Article by: Colin Gowin
After finishing 6-13 in the 2014 season, the Blackburn College Men’s Soccer Team is ramped up to make some noise in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this fall. “Being one of the top four teams in the conference is the main goal this season,” said head coach, Rob Steinkuehler. Steinkuehler, a Blackburn alum, is going into this third year as head coach of the men’s soccer program and he was the assistant coach for four seasons before taking on the head coaching position. He is very excited about the upcoming season and believes the men have a good shot at putting together a winning season, which hasn’t happened since 2011. The team seems to have more depth than they’ve had in the past two years, which makes practices extremely competitive and the fear of injury not as much of a factor. Not only does Steinkuehler want his team to be motivated on the soccer field, but in the classrooms too. One of his goals for his team is to have an average GPA or 3.0 or higher.
The team will look to lean on the leadership of their two team captains. Senior Mikey Stephenson (Raymond, Ill.), who started in all 19 contests last year, scored five goals and assisted on another five goals, will be placed in a more attacking role which is his natural position. “Mikey is pretty excited about this and we’ll be looking for him to score some goals,” said Steinkuehler. Junior Nate Kinnison (Perryville, Mo.), who started in 12 games last season, scored three goals and assisted on two goals, is a player who can take on several roles and help the team in many ways. “Nate is a versatile player that we can move around. Depending on who we are playing, he is going to be a big piece of our success,” said Steinkuehler.
Other returners who will play key roles on the team this season are sophomore Lucas Rinderer (Highland, Ill.) and sophomore Reed Gwillim (Springfield, Ill.). These two will be a large part of the attack for the team according to Coach Steinkuehler. “Lucas worked his tail off last spring and all summer, so look for him to have a break out season,” said Steinkuehler. Sophomore, Brandon Smith (Mt. Zion, Ill.), who was the team’s “newcomer of the year” last season will be taking on more of a leadership role and will look to strengthen the team’s back line.
Joining the talented returning group will be some newcomers looking to make an immediate impact on the team. Senior Steven Njuba, who transferred to Blackburn from Benedictine University, is a very experienced and talented player. “Steven will be the leader of our backfield this year and will be at center back,” said Steinkuehler. Senior Daniel Nguepnang, also a transfer student from Benedictine, will be a playmaker in the midfield. “Daniel is a creative player who will bring experience to the midfield,” said Steinkuehler. Freshman Pietro Lentini (Carlinville, Ill.) is coming off a very successful high school where he broke his high school’s scoring record. “Pietro is a dynamic player and a good scorer. I look for him to score a lot of goals against the top teams in the conference,” said Steinkuehler. Freshman James Kiwanuka (Boston, Mass.) is talented and athletic and will be playing a center back next to Njuba. Freshman Brian Asper (Williamsville, Ill.) will look to be a key piece in the Blackburn backfield. “I look for Brian to move into a significant role at left back as the season progresses. He is very athletic, has good speed, and is a good tackler,” said Steinkuehler.
Three players are fighting for the starting position as goal keeper. These three are: junior Jourdan Greene (Taylorville, Ill.), freshman Ryan Cowsert (Harrisburg, Ill.), and freshman Jacob Maxey (Salem, Ill.). “All three have had a great preseason and I don’t think we can go wrong with any of these three in goal,” said Steinkuehler.
Six players will be looking to make an impact in the midfield. Sophomore Sam Lomanto (Riverside, Calif.) will see time as a midfielder and a striker. “Sam was our most consistent midfield player last year, “said Steinkuehler. Sophomore Harry Arter (Jerseyville, Ill.) is coming off a very successful freshman campaign. Junior Chris O’Connor (Pleasant Plains, Ill.) put in a lot of work in the offseason and will look to take on a larger role this season than last season. Freshman Sam Guerrero (Litchfield, Ill.) transferred into Blackburn last spring. “Sam is a talented, attack minded midfielder,” said Steinkuehler. Freshman James Curtis (Harrisburg, Ill.) is very athletic and has great speed. “I’m looking forward to see him develop into a good collegiate player,” said Steinkuehler. Junior Scott Armstrong (Freeport, Ill.) will be playing in his first collegiate season, but he comes from a high quality high school program at Freeport High. “Once Scott gets back into the grove of things, he could be a big piece of the puzzle for us,” said Steinkuehler.
Senior Ben Hoover (Charleston, Ill.) and sophomore Tommy Millburg will look to add to the strong backfield of the Beavers. Hoover is returning for his senior season seems to have improved his strength and tackling abilities, according to Steinkuehler. Steinkuehler looks for Hoover to successful senior season as he has shown promise this preseason. Millburg will be starting his sophomore season and will be playing roles in many positions. “Tommy will play a role in, most likely, all of the back field positions. He understands the game well and will strengthen the back field,” said Steinkuehler.
Other players who will look to help the team in different roles are: freshman Nick Maviri (Boston, Mass.), junior Byron Starr (Rochester, Ill.), freshman Gavin Creasy (Virden, Ill.) and sophomore Tim Hoang (Morrow, Ga.).
The first game of the season will be a home contest on Tuesday, September 1 starting at 4:00 pm against Knox College. Saturday, September 26 will mark the start of conference play in a home contest against MacMurray College.