FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 1, 2004

Cirillo, Lions welcome challenge presented by new league

Missouri Southern enters what is expected to be one of NCAA Division II's premier soccer conferences this fall and coach Kiley Cirillo welcomes the challenge for his freshman-dominated squad.

"I want our kids to be challenged and I want to be challenged," said the Lions' second-year coach who played for coaches Jim Cook and Geoff VanDeusen at Missouri Southern and earned his bachelor's degree here.

"We will compete in the Southwest Soccer Conference this season and it could be one of the five top soccer conferences in Division II. Three of the conference teams, Midwestern (Texas), Northeastern State (Okla.) and Incarnate Word (Texas), were ranked among the nation's top 25 teams last year.

"There are some other teams like West Texas A&M University, St. Edward's University (Texas) and St. Mary's University (Texas) that can do some good things. We won't be able to relax in any of our conference games. If you slack off a little bit or don't come in prepared physically and mentally, you can come away beaten and bruised. At the same time you could do extremely well and still be only a .500 club."

The newly-formed conference has some positives for the Lions, such as national recognition and the opportunity to offer recruits a chance to win a league championship and personal rewards such as all-conference honors. And, since the SSC figures to be highly-regarded on a national scope, the league may advance up to three teams to the national tournament.

Missouri Southern will play each SSC school twice, at home and away. The road trips will be lengthy. Ventures to San Antonio and Austin will take 12 hours. It will be 10 hours to Portales, N.M., home of Eastern New Mexico University.

"But we'll play weekend doubleheaders," Cirillo said. "While we'll have some long travel days, we'll also have some good rest periods. We'll travel by charter bus with a squad of 20 players. Everyone should be able to stretch out and relax."

It's been five years and 84 consecutive non-conference games since the Lions competed for a league championship. The MIAA dropped men's soccer following the 1998 season and Southern has been competing as an independent.

"While our travel this fall appears demanding, it's no different than when we were an independent and had to travel to find quality opponents," Cirillo explained. "Last year, for example, we went to Florida. It cost more to do that last year than it will this season. Our budget went up a little bit this year because of the travel, but now the budget will never change. The travel will always be the same and we won't have to scramble to find opponents to play."

Missouri Southern enters the SSC with a squad of 27 athletes, including 16 freshmen, one redshirt freshman, five sophomores, three juniors and two seniors. While the squad is dominated by underclassmen, Cirillo would rather discuss the veteran nucleus of the squad than the youthful makeup of his team.

"We have a lot of newcomers, but we have a good core group," he points out. "The center of our field will be the same as last year except for our center back. He (B.J. Wylie) transferred at semester. But the two center mids are there and our two forwards are seniors, so the experience is there. We also have some experience on the wings, so it (youthful appearance) is kind of deceiving."

Five of the Lions' returnees were all-state high school performers. That list includes senior backs Seamus O'Donnell (Fulton, Mo.) and Adam Skiermont (Omaha, Neb.), sophomore goalkeeper Travis Haight (Sioux Falls, S.D.), junior midfielder J.P. West (Broken Arrow, Okla.), and junior midfielder Patrick Hill (Kansas City, Mo.)

"Wylie was our leading scorer last year but I think Seamus and Adam can replace him," Cirillo said. "They had off years last year and didn't do a whole lot in putting the ball in the back of the net. But they reported in shape and came out with different motivations. They're both seniors and are due to have a good year. They also have the desire to be better every day. They are capable of putting the ball in the net; we just need to get the ball to them. That's what we lacked last year.

"Freshman midfielder Neil Stoessel (Papillion, Neb.) can make an impact right away. He's a big kid (6-4, 185) and a fantastic player. Defender Blake Wright (freshman, Conway, Ark.) is another newcomer who is very, very fast and very smooth on the ball. Those two could make immediate impacts."

A surprising newcomer is midfielder Austin Whiles (freshman, Overland Park, Kan.). "I knew he was capable of doing some good things, but I didn't know quickly he could fill the role," Cirillo said. "He's done a fantastic job. Shawn Jiwanlal (Wichita, Kan.), a transfer from UMKC, could be an impact player as well if he gets his fitness level up. We're looking at three freshman starting for us and then a transfer redshirt freshman who possibly could start as well.

"Joel Williams (junior, Webb City) is a returnee who could be a role player for us. Tyler Witte (sophomore, Plano, Texas) will be moved and could be another role player. Two freshmen, Drew Whitworth (Webb City) and Ryan Morris (Topeka, Kan.) could also make contributions as role players if they continue to improve."

Cirillo's squad will certainly pass the look test this season. He has two players, Stoessel and Jiwanlal, who stretch the tape to six feet, four inches. Tucker Prater (freshman, Springfield, Mo.) is 6-3. There are 12 other players six feet or better.

"I recruited some bigger kids to bring some size and speed to us and not lose the technical skills and the quickness. In our league, all of these teams have guys who are big and good athletes. Most are Texas natives, big, fast and strong. I got to see all of the kids I recruited, either in person or on film. I knew what I was getting, that the players were big and fast.

"Our recruiting base is changing. Texas is now our recruiting base. Since we will be playing at least five times in Texas, the parents of our Texas players can see them play. High school soccer is big in Texas. The state has four different club bases, north, south, east and west. Texas kids are always looking for someplace to go because Southern Methodist University is the only Division I school in the state that has a soccer program. So, NCAA Division II is the best option for many of them."

Missouri Southern will open its season at home on Sept. 1 against NAIA rival Missouri Valley. Harding University of Searcy, Ark., Missouri-Rolla, John Brown University of Siloam Springs, Ark., and Drury University complete Southern's non-conference schedule. The regular season concludes on Nov. 4-6 with the SSC Tournament at the site of the No. 1 seed. The top four teams in the final standings advance to the league tournament.