The Moravian College men’s soccer team has high expectations going into the 2009 season with the return of 20 letterwinners and eight starters. First-year head coach Todd Ervin takes over a team coming off of a 6-9-2 season and looks to challenge for a Landmark Conference playoff berth.

The Greyhounds leading returning scorer is sophomore forward Taylor Molinaro (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS), who contributed six goals and one assist for 13 points in his debut season. Senior defender Gary Grimes (Howell, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) netted four goals and three assists for a total of 11 points and was named to the Landmark All-Conference Second Team.

Sophomore defender Mike Dobbins (Randolph, NJ/Randolph HS), pictured at right, had two goals and one assist in his season debut, while sophomore midfielder Mark Casagrande (Spring Lake Heights, NJ/Saint Rose HS) netted one goal and had three assists for a total of five points a year ago. Senior midfielder Evan Outlaw (Zion Grove, PA/ Pleasant Valley HS) scored two goals for a total of four points while senior midfielder Blake Ritchey (Harleysville, PA/Souderton HS) netted one goal and two assists also for four points.

Senior midfielder Kyle Jablon (Blairstown, NJ/North Warren HS) and junior forward Chris Walsh (Dunmore, PA/Dunmore HS) each contributed one goal last season with Jablon adding an assist. Also returning are senior midfielder Michael Tarulli (Bear Creek, PA/Coughlin HS) and junior midfielder Matt Levine (Island Park, NY/West Hempstead HS), who both had two assists a year ago, while junior defender Brian Hunscher (Ann Harbor, MI/Ann Harbor HS), pictured at bottom left, contributed one assist.

Junior goalie Bryant White (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth HS) had a 1.83 goals-against average 20 saves and a 1-0 record in 148 minutes of action while junior keeper Tim Dollarton (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township HS) had one save in ten minutes in goal.

Other players expecting to contribute this fall are senior midfielder Alex Kulp (Wyncote, PA/Roman Catholic HS), junior defender Tim Smetana (Harvard, MA/The Bromfield School), and sophomore midfielders Kyle Sutcliffe (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown HS), Michael Adams (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery HS), Eldar Sejdic (Bethlehem, PA/Salisbury HS), and Justin Morgan (West Milford, NJ/West Milford HS) and defender Ryan McGarry (East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg South HS).

Coach Ervin looks to help the Greyhounds earn a berth in the Landmark Conference Tournament. He has been recuiting since being hired as coach in February.

Moravian, which traveled to Italy in early August, will open its 2009 season with a non-conference home match versus Ursinus College on Tuesday, September 1st.