University of St. Francis opens its second men's soccer season under coach Ko Thanadabouth with a young squad that features only two returning seniors and just five returning juniors. The young team has 11 new faces, including 10 freshmen, and must find a way to replace its five top scorers from a year ago.

But even those numbers don't dampen the spirits of Thanadabouth who strongly believes that his team will be more competitive in 2009 than it was in 2008.

"We have added a group of new players that will bring the technical and tactical aspects of the game that we were missing a little bit last year," said the second-year USF head coach. "We lost our top five offensive players but we struggled to score as a team last year (13 goals in 14 games) so we have to improve greatly in that area no matter who we had coming back."

The Saints finished the 2008 campaign with a 2-12 record but did finish the season on a good note with a 4-2 home win over Calumet (IN) that snapped an 11-match losing streak. The four goals were the most scored by the Saints in a game last year and equaled their total in the previous 10 contests.

Thanadabouth doesn't look at the numbers of last season as he looks ahead to 2009. He wants to see improved defense and better technical play and feels that the new players will help the Saints take steps in that direction.

Thanadabouth sees senior Tony Sallese and junior Jordan Parcel, a pair of veteran defenders, as the leaders of the 2009 club.

"Tony and Jordan have the maturity and the work ethic to set the tone for our team this year," said the USF coach. "And I look for some nice contributions from our other returning players, too.

Sallese and Parcel lead the defense. Sallese has been a three-year starter and Parcel has been a regular since joining the program as a freshman two years ago. Other returning defenders include sophomores Stephen Michaels and A.J. Simpson. They will be joined by incoming freshmen Shaun McMillin and Michael Kowal.

Senior Nathan Schoell, junior Mike Healy and sophomores Ryan O'Rourke and Damien Silva are the returning players that will handle midfield duties for the Saints this year. Schoell has played everywhere from defense to midfield to forward in his first three years and joins Sallese as the only other senior on the club. Healy scored one goal last year and also split his time between the midfield and defense. O'Rourke started and played in just six games last year before suffering a season-ending injury but is back and healthy and ready to contribute again as a sophomore. Silva had three assists as a frosh and was a regular starter a year ago.

Junior college transfer Thimi Sinjari and freshmen Ricky Navarro, Willie Gutierrez, Victor Trujillo and Matt Gorecki will also compete for playing time at midfield and some of them may play at forward as well.

Juniors Luis Escorza and Joel Perez return as forwards for the Saints. Escorza will also be utilized on defense as he played there extensively as a sophomore. Escorza had one assist last year after scoring two goals with one assist as a freshman in 2007. Freshmen Matt Nieciunski and Luke Zeiler are other candidates for playing time up front.

Sophomore Bobby Markatos, who manned the goalkeeper slot for most of last year, returns for his second full season in the net with the Saints. Markatos registered 89 saves as a redshirt freshman in 2008 and was credited with one of the two USF victories. Junior Alex McKanna made a pair of starts in goal last year and earned the other Saints' win. He secured 23 saves and allowed eight goals in his work as a sophomore. Sophomore Juan Santoliva appeared in eight games as a frosh and was credited with 17 saves.

Two freshmen keepers add to the depth in goal for USF in 2009. Brian Quane, from nearby Lockport, and Mike Moberg from Lyons Township H.S. in west suburban La Grange will also compete for playing time.

The Saints will once again be faced with the tall task of competing in the rugged Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Illinois Tech returns as the defending champion after running through the league with a spotless 9-0 mark a year ago. Thanadabouth thinks that as many as five teams have a legitimate shot at winning the CCAC crown. Six schools finished within two games of one another in the battle for second place last season behind Illinois Tech.