AFTON/HARPURSVILLE
The biggest change from last year to this year is Afton combining soccer programs with Harpursville, who previously did not field a boys' soccer team in the Midstate Athletic Conference. Of last year's squad, only six of 14 players return, said head coach Todd Dancesia, with eight seniors graduating. "It will be a rebuilding year and an interesting one to start," Dancesia said. One of the returning six is last year's leading scorer and school goal-scoring recordholder, Conor Graven-Briggs. Veteran Joe DeVona is back, but he is dual-sporting this year along with cross country. "When he is on the soccer field, he brings a wealth of leadership and hustle," Dancesia said of DeVona. The Afton coach also pointed out senior Mitch Livermore, a senior at Harpursville, who will bring "speed and athleticism to the front line," he said.

BAINBRIDGE-GUILFORD
Longtime B-G coach Pete Feltham has one of his most experienced teams in years with eight seniors dotting the lineup, and nine returning players from last year, most of whom will occupy a starting position. Adam Bauerle and Zach Smith return as the key playmakers in the midfield. Ryan Jones is a returning midfielder, while Jake Cuozzo and Kyle Hanvey are expected to start on the front line at forward and wing. The only non-senior on the front line is junior Daniel Norris."I'm hoping we'll score more goals this year," Feltham said. "It was kind of up and down last year, but generally we were able to find the goal." Goalie Brandt McCall returns to anchor the defense. Shawn Jones saw time last year as a freshman, and is back on the defensive end. Brandon Scherhaufer, a newcomer from the lower levels, is tabbed as a key component of the defense as well. Feltham is not forecasting championship contention, but does believe with the bevy of returning experience, the Bobcats should situate themselves among the top-half of the Midstate Athletic Conference. "It would be nice to give the top teams in the league a challenge," Feltham said. "I'm not sure what to expect."

G-MU
It was a steep learning curve for Steve Antczak in his first season as the head varsity coach at G-MU. He learned his lesson, and expects a more disciplined fundamental group. "I'm going to have a young team behind our four seniors, but we've been looking good, and I'm expecting a big improvement," Antczak said. Leading the club this year are seniors Devon Fitch, Dylan Nichols, and Trevor Puerile. Upstart freshmen Camden McKown and Hunter Lockwood also stood out as up-and-comers in the preseason. While the goalie position was not quite settled, Antczak is turning to Mickenson Clune, just a freshman, but a young man with a lot of promise. "We have seven freshmen on the team, and we're working on the passing and control soccer style that I played," Antczak said. "If the young kids stick around, you'll hear about us quite a bit."

GREENE
No local soccer team has put together a longer run of success than Greene. The Trojans won their fifth straight Midstate Athletic Conference championship last year under head coach Rick Tallman with a win over Walton, and took an unbeaten record into the sectional semifinals before losing a tight game to Marathon. Big-time experience was lost from that exemplary squad, but the cupboard is far from dry. Luke Day and Karl Zaengle are experienced playmakers in their fourth season on varsity, and veterans Scott Lord, Zach Utter, and Ben Kinney supply plenty of skill on the defensive end. While not currently available as he recovers from offseason surgery, sparkplug Brian Leone will give the Trojans a big lift toward the end of September. Leone, along with Day and Zaengle, will likely give Greene the best three-man playmaking combination in the league - if not all Section IV's Class C ranks. Given Greene's uninterrupted run of success in league play, the Trojans will surely have a bullseye on their collective backs in every league game this season. "There is pressure and expectations to maintain our level, but we take a lot of pride in Greene soccer," Tallman said. "We're on the map and other teams know about us. That's a compliment, but it's hard with bigger schools because they may not want to play us."One of the big losses to graduation was three-year goalie Connor Moriarity. In his stead, Marcus Lindstrom, a backup keeper a year ago, will hold down that critical position between the posts. "We really haven't had to worry about goalie the last five or six years," Tallman said. "Marcus played there last year, and he's been making great strides."

