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Text Box: Stanford - Pre-season #5 Coach - Bret Simon - Enters 3rd year as head coach at Stanford. Prior to that was the head coach at Creighton for 6 years. Simon directed Creighton to the College Cup in 2000 and took Stanford to the Cup in 2001 and 2002. Conference - Pac. 10 2002 overall record -18-5-2 ; 2002 conference record - 5-3-2 2002 goals scored - 56; 2002 goals allowed - 25 2002 NCAA Tourney results - Defeated Portland in penalty kicks, defeated Furman 2-1, defeated Clemson 2-0, defeated Creighton 2-1, lost to UCLA 1-0 Key player losses from 2002 season: Forward Roger Levesque (7g, 13a), midfielder Johanes Maliza (8g, 6a), defenders Todd Dunivant and Taylor Graham and Taylor Ahlgren and goalkeeper Andrew Terris. Overall strength in 2003 - Athletic, well-organized, excellent out of set pieces, disciplined and they play well together as a team. 2003 Up Top - Darren Fernandez (9g,0a), Matt Janusz (5g, 4a) and James Twellman (5g, 3a) will be among those who will see action up top. Freshman Marcus Ryan could have an immediate impact. 2003 Midfield - Should be very good. Returning linkmen include seniors Mike Wilson (5g, 2a) and Abe Geiger (0g, 1a) and junior Aaron Maines (0g, 1a). Todd Leber is among others who will be in the mix. 2003 Backline - Some rebuilding taking place. Sophomore Chad Marshall is the lone returning starter. 2003 Goalkeeper - Very solid. Robby Fulton returns in goal to give the Cardinal a talented and experienced presence between the pipes. Unanswered intangible question - Despite the fact that the Stanford offense scored a total of 56 goals last year, the Cardinals inability to come up with the big goal hampered their productivity. Will the Stanford attack be more consistent in 2003 and avoid the dry spells that hurt them at times during the 2002 season? Coach Simon's comment - Regarding his 2003 recruiting class Simon stated "This is a talented and deep class that will be able to help us keep competing at the national level. This class will be one of the best in the country." Recruiting class - Ranked by College Soccer News as the 12th best recruiting class in the country. Look for the new recruits to have an impact. Miscellaneous - Stanford has earned a total of nine NCAA Tournament berths including the last five years in a row. Player who makes it happen - Seniors Abe Geiger and Mike Wilson will be key motivators and leaders at practice and in games in 2003. Key Games - ODU (9/07), SMU (9/19), FDU (9/26), Santa Clara (10/2), California (10/5 and 11/15), Washington (10/12 and 10/31), UCLA (10/19 and 10/24) Stanford's Web Site

Text Box: SMU - Pre-season #6 Coach - Schellas Hyndman - Enters 20th season as the head coach of the Mustangs with record of 294-75-25 at SMU. Goes into the 2003 season needing just 6 wins to reach the 300 win mark while at SMU. Conference - Missouri Valley 2002 overall record - 16-3-3; 2002 conference record - 7-0-2 2002 goals scored - 55; 2002 goals allowed - 18 2002 NCAA Tourney results - Defeated FIU 3-1, lost to Boston College 5-4 Key player losses from 2002 season: All-American midfielder Diego Walsh (17g, 8a), defenders Kevin Friedland, Toti Suarez, Ryan Kenyon, Tom Dolan and Asher Hamilton. Overall strength in 2003 - Eight starters return from the 2002 squad including five of the Mustang's six top scorers. The SMU midfield is always among the best in the nation. The front line should be solid, agile, and athletic. Keeper is talented, tough and experienced. Excellent recruiting class. 2003 Up Top - Duke Hashimoto (6g, 5a), Kellan Zindel (7g, 3a) and Ryan Latham (6g, 3a) should find the back of the net a lot during 2003. Freshman Kenny Cooper is among newcomers who will contribute to the offense. 2003 Midfield - Midfield will be balanced, very deep, and very quick. Senior Kevin Hudson (4g, 3a), juniors J.D. Johnson (1g, 5a) and Jake Jackson (2g, 1a), sophomores Colin Clark (5g, 4a) and David Chun (1g, 0a) are among returning midfielders. Freshman midfielder Ramon Nunez who is one of the top recruits in the nation should make an immediate impact. Dario Saintus will also be in the mix. 2003 Backline - Some rebuilding required. Ugo Ihemelu and Ross Spencer provide a solid foundation. Freshman Mynor Gonzalez may contribute immediately. 2003 Goalkeeper - In good hands. Junior T.J. Tomasso who was the starter last year returns. Last year Tomasso had a 0.76 goals against average and recorded 10 shutouts. Unanswered intangible question - Who will be the take charge person for the Mustangs now that the Luchi Gonzales and Diego Walsh era has come to an end. Coach Hyndman's comment - Regarding the fact that Hyndman will enter his 20th season at the helm of the SMU program in 2003 and is on track to reach his 300th win at SMU and 400th-career win he stated "It's a strong statement for longevity. Having the talent, the teamwork, getting chemistry right and knowing that you're doing something you have a passion for makes this milestone special." Recruiting class - Ranked by College Soccer News as the 4th best recruiting class in the nation. Coach Hyndman has indicated that they will compete for starting positions from the get-go. Miscellaneous - SMU has won the last three MVC regular season titles since 2000 - the year that they joined the conference. Player who makes it happen - Senior Midfielder Kevin Hudson will play a key role in 2003. Key Games - FIU (8/29), Santa Clara (9/07), New Mexico (9/13), Stanford (9/18), Bradley (10/10), Tulsa (10/18), Creighton (10/31) SMU's Web Site