NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Head men's soccer coach

(Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and

(Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) and freshmen Alec Johnson (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa), Brian Spina (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central), Matt Rubinstein (Bronx, N.Y./Fordham Prep), Stephen Browne (Carle Place, N.Y./Carle Place), Brian Intemann (Greenlawn, N.Y./Harborfields) and Liam Baker (College Point, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) all hope to gain experience during the 2011 campaign in the midfield as well.

The back line appears poised for a breakout year behind the play of junior Nicholas DiPaola (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington). DiPaola, Ventriglia said, has the potential to open many eyes around the league.

"I find it hard to believe that there will be a better defender in the SUNYAC," Ventriglia said. "He's solid."

Seniors Brendan Ujvary (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) and Jamal Lis-Simmons (Highland, N.Y./Highland) both will significantly impact the defensive third as well. Ujvary, Ventriglia said, is "extremely confident, poised and calm—what you need back there," while Lis-Simmons, at 29 years old, brings maturity and experience.

Seniors Evan Martel (West Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), Robert Wexler (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and James Berbrick (Melville, N.Y./Walt Whitman) all factor into the mix on the back line, while senior Dimitris Alexiou (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) will toggle between being a midfielder and a defender.

In goal, Ventriglia has two returning keepers in senior Tom Viscardi (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North) and sophomore Conor Power (White Plains, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac). Viscardi made 11 starts last season and posted two shutouts, going 5-6-0 overall, while Power started in seven contests and compiled a .886 save percentage. Expect these two to battle for minutes in between the pipes. Beyond Viscardi and Power, Ventriglia has a third option, freshman Andres Montoya (Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue), who he says is "the real deal."

New Paltz's schedule is daunting, as the Hawks take on two D3soccer.com Preseason Top-25 teams the first week of the season. They open their 2011 slate with a road match against Montclair State University on Sept. 2 and follow it with a Sept. 4 road game against the Stevens Institute of Technology.

They square off with Skidmore College on Sept. 6 before competing at the Bard Tournament from Sept. 10-11, contesting NYU-Polytechnic and Green Mountain College. New Paltz faces cross-river rival Vassar College on Sept. 13 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., before hosting Union (N.Y.) College in its home opener on Sept. 17. A road match with Bard College the following day ushers in a full nine-game conference schedule, which begins on Sept. 23 at SUNY Cortland. On Oct. 26, New Paltz entertains Drew University in a non-conference tilt, which will hopefully serve as a primer for the 2011 SUNYAC Men's Soccer Tournament. The quarterfinal round of the SUNYAC Tournament is set for Oct. 29, and the semifinals and final occur from Nov. 4-5 at the site of the top seed.

In spite of a rigorous non-conference slate, Ventriglia's expectation is that the Hawks will pull out wins outside of the league.

"We can't just say we're going to compete with them," Ventriglia said. "We have to win some of those games because that will really help us. It will also help us with winning on the road. They're all good teams. With the high level of competition we're playing outside the SUNYAC, the silver lining is that it should prepare us for the conference schedule. At the same time, however, we want to stay healthy, which will be difficult."

While the Hawks have been absent from the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Tournament since 2004, Ventriglia asserts that making the tournament is a must this season in addition to achieving a record above the .500 mark.

"I think this team has to win more than they lose," Ventriglia said. "That's expected. The second thing is that this team has to qualify for the SUNYAC tournament. I don't think winning the SUNYAC is out of the question, either. It's a goal that we have just like a number of other teams in the conference do as well."

With commitment to maintaining fitness and improving tactical knowledge of the game, Ventriglia says that the team has a sharp focus on the task at hand.

"The guys have been working hard," Ventriglia said. "This group is more focused than they've ever been. There's much more awareness. We have the ability to reach these goals now more than ever."