Men's Soccer returns three All Conference players as they get set to open 2016 Thursday night
Interview with Coach Hildabrand
North Adams, MA- The time is now for the MCLA Men's Soccer program as they prepare to lift the curtain on the 2016 season Thursday night. The Trailblazers return their top three scorers from last season as they hope to take the next step forward in to the MASCAC postseason tournament.
MCLA is under the direction of ninth year head coach Adam Hildabrand. Last season, Hildabrand's troops went 5-9-3 overall and sported a 3-4 MASCAC mark. The Trailblazers were upended on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament by Worcester State.
Hildabrand isn't shy when discussing where he wants his program to go. "Our goal is to have a winning record and compete for an NCAA tournament berth," the veteran coach stated. Getting there won't be easy for MCLA and they will learn quickly where they stand with perennial power Montclair State standing in their way for the 2016 lid lifter Thursday night in New Jersey.
"Montclair will challenge us in many ways and will probably control possession, but it's also a great way for us to find out how we will respond and counter so early in the season," the coach commented on the challenge ahead.
The Trailblazers do return their top three scorers from last season, all of which were named to the All MASCAC team. Leading the way is senior Anthony Basile. The talented forward from Springfield, MA notched a team best 10 goals in 2015 and provides a physical presence up front. Dylan Pereira, the 2013 MASCAC rookie of the year, also returns for his senior campaign. He scored 5 goals and added 3 assists as a junior and compliments Basile on the front line. Rounding out the trio is another senior in Edward Boateng. The Worcester native scored only one goal, but the led the team with 6 assists in 2015.
While MCLA will have some firepower up front, it's the backline that will need to improve as 2016 approaches. Kamron Anderson returns in net for the Trailblazers as he started in all 17 games a year ago. The backline lost captain Ryan Baker to graduation, but veterans Sakan Sadowsky, Nolan Burke, and captain Jesse Moore all return. This group will be key if the program looks to gain elite status within the conference.
The schedule sets up nicely for MCLA after the road to trip to Montclair starts things off. The Trailblazers then host Western Connecticut State on September 6th before hosting the annual CIAO Classic tournament on September 10-11. MCLA will welcome UMass Boston, Union (NY), and Johnson State for the CIAO.
The CIAO classic will feature the first true night game for MCLA as Shewcraft field was outfitted with lights earlier this summer.
The MASCAC schedule ramps up one week later when the Trailblazers head to defending champion Bridgewater State on September 17th. MCLA makes their conference debut at home the following weekend hosting Salem State. The regular season concludes on October 29th with senior day at Shewcraft Field against Framingham State.
The MASCAC postseason tournament gets underway the following week.