Penn College Men's Soccer Team Rebuilding

With only four returning lettermen, Pennsylvania College of Technology men's soccer team faces a rebuilding season. But, according to coach Andy Richardson, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"There were only three returning players during the 2000 season and we won the states ... It shows you how talented some of these guys are coming out of strong high school programs. They are strong contributors right out of the gate," said Richardson.

The Wildcats open their season Saturday at 1 p.m. at Keystone College. Their home opener is at 4 p.m. Wednesday, hosting Penn State-Berks, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last fall.

Back from last year's squad, which went 11-3-1 overall, 8-1-1 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and bowing out in the league quarterfinals, are sophomores Dave Frederick (a midfielder who graduated from Central Mountain High), Derik Dressler (forward, West Snyder), Alex Hartman (midfielder, Marathon, N.Y.) and Faisal Al Nufeai (forward, Saudi Arabia). Al Nufeai led the team in scoring with nine goals.

"They're all strong and should help the program considerably," Richardson assessed of his veterans.

Two other players with previous collegiate experience are Mark Moyer (forward-midfielder, Lancaster), who played on the Wildcats' Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association championship team in 2000 and, in fact, scored the only goal in the title match, and Earnest Nthuthu (Botswana, Africa), who played in the late 1990s.

Also on the team are freshmen Jason Lapenna (fullback, Conwell Eagan), David Ruiz (midfielder, Morris Hills), Jed Breon (fullback, Bellefonte), Dominick Anskis (midfielder, Southern Columbia), Chris McNelis (fullback, Avon Grove), Jonas Pfleegor (fullback, Meadowbrook Christian in Milton), Josh Davis (fullback, Chambersburg), Bill Lutz (fullback, Central York), Brad Mickley (goalie, Northwestern Lehigh), Brandon Pontius (goalie, Greenwood), Bo Ford (Bedford), Dan Hill (Muncy), Sean McGranahan (Methaction), Josh Lampel (Cambria) and Greg Schmidt (Downingtown).

"I've got good players, but the exact sets - the best combinations - haven't emerged yet," said Richardson. "The kids we have are very talented. The new players we have this year are going to be very strong contributors to the team."

In 10 seasons under Richardson, the Wildcats are 69-40-10.