Concordia Stingers men’s soccer head coach Lloyd Barker says there is one number he would like to see change when comparing last season to the 2011 season – the number of goals allowed.
Concordia gave up the most goals in the RSEQ university men’s soccer conference last year despite having scored at a consistent pace with the rest of the league.
“Our main focus this season is to tighten up defensively,” Barker said. “That will translate to points earned, which in turn will give us a better chance to make the playoffs.”
Barker looks to newly-named captain Gonzalo Paredes, a third-year midfielder, to lead the team. He is also looking for consistent play from fourth-year forward Alfred Moody and third-year goalkeeper Nicholas Giannone.
“We expect Gonzalo to carry the load for the team,” Barker said. “We also expect less sporadic performances from Nick and Alfred. If we have good play from those guys, we expect the rest of the team to follow.”
Concordia has played two preseason games leading up to its season opener – a 1-0 loss to the Cape Breton Capers and a 2-1 loss to the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The score against Sherbrooke, however, doesn’t matter much to Barker.
“The Sherbrooke game we dominated and the scoreline didn't indicate that,” Barker said. “We played some players we wanted to give a final look to, and I made some changes because of that. I was very impressed with the way we played and I think that we are further ahead than we were in previous years.”
Concordia will not be able to count on all-Canadian forward Matthijs Eppinga who returned to his native Holland after a year-long study exchange at Concordia. With six goals and an assist in 12 games, he was the Stingers’ leading scorer in 2010.
Barker says that he is bringing in a group of experienced first year players who “are all influential in their own way.” He also is looking for them to bring their summer league success to the team. Coach mentioned midfielder-forward Eduardo Mazzonna in particular as someone who could help the Stingers offence.
Despite the changes, Barker expects that the team will be in most games this season, and that if they are that will lead to a successful season.
The Concordia soccer teams hold their home opener Friday night with a double header against the Laval Rouge et Or. The men kick off at 6:30 p.m. while the women’s game is set to start at 8:30 p.m.
