The 2010 season will officially get underway tonight as the Detroit Titans travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan at 7:30 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to attend the game, but for those that are unable to do so a live stats feed is available by clicking here.

The Titans also have a game on Labor Day weekend against the Cincinnati Bearcats. The game is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 5th at 3:30 p.m.

SEASON PREVIEW

The men's soccer program will look to have a successful season in 2010 with new head coach Nicholas Deren at the helm. Deren takes command of the team after serving as an assistant coach at Detroit for the past six seasons.

“I am expecting big things from these guys,” Deren explained. “We are returning a core of the starting lineup, and I expect the freshmen that we recruited to come in here and do a good job as well.”

The team only lost one starter from a year ago, and they are fortunate enough to bring back last year's team MVP, Otieno Victor.

Victor started in 17 games as a sophomore and was tied for the team lead in points with 11. He scored four goals and added three assists at the forward position.

“I think we have a great group of attacking players,” Deren said. “One very dynamic player that comes to mind is Otieno Victor. We would like to put him in a position where we can utilize his one-on-one ability because he is very good. Victor is a complete player who is also a great passer of the ball. He can bring others into the game with his passing ability.”

Other forwards who will definitely contribute to the 2010 campaign include Nate Robinson and Ya Ya Toure. “Nate will look to play up top to join Victor,” Deren explained. “He is a great dribbler of the soccer ball, and his rapid play causes problems for the other teams.”

Robinson came to Detroit as a sophomore after transferring from Cincinnati. In his first year at UDM, Robinson started in all 18 contests and led the team in assists with six. He also added a goal to end the year with eight points. 

Toure is a newcomer who transferred in from Schoolcraft College. While at Schoolcraft, Toure led the team in points with 31 after scoring 14 goals and adding three assists in 2009. His freshman year was equally impressive as he scored 16 goals and dished out four assists.

“We expect big things from Ya Ya,” Deren added. “We want him to come in and solidify that front line of players. Sam Seppo is another guy still in the mix, so I think we have four to five very good forwards that can add a lot to our attack on offense.”

Coach Deren will have some familiar faces playing midfield this season as Pat Lepera and Ken Simon return for the Titans in 2010. Freshmen Chris Suta and Patrick Soltys will also see some playing time. “Our midfield players are the core of our team,” Deren explained. “I am expecting a breakout year from Pat Lepera. He is going to have more freedom this season which will allow him to move into more of an attacking role this year.”

Lepera started in 17 games for Detroit a season ago. He scored two goals and made two assists to earn six points.

Seniors Ken Simon and Jacob Munchiando will see playing time this year at the midfield position along with sophomore Kevin Pinkos. Simon started in 17 of the 18 games he played in during 2009. He recorded 11 points off four goals and three assists. Munchiando and Pinkos also proved to be reliable for the Titans. Munchiando started in 16 games, and Pinkos tallied five points with three assists and a goal.

One area the Titans are looking to improve on from last year would be the team defense. “I spent a lot of time recruiting the backline because we gave up too many goals last year,” Deren said. “This year my goal for our team is to give up less than one goal per game.”

Freshmen Adam Bedell and Patrick Soltys will enter the 2010 season with an opportunity to get playing time. Bedell stands at 6-6, and Soltys will also help eliminate aerial threats with his 6-3 frame.

Mike Chiandussi and Adam Philp will also play in the backline. Chiandussi started in every game for Detroit last season. He was able to score a goal and add an assist to earn three points for the Titans. Philp only took two shots on goal in 2009, but he played in 17 games and broke into the starting lineup 11 times. “Chiandussi and Philp are both juniors with lots of experience,” Deren said. “They know what's going on, and will be able to help out the center backs. I think we improved our backline tremendously.”

Detroit will return two sophomore goalkeepers who saw lots of action in 2009. Brandon Waterstradt and Martin Robertson will join freshman Anthony Shepherd as the goalkeepers for UDM. Waterstradt got a bulk of the minutes a season ago starting in 15 games. He held a 2.05 goals against average, and made 76 saves on the year. Robertson only played in three games, but he earned the win in both of the games he started in. The Newmarket, Ontario native made 18 saves in 2009.

“Both returning goalkeepers have been through the fire as true freshmen, and therefore have gained valuable experience,” Deren explained. “We added a freshman so it's still a young group, but the returners will know what to expect coming into this year.”

The young nucleus of players will look to mesh together in hopes of having a breakout season. “It's a core group of sophomores and juniors that make up our team, with a couple seniors that are going to add to the flavor,” Deren explained.

Deren would like to see the team finish in the top four of the Horizon League standings. If the team is able to reach that goal they will be able to compete in the post-season tournament at the end of the year, which is something Deren has set his sights on. “Being able to play in the conference tournament would be unbelievable, because once you get in anything is possible,” Deren said. “At the end of the day games are won by the players. As coaches we put them in positions to win, but once they cross the line it's on them to perform. I believe that we have the right guys in the mix to make that happen.”

The beginning of the 2010 schedule features some quality non-conference opponents. The Titans open the season on the road in a match against Michigan. “We will play a strong Big Ten team that had a great recruiting class,” Deren said. “It will be a great first test for us.” Detroit will face Cincinnati later that same week on Saturday, Sept. 5th. “Cincinnati is a quality program from the Big East that has a lot of history and success,” Deren added.

The Titans have a tournament on the schedule that will take place in South Carolina. The Spinx/Diadora Classic will feature the Titans playing against Furman and the College of Charleston. “After starting the season by playing those four teams we should have a pretty good idea of what we look like as a team,” Deren said.

The team's home opener will be against Bowling Green this year on September 15th at Titan Field. Other significant dates for the 2010 schedule include the beginning of Horizon League play which for Detroit is on the road at Loyola on September 24th. Their home conference opener will be against Milwaukee on October 1st.

The rest of October is a mix of conference and non-conference games, with a majority of them being at Titan Field. “I think the way the schedule shapes up all we have to do is handle our business at home and we will be on a nice roll heading into the conference tournament,” Deren said. “I think this team is going to achieve some good things. We are going to play a great brand of soccer, and I think we are going to get some very good results as well. I'm excited for 2010, and am expecting a successful season with all the good players coming in, to mix with the talented players already on the roster.”