Fresh faces made up the majority of the Seawolves’ roster when they reported for preseason in mid-August.’ Fourteen newcomers will take the field for Stony Brook this year, after sixth-year head coach Cesar Markovic lost a significant number of players to transfer and graduation.
Among those to wear Seawolves’ red for the first time this season will be Wilber Bonilla (Brentwood, N.Y.), a sophomore midfielder transferring from Hartwick.’ A familiar name in Long Island soccer, Bonilla played in 16 games last season, and was once a member of the U-18 national team pool.’
Also looking to make an immediate impact are freshmen Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Raphael Abreu (New York, N.Y.).’ Fernandes looks to be a promising midfielder, while the 6’3′ Abreu is expected to bring pace and finishing ability to a Stony Brook attack, that was held scoreless on 11 different occasions last season.
Returning to a relatively experienced midfield for the Seawolves are Greg Tinari (Holbrook, N.Y.) and James Palumbo (Carmel, N.Y.).’ A junior with swift feet and good vision, Tinari was named team MVP in 2008.’ Palumbo is a dynamic player with great speed and the ability to go on long runs in possession, a skill contributing to his scoring two goals, and collecting one assist last season.
With defensive regular Mladen Ramic (Belgrade, Serbia) out for the season with a torn ACL, the Seawolves back line will rely on seniors Damion Brown (Kingston, Jamaica) and Collin Geoghegan (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) to put off opposing forwards.
Added to the schedule for this year are some big names, including Harvard and Big East schools St. John’s, ranked first in the country in a preseason poll, and Seton Hall, who will visit Lavalle Stadium on Sept. 13.’ Conference play begins on Oct. 3 at Boston University, and wraps up at home against Hartford on Oct. 31.
Bottom Line:’ ‘ With a lot of youth, many questions remain as to how Markovic will fill out the lineup card.’ The Seawolves will face some difficulty in a very tough conference, but are looking to improve on last year’s win total of three.
Game to Watch:‘ Stony Brook host rivals Hofstra in the storied Long Island Derby at 7 p.m. on Sept. 1, looking to prove their worth after drawing 1-1 away last year.’ This early fixture could answer some lineup questions and serve as an indicator of where this season will go.