STORRS, Conn. - After a successful season in 2003, the 2004 Connecticut men’s soccer team returns nine starters and is ready to face the challenges this season will present. With the loss of seniors Lindon Pecorelli and Cesar Cuellar, the 2004 squad is filled with strong leadership and athletic ability that will send the team far into the season with much success. Led by eighth-year head Coach Ray Reid, the Huskies are prepared for the season as a wealth of new talent will don the 2004 roster.

Sophomore Steve Sealy (St. James, Trinidad) will lead charge of this young but talented offensive line. The top returning scorer from the 2003 roster and a NSCAA All-New England and All-BIG EAST Second Team member, Sealy will have to capitalize on opportunities made by UConn’s midfielders. Sealy notched five goals and four assists for 14 points in 2003 and will need to improve on his success from last year.

Joining Sealy will be sophomore transfer and South African U-23 National Team member Bonginkosi Macala (Pretoria, South Africa) along with freshmen Chukwudi Chijindu (Fontana, Calif.), Ryan Cordeiro (Highland Mills, N.Y.) and Caesar Lopez (Orlando, Fla.). Chijindu was a two-time San Gabriel Player of the Year, while Cordeiro was an All-State and All-Conference team member for their prospective teams. Lopez set school standards in scoring and will be relied on to make an impact immediately. Also returning from the 2003 squad are redshirt freshmen Patrick Halligan (Falmouth, Maine) and Stanley Ford (Liverpool, N.Y.).

The strongest of all of UConn’s lines, the midfielders are deep with experience but bolster fresh blood to kick start the offense. Team captain and 2003 All-BIG EAST Third Team member Mpho Moloi (Soweto, South Africa) will continue his duties as a defensive midfielder with his leadership ability and athletic skills. Sophomore Kevin Burns (Greenfield, Ind.) earned considerable playing time as the season progressed, tallying nine starts at the season’s end. He will help at the central midfield position along with senior Will Osorio (Miami, Fla.), who will add his experience from the past four years as a Husky.

Senior Easton Wilson (Hartford, Conn.) is a powerful flank midfielder who carries the game forward. Wilson notched one goal but aided on three assists with his playmaking abilities. He will be helped by juniors Drew Brown (Middletown, Conn.) and Sean Cameron (North Brunswick, N.J.) on the outside position. Newcomers Viktor Borggren (Malmo, Sweden) and David Fromayan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) will add to this already deep position. Borggren was a two-time Youth Player of the Year for the City of Malmo in Sweden, while Fromayan earned numerous state and conference honors at Bay Shore High School.

The defensive line is UConn’s deepest and biggest as all five key backs from the 2003 roster return to this year’s squad. Seniors Stephen Arias (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Joe Coyle (Belle Meade, NJ), junior Willis Forko (Houston, Texas) and sophomores Moshe Shalchon (Rishon Lezioh, Israel) and Glen Carnahan (Broomfield, Colo.) held opponents to 1.03 goals per game and stifled eight shutouts. Shalchon and Carnahan will anchor the central defense, while Arias, Coyle and Forko will play on the flank.

Joining the veterans are Karl Schilling (Canton, Conn.) and Julius James (Maloney, Trinidad). Schilling is Reid’s most highly touted instate recruit in his eight-year tenure at Connecticut. Schilling helped Canton High School to its state championship and was named 2003 NSCAA Connecticut High School Player of the Year and a 2003 NSCAA Youth All-American and High School All-American. James joined the Huskies for the 2004 spring semester and his height and athleticism will be an immediate impact to the backline.

The group of goalies will be strong as all four have collegiate experience to help guide them into the starting role of the Husky goalkeeper. Redshirt sophomore transfer Geoffrey Anatole (Sharon, Mass.) spent two seasons at the University of South Carolina before heading to Storrs for the spring of 2004. Junior Adam Schuerman (Brookfield, Wis.) has been the starting keep for the Huskies for the past two seasons and looks to retain his position. Junior Jamie Verab (Naugatuck, Conn.) and Brett Pollack (New Rochelle, N.Y.) also return for the 2004 season.

The Huskies have again put together another impressive schedule that boasts nine teams on its 2004 schedule that advanced to the 2003 NCAA Championship and seven ranked in the NSCAA Top 25, including three that were in the Top 10. UConn is looking forward to facing some of the nation’s best and will be challenged both in non-conference and conference match-ups from start to finish.

Connecticut soccer fans will see a whopping 13 homes games, the most in recent years. UConn opens the season at home and will face Michigan on Sept. 1 followed by Washington on Sept. 4. Home action continues as the annual UConn adidas Soccer Classic returns to Storrs for the fourth straight year. NCAA participants California-Santa Barbara and Seton Hall, along with Richmond, make-up the 2004 Classic field. The Huskies will match-up against Santa Barbara in the first day of action on Sept. 10 and then are pitted against Richmond the following day. The home stand continues with a visit from St. Peter’s (Sept. 15) and the Huskies open its BIG EAST schedule versus West Virginia (Sept. 18), as UConn will look to avenge its ties to both teams from last season.

Connecticut takes to the road for the first time against Virginia Commonwealth on Sept. 22. The game marks only the second meeting between the two schools, and UConn’s first trip to Richmond. Pittsburgh travels to Storrs on Sept. 25 for a double header with the UConn women’s soccer team. UConn continues its BIG EAST schedule at Providence on Sept. 29, the first meeting between the schools since the 2002 season. The road trip continues as UConn plays at Villanova to open the month of October.

A scoreless tie against Seton Hall in 2003 is not what UConn is looking for as the team heads to New Jersey on Oct. 23. In their last home game of the season, the Huskies play host to Syracuse on Oct. 27 before heading to Notre Dame on Oct. 30 to close out the season.