Men's Soccer kicks off tomorrow night at Norwich Tournament

North Adams, MA- The MCLA Men's Soccer team will begin their 2013 season tomorrow night as they will compete in the Norwich Cadet Kickoff Classic facing off against Johnson State at 4:30pm.  The Trailblazers are hoping to rebound from a 5-10 season a year ago.

Under the direction of Head Coach Adam Hildabrand, the Trailblazers will return 15 players with significant varsity experience.  Hildabrand and his staff have also brought in a talented group of newcomers to round out the squad.

Looking to lead MCLA's resurgence in 2013 will be tri-captains Drew Webster, Tedd Cecchetelli, and William Luke.  The trio will be counted on to provide leadership and stability to a program that lost their top three scorers from a year ago.  Cecchetelli is returning following an injury that kept him on the sidelines a year ago.

Cecchetelli will be formidable up front and will be counted on to add a scoring punch.  Lucas Prickett will be asked to control the midfield and use his size to give MCLA a dimesion its been lacking in recent years.  Hildabrand is also quick to point out that he has many talented freshman forwards, including Dylan Perreira and Romeo Gray, among players looking to crack the lineup.  MCLA will need to improve their offense as they mustered just 23 goals last season.

The Trailblazers do return a host of defenders with experience this season.  Last year, the defense allowed just 21 tallies.   MCLA will return veteran keepers Shawn Willis and Matt Robinson who will both compete for a starting job. 

The schedule is demanding for the Trailblazers as they open with back to back tournaments.  Following the Cadet Classic, MCLA will host their annual CIAO Classic next weekend.  After two weeks off, the Trailblazers then dive in to MASCAC play against conference rival Worcester State.  MCLA will be challenged as they have only six home contests compared to nine on the road in 2013.