August 20, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Cardinal looks forward to making another title run

by Rick Eymer

The Stanford men's soccer fall season hadn't yet started and already there was bad news: senior goalkeeper Robby Fulton's left thumb is in a cast to immobilize a chipped bone in the area. He's expected to miss two weeks.

Sophomore midfielder Marcus Ryan will be also out for a couple of weeks with a stress fracture.

"We have 26 players on the roster and as of last week all 26 were ready to go," Stanford coach Bret Simon said. "I was bragging about that and all of a sudden we get a couple of injuries."

Even as the Cardinal prepare to open the year with two home exhibition matches next week - Monday against Chico State and Thursday against Sonoma State, both at 7 p.m. - without two key players, Simon can take it all in stride. Nothing can be worse than last year.

"We can't throw it away," Simon said of one of Stanford's worst soccer seasons ever. "The team did a great job of staying together through a difficult situation. We were young and had terrible injury problems. Across the board we had problems. We used last season as a springboard. We learned what to do to be better."

One year removed from an appearance in the Final Four, Stanford (0-10 in the Pac-10, 3-15-2 overall last year) suffered its first winless conference season in school history. Only four players appeared in all 20 games.

So how do the Cardinal expect to pick up the pieces this year?

"This team expects to challenge for the national championship," Simon said. "It's a matter of going from the top to the bottom to top again. We have the talent and we have the motivation."

The coaches pre-season poll has Stanford finishing fourth behind UCLA, Cal and Washington.

Even the latest rash of injuries can't dampen Simon's spirits though. Despite all its woes, Stanford has enough talent to dream large. Fulton is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the country, and was named to the watch list for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy which goes to the nation's best collegiate player.

"In my opinion he's the best goalie in the country," said Stanford senior midfielder Matt Janusz. "He's by far the most difficult to score against."

How do you replace him while he allows his thumb to heal? Simple. Throw in sophomore Andrew Kartunen, who spent the summer as the Under-20 National Team goalie.

Kartunen, who has played soccer in 14 different countries, appeared in 11 games last year, including nine starts. He was named to the all-tournament team at the Golden Hurricane Classic.

"Andrew made a jump in commitment and his playing level by the end of the spring," Simon said. "He's got fantastic goalkeeping skills with great leadership ability."

Janusz, a fifth-year senior who was converted to the midfield from the forward line last year, called spring practice the best he's been through at Stanford.

"Obviously last season didn't work out as well as we wanted," Janusz said. "But we've had a good off-season and we want to make sure that never happens again. We have a lot of guys back, and the freshmen class looks really talented."

Everything will start with Fulton though. Not only is he one of Stanford's best ever goalkeepers, he'll serve as team captain this season.

"When he was a freshman he was one of the shy kids," Janusz said. "He didn't speak much and let his play do all the talking. The team is energized by him. He's a leader not only on the field but also off the field. His character is so strong, people like to be around him all the time. He's still not vocal, but he still sets an example."

Fulton enters the year with the second lowest Goals Against Average in school history at 0.72. He has 11 career shutouts and 118 saves.

"He's physically very gifted," Simon said. "He has all the physical tools to be a great goalkeeper. He's 6-2, rangy, quick, courageous, has good hands, good reactions and long arms. For him it's matter of getting full healthy. He's as good as anyone in the country."

Janusz, meanwhile, had to adjust to a new position last year. Until then, he had been a forward his entire soccer life.

"He has a lot of talent and is great moving forward with the ball," Simon said. "He's a great finisher and has a fantastic shot. I expect him to be one of our top scorers."

Janusz is Stanford's active career leader in points (48), goals (19), assists (10) and shots (119). He remained active in creating shots even from his unfamiliar spot in the midfield.

"The biggest responsibility was with one-on-one matchups," Janusz said. "It was interesting moving back because I started seeing more of the field and there's an opportunity to create a little more. My entire life has been as a forward expect for last year but when we tried the switch last year, it seemed to work out. I like having the added responsibility."

In addition to Fulton and Janusz, Stanford also returns seniors Darren Fernandez, James Twellman, Aaron Maines, and Todd Leiber.

"We have six players who have been to the Final Four," Janusz said. "We know what it takes to get it done and we know how not to get it done. We're serious about the season."

Fernandez was second on the team with four goals last year, including two game-winning goals. Twellman was a District VIII Academic All-American, and Maines has shown great versatility in his Stanford career, having played several positions.

Senior defender Jason Griffiths joins the Cardinal squad after spending his first three years at Middlebury College in Vermont. A graduate student with a year left of his eligibility, Griffiths and Fernandez attended the same prep school together.

Other returning starters include junior midfielder/defender Bronson McDonald, sophomore midfielder/defender Michael Brown and sophomore Galen Thompson.

Junior Seyi Abolaji, who sat out last season with an injury, appeared in 21 games and started six in 2002.

Other returners include junior midfielder K.C. Coyne, sophomore midfielder Bret Shimizu, junior goalkeeper Spencer Porter, and sophomore midfielder Stephen Ringer. Redshirt freshman Kyle Hency, injured last year, and junior transfer Cooper McKee (from St. Louis University) also join the team.

The freshman class was ranked as the nation's sixth best recruiting class by Soccer America and includes high school All-American Scott Bolkan, New Zealand Under-20 National Team player Mark Bartlett. Defender Luke Sager was an all-star at an elite soccer camp, while Evan Morgan and San Shapiro were regional ODP performers. Hayward resident Enrique Allen and Ryan Oblak round out the squad.

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