By Christopher McLaughlin
With 11 new recruits, men’s soccer coach Shaun Green looks to fill out his team’s depth for the 2010 fall season.
Searching far and wide for fresh recruits, Coach Green looked to his home country for top recruit Richie Slaughter. “Slaughter is an attacking fullback from Hexham, England. He is a very talented player with exceptional leadership qualities. He is a player that we are expecting to make an impact during his freshman year,” said Green.
In addition to Slaughter, Coach Green has also recruited two other players from overseas. Both Ian Smurthwaite and Joe Gamboa come from outside the USA, with Smurthwaite from England and Gamboa from Costa Rica.
Smurthwaite is a central defender who played soccer for Darlington Football club and North Allerton Town FC. “He is a powerful physical presence on the field and distributes the ball very well. He was a great signing for CCSU. We see him as a player who can replace someone like David Tyrie.”
Gamboa is a player who can act as both a central defender and be a defensive midfielder. He played on the Costa Rican Under 20 National team before coming to CCSU. “He is a very versatile player with great composure and skill.” Both Gamboa and Smurthwaite will play into Coach Green’s defensive focus this season.
While not from overseas, there are two recruits from out of state. Ognen Stamenkovic comes from Clinton, Michigan where he played for Schoolcraft Community College before being recruited by CCSU. He will play midfield and defense for CCSU, and is another versatile recruit.
“Stamenkovic is a tenacious player who can fit into many positions. He has a great blue collar work ethic and very positive attitude,” said Green.
The other out of state recruit, Soulymane Sonoga was born on the Ivory Coast but now lives in Manhattan. Like Stamenkovic, Sonoga can fill many positions by playing either wide midfield or outside defense. “Sonoga is a talented transfer student from Borough of Manhattan Community College. We see him filling a role similar to that of Hadji Diop,” Coach Green said.
The six remaining recruits all come from Connecticut. Terrell Whitting is a transfer student from UConn that still has four years of eligibility left. “He is a lightning fast forward that we feel can be the missing piece on offense.”
One of the biggest surprises for Coach Green comes in the form of Manny Nobre. “Nobre is a creative midfielder with great skill and will see a lot of time his freshman year. He is one of the biggest surprises in the recruiting class because he seems to be the heir apparent for Robert Cavner.”
Another surprise for Coach Green is Sal DiTamasso. DiTamasso played club ball at the Farmington Sports Arena and also played for Farmington High School. “DiTamasso is a very skilled player and is someone who can develop playing for CCSU. He will be used as an attacking wide midfielder or striker. He was a surprise because of how skilled he is.”
Andrew Ferrucci is a tall forward from Watertown with a lot of potential. “Ferrucci is someone who will develop into a very good forward over the next four years at CCSU. He’s tall and explosive that will only get better playing against stronger players.”
Joey Sisca is from Beachside Soccer Club and will add more depth to the defense. “Sisca is a strong defender who will benefit from playing in our squad and training daily.”
The final recruit for 2010 is Ian Mangione. Mangione joined in the spring and will add depth to the goalkeeper position. “Mangione has a great attitude and is a pleasure to have on the team backing up our goalkeepers.”
Taking these 11 new recruits, Coach Green seeks to get back into the title hunt for his 26th season as men’s soccer coach for CCSU. The season begins on Sept. 4 in New Hampshire for the Nike New Hampshire Classic. The Blue Devils will play their first home game on Sept. 22, taking on Siena.