Furman Paladins
Overall Rank: #35
Conference Rank: #2 SoCon
Furman Team Page
For Furman any season that does not end in the NCAA Tournament is a disappointment. The Paladins finished with a 12-4-3 overall record, which is good, but it was not enough. A couple disappointing draws at home and tough losses on the road in the conference play left Coach Doug Allison’s team out of the postseason. With the departure of many key players, this is a squad that could find themselves on the outside looking in yet again. However, this is a program that reloads and the talent is there for a conference title.
2012 Record: 12-4-3, 4-2-1
2012 Postseason: None
Coach: Doug Allison
Strengths:
The midfield will have to hold everything together while other holes are filled around the pitch. With Michael Gandier, Tyler Peoples, Tony Santibanez, Clint Ritter, Kevin Pahl and Josh Fusan back, that should not be much of a problem. Gandier is the most experienced player of the bunch and can provide a bit of a scoring punch as well. And Furman will need him to be productive offensively. This group has potential because of sophomores like Santibanez, Pahl and Peoples. All three had very promising freshman campaigns and should be ready for a nice boost in production. The talented sophomore class goes up front as well. Adrian McInnis did not take many shots as a freshman, allowing the more experienced players to finish. Now the 5-10 forward will be asked to play a more prominent role. He is a good setup man up top too and that is good news for Martin Ontiveros. The senior striker led Furman in points in 2012, totaling eight goals and nine assists. Replacing Colteton Henning, who also scored eight goals during his senior season, will not be easy, but Ontiveros and McInnis will be a good place to start. Bobby Edet, Lewis Hawke and Evan De Ycaza are the offensive firepower part of a very talented group of incoming freshmen. The Paladins averaged over two goals per game last season and even without Henning that number should not slip much, if at all.
Weaknesses:
The bigger concern will be on defense. Walker Zimmerman left early and was drafted seventh overall in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. The graduation of Nicky MacKain is a huge blow to the back line, although losing Zimmerman will attract all of the headlines. Right back Jacob Brown is a long time starter for Furman and sophomore left back Eric Steber has a year of experience under his belt and they are a good duo to build around. Size, strength and experience in the middle of the defense are a concern. John Lung’aho is an experienced option and freshmen Trevor Haberkorn and Bennett York are superb talents. It may take some time for them to turn into a cohesive unit, yet the talent is there. There will be a new man between the pipes as Doug Ryan graduates and Sven Lissek looks to take over the starting job. Lissek saw action in four games as a freshman and allowed seven goals. Sophomore Trent Johnson and incoming freshman Joseph Melong will not hand over the starting gig to Lissek without a fight.
Final Projection:
A lot needs to go right for Furman to be better than they were last season. But last season was also a pretty big disappointment considering the talent they had on the roster. This roster does not look as deep or talented or experienced, but they are close to looking like an NCAA Tournament team. Furman will need to find a consistent keeper and shore up the middle of the defense. Coach Allison needs to find some new scoring threats too. That is a lot of pieces that must come together. With a talented recruiting class and a group of sophomores ready to explode, the best days may be yet to come for Furman. This year will not be too bad either.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Martin Ontiveros, Senior, F, 8
Assists: Martin Ontiveros, Senior, F, 9
Shots: Martin Ontiveros, Senior, F, 58
Saves: Sven Lissek, Sophomore, GK, 20
Madness 2013 Men’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#16 Trevor Haberkorn
#26 Bobby Edet
#56 Marco Ortiz
#140 Evan De Ycaza
See All Men's Soccer Top 44 Team Previews
