2006 men’s soccer team may be best in Taylor’s tenure at Oregon State

By Brooks Hatch
Corvallis Gazette-Times

Dana Taylor isn’t bashful, and doesn’t engage in traditional coachspeak and downplay the possibilities when evaluating the 2006 Oregon State men’s soccer team.

“This is probably the best team we’ve put on the field,” said Taylor, going into eighth season. “It’s the most technical and athletic, and it’s one of the deepest, squads we’ve had.”

But potential guarantees nothing. Taylor and the Beavers know a quick start is paramount if the veteran-laden unit is to return to the NCAA College Cup after a two-year absence.

“We were so close to doing it last year, but we didn’t make it because of the first few games,” said senior forward Robbie Findley, a three-time Pacific-10 Conference all-star. “That kind of messed it up for the tournament.

“So that’s what we’re concentrating on, the first few games. We have to go out and play well right from the beginning.”

The season starts this weekend in the four-team Diadora Classic at Lorenz Field. Sacramento State faces Michigan State at 5 p.m. and the Beavers meet UC Riverside at 7 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, UC Riverside and Michigan State play at 5 p.m., followed by the Beavers and Sacramento State.

Sixteen of the 17 returning lettermen started at least one game in 2005, when numerous injuries forced Taylor to start six true freshmen at one time or another. Only five players started all 20 games.

Five others redshirted. So although the Beavers will be young — 17 of 28 players are freshmen or sophomores — they will also have plenty of experience because so many who might have played sparingly saw considerable action in 2005 because of the spate of injuries.

“Our starting lineup has been solidified since last spring, maybe minus a player here or there who was already in camp anyway,” Taylor said. “And we have some great freshmen who have stepped up and will get playing time.

“It’s a nice blend right now. We have a lot of guys who have garnered a lot of minutes over the past year or two years that are going to add a lot of depth to this team. Now it’s a matter of finding the right combination of healthy bodies.”

OSU should be formidable in the midfield, with honorable-mention all-conference returnees Lucas Egenwall and Brett Gardner as anchors. Defenders Alex Christensen and Daniel Leach were also honorable-mention all-conference; Leach was a freshman All-American.

Goalie Packy Deenihan had four shutouts and a 1.29 goals-against average as a first-time starter.

Still, even with all the returnees OSU was picked to finish fifth in the six-team Pac-10 in the preseason coaches poll.

“That’s perfect,” Taylor said. “It takes the pressure off, and we have something to prove against people who don’t respect us. Here we finished third (in 2005) with all those young guys and they pick us fifth. That’s fine. We’ll play the blue-collar underdog role and take advantage of that.”

OSU started 7-2-4 in 2005 but lost five of its final seven conference games to just barely miss the NCAA tournament.

“That’s the Pac-10,” Taylor said. “In the beginning, due to injuries we were trying to find ourselves. So many young guys were in the starting lineup, and they really didn’t know how to bring it.”

That shouldn’t be a concern in 2006. Findley described the Beavers as dedicated, with heart and passion and playing with a purpose.

“This is my senior year, so I’ve seen a lot,” Findley said. “This year we might definitely do some interesting stuff, because we’re so deep. It’s important that we all stay healthy. But even if we do pick up a few injuries, we have the depth for anybody to step in and give a top-notch performance.”