ROLLA, Mo. – Prior to last season, Missouri S&T's men's soccer team came into the year with high expectations as it was coming off its first NCAA Division II regional appearance – and certainly appeared to be living up to them during the first month of the season when it won seven of its first eight games, including a victory over defending national champion Northern Kentucky.

But immediately following the win over the Norse, S&T went into a rut as it went scoreless in four consecutive games to slide in the standings, but still qualified for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament for the fourth straight year in a campaign where it finished at 10-6-2.

As the 2012 season approaches, the expectations from around the league aren't quite as high for the Miners, who were picked to finish seventh by the coaches in the GLVC in the pre-season poll.  That is just fine with S&T head coach Joe Ahearn, who feels his team is well-equipped to compete for one of the top spots in the highly competitive conference.

“The expectations we have on ourselves are always high,” Ahearn said.  “Qualifying for the GLVC playoffs is a task in itself in a 16-team league and our expectations are to finish in the top four.  The fact that we were not satisfied after a 10-win season, in this league, is a positive.”

The Miners' most notable loss in personnel came in the nets, where two-time All-GLVC goalkeeper Pat McNamee (Fenton, Mo./Vianney ) completed his career with S&T as the all-time leader in shutouts.  The team is not lacking in experience at the position, however, as returning senior Donny Gesell (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West) and junior Matt Jackson (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City West) are in competition for the starting role and freshman James Holloway (Cape Girardeau, Mo./Notre Dame Regional) is also looking to earn a spot.

Jackson posted a 0.76 goals against average and three shutouts of his own last season, including one over nationally-ranked Indianapolis, while Gesell served as McNamee's backup for three years before redshirting in 2011 and did a solid job when called upon during that time.

“We are very comfortable with our goalkeepers right now,” Ahearn said.  “Donny and Matt have been consistent in pre-season, while James is earning the trust and respect of his teammates everyday in training.  (Assistant coach) Hank Lewis' guidance keeps the position competitive while maintaining unity and pride in their success.”

The back line is headed by two-time all-region defender Spencer Brinkmeyer (Kansas City, Mo./Oak Park), a senior who also scored four times during the course of the 2011 campaign.  He will have a group of veterans working alongside him that include senior Caleb Collier (Springfield, Mo./Kickapoo), juniors E.J. Zembas (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) and Joe Macke (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell Central HS) as well as sophomore Taylor Arens (Springfield, Mo./Catholic HS), who played his way into the starting lineup during his freshman season.  Newcomers Ryan Lawhead (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) and Alex Reifschneider (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) are also expected to make strong contributions at that position during the upcoming year.

S&T is also looking to get a boost defensively with the addition of Ryan Tinsley (St. Charles, Mo./Christian Brothers College HS), who spent the last two seasons playing at Eastern Illinois University.

“Any success we have will start with sound defending and an organized group of 11,” Ahearn said.  “It is no secret.  We know who we are and take pride being the best at it.”

In the midfield, the Miners have a deep contingent of players that includes three of their top scorers from a year ago.  Kyle Schraier (St. Louis, Mo./Christian Brothers College ), a senior, led S&T with five goals, while fellow classmates Peter Haw (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West ) and Jervis Atagana (Columbia, Mo./Hickman ) each recorded seven points, with Atagana leading the Miners in assists with five.

S&T also returns the services of seniors Adam Stensland (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville), Oscar Alvarez (Mexico City, Mexico/Colegio Ciudad de Mexico), Josh Bennett (St. Charles, Mo./Duchesne) and Ben Glover (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West), as well as juniors Carlos Gomez (Madrid, Spain/Nuestra Sra Del Recurerdo) and Timmy Kenny (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette). 

“This group has the most depth we have seen in the last 5 years.  Training has been competitive,” Ahearn said. 

Up front, the Miners will have a mix of returners and newcomers.  The returning group includes Peter Vaccaro (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West ), who scored three times in his junior year, senior Brian Seawright (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) and sophomores Ben Emnett (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University HS), David Zdvorak (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill HS), Bryce Phillips (Kingwood, Texas/Kingwood HS) and Ben Bartnicke (Little Rock, Ark./Catholic HS).   The newcomers are Diego Robayo (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish) and brother Gilberto Robayo (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish), who join the S&T squad after playing at Bellevue Community College in Washington and redshirt freshman Kramer Hall (Liberty, Mo./Liberty HS).

“This early in the season, establishing relationships on the field is our top priority,” Ahearn said.  “Identifying what pairs and groups work well with each other is vital to our success in this area.  The plan is to be our best come late October and November.”

The Miners will open the 2012 season in the same manner as they did in 2011, taking part in the Quincy Holiday Classic with matches against Lindenwood University on Saturday and Truman State on Sunday.  S&T will open GLVC play the following weekend at Wisconsin-Parkside and Lewis before opening the home schedule Sept. 14 against Saint Joseph's.