are they adjusting to the college game?
We've been really pleased with the first year guys and their adjustment to the pace of the college game.  Bryce Ikeda and Milan Fatschel both showed well against D1 opposition in our preseason scrimmages and their classmates (Lasha Alkhazishvili, Patrick Conway, Patrice Douge, David Gang, Luke Loecher, Dalton Munkombwe and Robin Tran) have trained well and looked good in intra-squad scrimmages.  Alec Hay is recovering from an injury he sustained over the summer and we expect him to be up to speed soon.
 
Teams mature throughout the year. What are your immediate goals?
We are focused solely on getting better every day, every training, every rep.  If we can bring excellence to our work day in day out, we'll achieve our collective potential which is always our ultimate goal.