With a new head coach and outlook for the road ahead, the College of Staten Island men's soccer team will be looking to rebound in 2012, hoping to improve into one of the CUNYAC's top programs.  To do that, new skipper John Tardy, who will make his collegiate coaching debut at CSI, will look to transform a team that went 3-11-1 a year ago, one that included an eight-game losing skid to end the season.  The contention for many over the years is that CSI has had the tools needed for success, the question now is: will 2012 be the year the Dolphins put it all together on the pitch?

"We are all very excited," said the first-year coach.   "I think we all know we have a really good solid core coming back and a new class of kids who are looking to get out there and prove themselves.  On the ball we look good and with a little organization and game experience, it hopes to be a promising year."

Optimism should be high for the Dolphins, who do return 16 players to the ranks in 2012, including six of their top 10 scorers from a year ago.  Offensive production will be at the forefront, as the team scored only 22 goals in their 15 games a year ago, and were completely shut out six times, including a 5-0 loss to Lehman College in last year's CUNYAC quarterfinals.

The dependence on goal-scoring for the returners should go to sophomore Alfonso Castaneda, who enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign, netting six goals and three assists.  The presence of returners Lirim Begai, Michele Kissi, Mubaric Ibrahim should also help, especially since the trio missed a combined 17 games due to injury.  The optimism lies more, however, in CSI's new faces.  Nedgy Nazon, a Haitian native who last played at CSI in 1999, is returning to the team after an incredible 13 year absence.  The senior netted 15 goals in 15 games that year.  Daniel Tsygankov and Charles Iwobi, a pair of freshmen, have also showed signs of progress.

"We have brought in talented scorers with a nose for the ball, and a lot of speed on the outside will give us more options," said Tardy, who is anxious to see his new offense at work.  "We will be able to attack with numbers this year, which is something we haven't been able to do in the past.  Instead of having a single option at the front carrying the load, we can distribute the ball better and have the finishing quality we have lacked."

Defensively, the Dolphins should also stand to improve.  The team surrendered 39 goals a year ago, 26 of which came in the final six games.  The bedrock in goal was fifth-year senior Ahmed El-Ghareib, who could return to his natural position as a shutdown middle defender along with Giovanni Cortese.  Together with Alfred Yeboah, who missed the final month and a half of the season last year due to injury, the anchor for the staff should be in place, but again, Tardy will be looking for a more promising 2012 with the combo of new and veteran faces and leadership.

"Conditioning wise, the players' commitment has been great coming into the preseason," Tardy said.    "We're hoping we can beat some injuries by staying conditioned.  I like our experience in the back more than anything.  Our defenders know the game well and have shown they can play at a high level.  Letting it come together in games with effective communication and organization will be the key to our success."

More than sheer talent, Tardy knows the key ingredient for the Dolphins will be a comprehensive effort to improve and simply work hard.  The Dolphins started the season 3-0 in CUNYAC play last year before dropping their final five conference games.  For Tardy, the intensity needs to level from beginning to end, and for the rookie coach, the effort is what will ultimately determine the results.

"Our hopes are to get better with each game and let the wins and losses fall where they may.  I want us to be able to say we gave our best effort at the end.  Our object is to learn from our mistakes and to get better both individually and as a team. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard, and that's the philosophy that we are all about at CSI.  We want to out-work our opponents every time we take the field."

For now, the Dolphins will once again look to be in the mix.  Long known to be a very competitive and evenly stacked conference from top to bottom, Tardy knows the Dolphins have just as good of a chance as any other team in the search for an elusive title.  In the meantime, Tardy is going to take things one game at a time, looking for improvement at every turn.

"Talent-wise, we honestly feel we can make a run to the finals," the coach stated.  "But first, we are looking to put a good brand of soccer out on to the field, and compete from whistle to whistle.  In soccer, nothing is promised to you even when you play well, so as long as we are playing better soccer, I will be happy.  If we keep winning in the process, obviously it makes things even better."

CSI will open up their season on Friday afternoon, kicking off their first annual Fall Classic against Benedictine University at 4pm, followed by another 4pm contest against Wisconsin-Platteville the following day.  On September 19, CSI will introduce the conference portion of their season against York College at 4pm.  A rematch of last year's quarterfinal with Lehman College is scheduled for October 13 in the Bronx.  All CSI home games are free of charge and CLUE Certified for all students.