Nov. 15, 2001

From the start of preseason until the final game of the year, the 2001 campaign wasn't exactly what the Stony Brook men's soccer team and head coach Scott Dean had in mind.

A tumultuous season that included the loss of several key players, an unplanned two-week hiatus in September, and the first year of competition in the America East resulted in a 6-9-2 overall record. The Seawolves settled for a 3-7-1 conference record and ninth-place finish.

Coming off their best season in school history, the Seawolves had high hopes for a year in which they hoped to compete for an NCAA College Cup bid. But the goal of qualifying for the conference tournament eluded Stony Brook in its first year as an America East member.

Missing in Action

The 2001 squad wasn't exactly the same team that took the nation by surprise a year ago, winning 12 games and shutting out 10 opponents. Missing were two key starters and arguably the best spark off the bench in 2000, not to mention several Seawolves who missed part of the season due to injury.

Six-foot-five Jermaine Wright, a crucial member of last year's stingy defense and team MVP, was not able to compete and his skills were sorely missed.

Midfielder Hector Dillon was another unexpected loss. As a junior, Dillon played in 17 games, scoring three goals and two assists. This year's young group of midfielders missed Dillon's hustle and energetic play.

As if that weren't enough, the Seawolves suffered another blow when top striker Shane Arikian went down with a season-ending injury in just the second game of the season. The sophomore led Stony Brook in scoring last season, tallying seven goals and six assists in his first year. Without him, the Seawolves offense struggled to score, and SBU totaled just 19 goals in 2001.

Numerous other players missed games with injuries, including freshman back Mike Salvador, senior back Johan Thomsson, freshman forward Jude Osei Bonsu, senior midfielder Jamie Gaither and sophomore goalkeeper Dan Ferrin.

No. 8 is Enough

Senior Jamie Gaither was outstanding this season, leading Stony Brook with five goals and three assists. The 5-8 midfielder was a clutch performer all season long, leading SBU to four of its six victories with his game-winning goals. As a result, Gaither was featured on the website Collegesoccer.com.

Gaither started 34 straight games in his two-year career, but even he was not immune to the Seawolves' injury bug this season. He was forced to miss his final collegiate game against Adelphi because of an eye injury suffered in the Harford contest Nov. 4.

Youth of Tomorrow

With six newcomers seeing significant playing time either as starters or reserves, the Seawolves should be able to depend on their underclassmen even more in the future. Akil Jordan started 17 of 18 games in the midfield, scoring two goals with an assist. Jordan was named to the America East All-Rookie Team for his efforts.

Despite battling a nagging knee injury for much of the season, Mike Salvador proved to be a tough and versatile player. Seeing action in both the midfield and on defense, the 6-1 Salvador played in 14 games, chipping in with two goals and an assist on the year. Forward Jude Osei Bonsu surprised the Seawolves with his knack for scoring in overtime. The freshman led Stony Brook to victories over Sacred Heart and Maine with a game-winning header in each match.

Junior transfer Randy Cyrus played in 16 games, starting 15 in the back, while junior George Cobourne and freshman Dustin Tibbs saw action in 13 and 12 games, respectively.

Oh Danny Boy

Goalkeeper Dan Ferrin was indispensible between the posts this season, despite an injury that would keep the average athlete from playing at all. Ferrin was named preseason honorable mention All-America after a year in which he shattered the Stony Brook records for single-season goals-against average and shutouts and received All-Atlantic Soccer Conference and SoccerAmerica All-Freshman Team honors.

The loss of Wright in the back and a foot injury that failed to heal handed the sophomore captain an entirely new challenge. The Seawolves' defense was much weaker than the year before, and a broken bone Ferrin suffered in October of 2000 not only failed to heal, it got worse. The injury deteriorated so much that Ferrin was finally told he would have to miss the final seven games of the season.

But after sitting out against Boston University and Northeastern, Ferrin returned to the lineup to help SBU earn hard-fought victories over Hofstra and Drexel at home. In the next game at Vermont, Ferrin equaled his career high with 10 saves, including stopping a penalty kick by the Catamounts. However, UVM scored the game-winner with just 41 seconds left on the clock to end any postseason hopes for the Seawolves, and Ferrin sat out the final two games of the year awaiting surgery.

Ferrin posted a GAA of just 1.70 in 1216:45. He made 74 saves with a percentage of .763 and recorded three shutouts.

Working Overtime

The Seawolves continued their unbeaten streak in overtime games, going 3-0-2 this season. Stony Brook hasn't lost an overtime contest since the 1999 season when Oneonta handed the Seawolves a 2-1 setback. Since then, SBU has gone 5-0-5 in its last 10 games with extra periods.

America East

Stony Brook had a disappointing debut in conference play as the Seawolves competed in the America East in just their third year at the Division I level. The Seawolves finished 3-7-1 in the conference, placing them ninth.

Stony Brook picked up its first-ever America East victory with a 1-0 overtime win over Maine. The Seawolves were winless in their next four conference matchups but bounced back in their last two home games.

SBU handed cross-town foe Hofstra a 1-0 loss behind the scoring prowess of Jamie Gaither. The Seawolves followed that up with an equally exciting victory on Senior Day. Just five minutes into the first overtime, Gaither collected the rebound of an initial shot by Kevin Cameron to score the game-winning goal in his last home contest.

With those two wins, the Seawolves had an outside shot of making the six-team conference tournament, but a defeat at the hands of Vermont in their next outing ended their playoff hopes.

Looking Ahead

The Seawolves will lose six seniors from last year's squad, including defenders Kwame Richardson and Johan Thomsson, both four-year starters. The Seawolves will also be without starters Jamie Gaither, Kenyatta Montgomery and Everett Watts, and backup Jaime Serna.

While Stony Brook will be without several key players from the past two seasons, all is not lost as the Seawolves continue to strive for its first-ever postseason berth.

Sophomore Shane Arikian should be 100 percent after undergoing rehab for the dislocated foot he suffered against Rider in September. Forward Kevin Cameron will return for his final year and could emerge as a lethal scoring threat, while junior midfielder Ivan Perez has consistently improved during his three seasons and should be even better as a senior. Sophomore David Mittan has played at almost every position and will have two years of experience under his belt. After surgery and rehab in the off-season, goalkeeper Dan Ferrin will undoubtedly continue to be a formidable force as he begins his junior season in 2002.

Although the 2001 season ended earlier than the Seawolves and their fans would have liked, that just gives the Stony Brook men's soccer team another challenge to overcome next year.

One thing the Seawolves proved this season is that they don't back down from any obstacle. That mentality should serve the Stony Brook men's soccer team well next season and in the years to come.