Check out Part One of the Men's Soccer Season Preview where we profile the defenders here.
You can also catch up more on the new additions to the roster through the recruit updates posted here and here.
Midfield:
Returners:
Juuso Pasanen - 6 -
Another of the first names on the team sheet. Juuso is an asset to the midfield, playing the holding role to a "T" and being solid enough on the ball to play through out of the back. He'll be holding down the number six role all year for the Orange.
Julian Buescher - 10 -
Probably the top player and playmaker on the squad, he proved it again with a brace in the preseason finale against Connecticut. An attacking midfielder that plays extremely well on the left wing, maintaining width and holds his own on the ball. He's got a blistering shot that he's not afraid to cut in onto and can hoof in a cross with the best of them, though that's usually left for Alseth and Callahan overlapping.
Korab Syla - 15 -
Pace on the wing, Syla is the 2012 NJCAA Player of the Year. He played in every match last year and will most likely have the starting spot on the right wing this year. He'll be looking to improve on his one goal, one assist output from last year.
Oyvind Alseth and Liam Callahan will see time in defense, but will push up and be overlapping a good bit as the wingbacks in the 3-5-2. I could have listed them either here or in the defense post where I did.
New Blood:
Johnathan Hagman- 8 -
Hagman saw run in all three preseason matches. He'll be looking at getting some solid run in and contribute to an extremely talented midfield this year. The Enebyberg, Sweden native looks to step right in to a role and make a difference on the squad.
Andreas Jenssen - 16 -
Jenssen got the start at the number 10 in his first preseason match against Georgetown. He netted once in his time against Buffalo and saw time against UConn. By the amount of run Coach McIntyre is giving him, he looks to be a solid cog to this team moving forward. We'll be able to tell more when we get a few more games under our belt.
Morgan Hackworth - 18 -
Hackworth is currently seeing the starters share of minutes in the pivot opposite Juuso Pasanen. His ability to work well at tracking back, while providing additional help to the forward line will be the deciding factor in how well he works out in this spot.
Forwards:
Returners:
Noah Rhynhart- 12-
Noah got a good bit of run last season, spelling the forwards in sixteen games. He found the back of the net twice and should be able to continue that this year. Noah is a very balanced forward who can complement the midfield and makes some quality runs.
Danny Apajee - 14 -
Apajee is the speedster of a group that includes a good number of pacy forwards. He only saw play in two matches last year, but should contribute more in the attack this year with his added experience. He came up through the NE Revolution Academy.
Chris Nanco - 17 -
The second returning scorer from last year with five goals, Nanco will be shouldering the load and is the main man up top for the Orange this season. He's a speedy player who will have to work at moving inside instead of playing out on the wing. An extremely important cog in the Orange attack, he'll continue to play in every match, as he did last year.
Kenny Lassiter - 22 -
Lassiter redshirted in 2013 and saw his debut against St. Mary's last year. He'll look to continue to get some run this year and contribute to the attack, spelling the other forwards. He tallied an assist in the Orange's preseason finale this past weekend.
New Blood:
Ben Polk - 7 -
Polk is coming to us from Herkimer County Community College where he was the Player of the Year, scoring 33 times, much like rising senior Korab Syla. He's a pacy number 10 that should provide some help to Chris Nanco up front this year.
Adnan Bakalovic - 11 -
The local product out of Utica, NY joins the squad looking to push for minutes up top. He'll have some upperclassmen to fight through, but Bakalovic is a quality playmaker who knows how to find the back of the net. We'll see what he can do to pull together a season this year and moving forward.