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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Panthers come into the 2011 season after posting one of the most successful campaigns in their short six year history. Davenport won a share of its first ever Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular season title and their second ever WHAC tournament title, which advanced the Panthers to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history.
Playing with a young lineup that featured nine freshman and three sophomores, the team looks to carry that momentum as they begin 2011.
Having graduated the senior leadership of David Wood and Alex Boehm, Davenport University Head Coach Carl Whitehouse moved quickly to fill the void left by the outstanding play makers. By bringing in six new faces for the fall campaign, the team hopes to keep up the challenge for honors this fall.
A deeper varsity squad will help improve the overall team performance during a tough campaign as a stiff non-conference schedule will begin the 2011 season. Road trips to Iowa, South Dakota, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois will test the Panthers squad before league play. The WHAC slate will begin in October and will include a single round robin system to determine ranking for the WHAC tournament.
“Expectations for the new season will be high, commented Whitehouse, as challenging for the WHAC Championship and the automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament are sure to be the goals for 2011.”
Goalkeeping
The Goalkeeping position will be led by returning Honorable Mention All-American Kevin O'Brien who hails from the Republic of Ireland. “Kevin performed very well last season and was recognized by the league coaches in being named the WHAC Defensive Player of The Year, commented Whitehouse.”
Returning for his final season after taking a few years off is senior Jordan Bandstra. He last saw action on the varsity team in the fall of 2007.
Returners
The Panthers are returning four All-WHAC players from last season in addition to O'Brien. Defenders Carl Winterbottom (Coventry, England), Chase Burgess (Dorr, Mich.) and Donal Lynch (Cork, Ireland) join midfielder Jai Maw (Macclesfield, England) as the core of a team that went 15-7 during the 2010 campaign. Winterbottom is playing his final season in a Panther uniform after posting two goals and one assist as a junior. Burgess and Lynch were a big reason why the Davenport defense was one of the best in country by allowing just 20 goals in 21 games heading into the national tournament.
Overall, 15 players will return including seven of the top ten scorers and the entire back line and midfield which also features sophomores Stuart Collins (Cork, Ireland) and Ryan Duffy-McGirr (Chesterfield, England). The top returning scorer from 2010 is junior Jesse Asanin-Miroux (Thornhill, Canada) who finished with five goals and one assist last year. Gerard John-Williams (Arma, Trinidad & Tobago) will also play his final season as a Panther after missing the final eight games last year due to a leg injury.
Newcomers
The depth and strength of the squad this time around has been addressed with the signings of three student athletes from over the pond.
Midfielder Bradley Lediard (England), along with defender Hjalmar Danielsen (Denmark, Norway) will bring much needed experience and soccer knowledge to the Panthers in 2011. Local players adding strength to the squad include midfielders Mitchell Nousain from Muskegon and Nathan Kravat from Fruitport. Both players should be challenging for a starting spot.
Schedule
Once again the WHAC will be tough with Madonna, Aquinas, Cornerstone, Siena Heights, Indiana Tech and Concordia all competing for the conference title. Davenport will open its conference slate at home in a night game against Madonna on October 1.