NORWICH
If the first game of the season is any indication, this year could result in a big turnaround for the Purple Tornado, who had a mere three wins last year playing in the Midstate Athletic Conference. Norwich won its opener, 5-0, at Sherburne-Earlville, and had nearly 40 shots on goal. "We've been playing year-round, and I think people will be pleasantly surprised with what they see from Norwich soccer this year," said second-year head coach Scottie Decker. Norwich returns to the MAC for the second and final year, after which, it will return to the Southern Tier Athletic Conference, Decker said. "We only had four kids signed up for soccer when I started last year, and now we're at 23 kids," Decker said. "We've been working on commitment and working as brothers to each other in school and on the field." Veteran fourth-year player Chris Trevisani captains this year's Norwich team, and will run out of the midfield. Seniors Killian Benedict and Sean Phelan are speedy players on the outside as well as strong leaders, Decker said. Leading the defense is senior Ricky Finnegan, who put together a strong initial outing in the shutout of S-E. Back in goal a second season is sophomore Keegan Prime. Fellow sophomore, Gird Ceno, returns as one of last year's leading scorers. "We have such a great group of young boys, and I'm happy and proud to be coaching them this year," Decker said.

OXFORD
Oxford's head coach Matt Dorman hopes his team can turn the corner this year. A season ago, his team found itself outmatched against the MAC's upper echelon, and in the games where it was competitive, most of the time the Blackhawks found themselves on the short end. "Those close games that we lost last year, I think we'll have more of an edge to squeak out a few more wins," Dorman said. To Dorman's benefit is the relative youth that remains on this year's squad that has only three seniors. Returning on the offensive end are Ethan Monk at striker, Josh Hall, a junior year-round player, and Mark Golden, another senior. Nate Hansen is back to lead the defense, and freshman goalie Adam Brady brings much more experience to the position than his age would indicate. Adding to the offensive depth are Kyle Crawford at striker and Aaron Mosner in the midfield. "It's been slow going the last couple of years, but the kids are putting in the work, and we have a developing modified program to build things back up."

OTSELIC VALLEY
The Vikings are coming off a .500 season and a Section III postseason appearance. Gone from that club are six players, three of whom started in key spots. Despite that, the outlook for this year is bright, said head coach Jake Preston. The 2014 club is senior-laden with nine seniors among the 17 team members, and two players return as all-league players in the Central Counties League in Jason Olin (team-high nine goals last year), and Connor Smith, an anchor on the defense. Complementing Olin on offense is returnee Austin Reynolds, who was second on the team in scoring last year with eight goals as well as being an honorable mention all-league pick. Expected to fill key roles on offense and in the midfield are Matt Neal, Angel Marshall, Matt Collins, and Brandon Thornton. Tim Reichard and Jonathan Liuzzo are slated for center defender positions, and were big components to the defense last year. The club's lone junior, Coleman O'Hara, will spend most of his time on the field as the starting keeper. Newcomers to watch are sophomores Peter Kalin, Titus Reichard, Dakota Lolar, and Josh Behr, a German exchange student. "If we play together, we will be a tough team to beat," Preston said. "If we start looking like individuals out there, we will struggle to win games."

SHERBURNE-EARLVILLE
A 10-win team a year ago that reached the postseason, the Marauders lost their top two scorers and playmakers to graduation, Elijah Morris and Kevin Vibbard. Morris and Vibbard were two of 10 seniors that went the way of graduation on a team that may have exceeded expectations, said head coach Mike Rodriguez. The Marauders may find themselves in a rebuilding situation this year as Rodriguez develops a mostly young and inexperienced lineup. "We have some guys joining the team that are playing for the first time, and others that have come back to soccer, but haven't played on the varsity level," Rodriguez said. "We'll have to be creative to make things happen on the offensive end." Leading the offense will be junior Tyler Rodriguez, a returning player from last year, and freshman Kyle Cole, the younger brother of recent graduate Carter Cole. "We'll need those two creating for us on offense in the midfield," Rodriguez said of Cole and Tyler Rodriguez. Anchoring the defense is second-year player Keith Rose in goal. Rose was a big surprise last year with his ability to pick up the nuances of the position. "He was phenomenal for us last year," Rodriguez said of Rose. "What set him apart from other first-year players was his ability to pick things up quick. He should be even better this year, and he will be significantly tested."

UNADILLA VALLEY
The Storm lost several key components to last year's team in leading scorer David Schwab, key defenders Nate Shackelton and Jared Hanslmaier, and goalie Kyle King, who transferred to Edmeston. Head coach Ryan Houck does have a number of senior players, many of whom are returning from at least a year's hiatus from soccer. Joining the team this year is senior Austin Taylor, who will step in for King at goalie. Dylan Thomsen, a standout distance runner, will present speed at the top of the formation and contribute to the scoring. Padding the depth is Dakota Merlo. For the second year, the Storm will also be raising funds for the charity, Kick for a Cure, via t-shirt sales and donations through home games. Houck said this year's fund-raising goal is $1,500. "We have realized the power that high school athletics can have on a community at large," Houck said.

–– Patrick Newell