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2009 Preview: Downers Grove South
Such is the case at Downers Grove South, where coach Jon Stapleton knows that shoring up the defense is critical. That said, the eighth-year Mustang coach hopes that the makeup of this year's squad will help make that happen. "I'm a little concerned since we lost three defenders and our goalkeeper who set records the last few years," Stapleton said. "But even though we did graduate some key players, from what I've seen so far, we still have some high expectations." The one defender that Downers South returns from last year's 17-7-2 sectional squad is senior Cal Roselieb. Meanwhile, things figure to be pretty solid in the midfield since the Mustangs return three players there. Seniors Charlie Stanke and Marcus Salinas will be on the outside while senior Matt LaLonde is in the center. Junior David Masolak is another center midfielder while junior Joe McLean also could see time on the outside. "We have a lot of depth in the midfield," Stapleton said. "Obviously that's an area of strength for us." With most of its strength at forward graduated, too, Downers South will look to several players up front. That group includes seniors Julian Damian and Kwesi Mintah as well as juniors Kyle Wolf and Zach Baleski. Salinas may also see time up top if the Mustang coach selects to go with a forward-by-committee approach.
Rounding out the 14 seniors on the team are Neil Kshirsagar, Anthony Allegretti, Cal Tondelli and Ramzi Riadi. While Stapleton has concerns about certain areas of the field, he thinks his players will rise to the challenge. "I think we're very consisent, so we'll be able to plug some guys in at different positions," Stapleton said. The Mustangs coach feels that two other keys are the camarderie and the work ethic that his team possesses. "I'm pleased so far," Stapleton said. "We have good team chemistry and the kids work hard and are coachable. "They have a strong passion for the game and bring energy to practice. Those are some good intangibles."
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2009 Roster
2009 Schedule
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Whenever a soccer team loses a lot of key people on defense, there's obviously good reason for concern.
Other seniors on the 28-man squad are Andrew Reed, Ryan Mihalko, Robby Gunderson, Mike Stapleton and Mark Mamula.
