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DU coach breaks down Sunday lineup
(Editor’s note: the DU-Regis match originally scheduled for Friday night has been postponed until 6 p.m. Sunday. This post has been updated to reflect the change.)
I asked DU coach Bobby Muuss to break down his probable starting lineup, as the exhibition between the men’s soccer teams from Regis University and the University of Denver gets closer.
The match will allow for liberal substitutions; for example, Muuss said he might use three goalkeepers.
But here are Muuss’s comments on the players that might start Sunday. The match begins at 6 p.m. at Englewood High School and is a fundraiser for DU and Regis. Here’s a link to a story about the match by the DU athletics Web site.
GOALKEEPER
Joe Willis, sophomore: Normally our starting goalkeeper. Joe is one of our captains, and he won the conference championship for us last year. He was out of the lineup early, and he came back into the lineup and changed the team. He missed the first four games, and when he went back in, he sparked a little bit of excitement. He’s possibly one of the best goalkeepers in the country.
Gavin Dawson, freshman: He’s from North Carolina and has a lot of potential. He had a good half against High Point this spring already.
Teale Stone, sophomore: He saw action in five games as a freshman. The thing about Teale and Gavin is that they’re fine goalkeepers, but they’re in a battle for playing time with one of the best in the country.
DEFENSE
Blake Shannon, left back, incoming freshman: He just joined us in March from Houston, Texas. He will be a freshman in the fall. He graduated high school early; basically he’s a high school senior. He’s a tenacious defender who likes to go forward. He’s still getting used to the college game, but he’s gelled with the group having been here for only a short amount of time. (Shannon is even writing a blog for the DU athletics Web site – ed.)
Kris Banghart, left center back, junior: One of our captains. He started every game for the last two seasons. He’s from Fort Collins and played for Real Colorado. He’s the heart and soul of our back four and one of our leaders.
Kyle Varvil, right center back, junior: His nickname is Spanky. Everybody knows him as Spanky. He’s entering his senior season. He came off bench least year but has had an exceptional spring. He led Real Colorado to a national championship final with Banghart as one of his teammates. We’re excited with his progress.
Michael Perry, right back, sophomore: he’s from Overland, Kan. He played every game and he came off the bench as a freshman. We’re going to try to get him involved in the attack a little bit more.
MIDFIELD
Jarod Stigall, left side, freshman: He was all-conference honorable mention as a freshman. He’s from Dallas. He started most games for us last year, had some game-winning goals. He will slide into the center at times.
Alex DeCosta, center mid, freshman: We’ll play with five in midfield, and he’s one of two center midfielders for us. He’s a freshman from Dallas, a highly talented recruit. He’s technically superb. You name it; he does it. He reads the game well, brings balls down on a dime, can hit the ball anywhere on the field with both feet.
Collin Audley, center mid, junior: He also played for Real Colorado. His nickname’s Izzy, and he’s our captain. He’s the heartbeat of the team. He has a great engine and is a good leader and a great teammate. Our team will go as far as he goes. I look for him to be our leader on (Sunday) and in the fall. That’s putting some pressure on him, but that’s the way it goes.
Matt Kirby, right mid, freshman: He’s difficult to defend because of his pace and athleticism. He gives us a chance to run at somebody. I don’t think there are enough dynamic kids like him in college soccer.
Sam Garza, forward mid, freshman: Probably our most exciting player. He plays behind the strikers. Great 1v1. He’s expected to play in the U-20 World Cup in the fall, so we’ll probably be without him for a stretch in the fall. He plays like a withdrawn forward. mountain pacific rookie of the year. (For a look at his long list of accolades, go here — ed.)
FORWARD
Ryan Garrin, sophomore: He’s hard-working overall, a good soccer player that continues to get better every day. He works extremely hard to hold the ball and run onto the ball. He’s a good finisher. We’ll play with one striker. We’ll actually defensively drop into a 4-5-1. When we’re on the attack, it’ll be more of a 4-4-2. Sammy will have the option of going forward, especially with ball at his feet.
George Tanner is a former writer and editor for the Rocky Mountain News; the Greeley Tribune; The Daily Independent of Ridgecrest, Calif.; the Durango Herald; and the Boulder Daily Camera. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and an associate professor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. E-mail him at ColoradoSoccerNow@gmail.com.
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