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Rockhurst University Athletics

Federico Verlicchi

Men's Soccer

Hawks open season at third-ranked Fort Hays State

Junior midfielder Federico Verlicchi scored nine points last year.
Coach Tony Tocco begins his 49th season at Rockhurst with another defensive-minded team. The Hawks, who kick off the season Thursday at third-ranked Fort Hays State, held opponents to 23 goals last year while finishing with an 8-8-2 record.

"I think we have seven to eight returning players that we can really count on," Tocco said. "Our numbers are really with our freshman. We have 11 freshman who can play for us."

The top returnees are led by sophomore midfielder Jordan Andrews and junior midfielder Federico Verlicchi. The pair combined for seven goals and three assists last year. Juniors Sean Michel and Turner Hall will be counted on to start as midfielders. Michel missed last year, while Hall started 10 games.

Keying the defense for the Hawks will be junior Marco Cora and junior transfer Victor Gonzalez. Cora has started 24 games over the past two years. Gonzalez played on a strong junior college team at Barton County last year.

Freshmen Josh Lindell, Parker Esparza and Brendan Dolan will be counted on for valuable minutes defensively. The freshman quartet of Chase Klusman, Adam Burnett, Jackson Wood and Luke Rafanan figure to contribute in the midfield.

The forwards who will need to score for the Hawks are sophomores Noah Mabry and Collin Chrun, along with juniors Tyler Pisoni and Trevor Cissell. Sophomore Peter Baker will start the season in goal for the Hawks after starting six games last year.

"We have got to hold our own to start off, so we need to play great defense," Tocco said. "We have to be patient offensively and when we get opportunities we have to take advantage of them. More or less, we need to play great defense at the beginning of the season before we get everybody healthy."

After opening at Fort Hays State, the Hawks host Rogers State in their home opener Sunday afternoon.
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Players Mentioned

Jordan Andrews

#10 Jordan Andrews

M
5' 10"
Sophomore
Peter Baker

#1 Peter Baker

GK
6' 1"
Sophomore
Collin Chrun

#16 Collin Chrun

F
5' 9"
Sophomore
Trevor Cissell

#11 Trevor Cissell

F
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Marco Cora

#7 Marco Cora

D
5' 10"
Junior
Turner Hall

#6 Turner Hall

M
5' 10"
Junior
Noah Mabry

Noah Mabry

F
5' 6"
Sophomore
Sean Michel

#8 Sean Michel

M
5' 9"
Junior
Tyler Pisoni

#12 Tyler Pisoni

F
5' 11"
Junior
Federico Verlicchi

#17 Federico Verlicchi

M
6' 1"
Junior
Josh Lindell

#20 Josh Lindell

D
6' 3"
Freshman
Brenden Dolan

#25 Brenden Dolan

D
5' 10"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jordan Andrews

#10 Jordan Andrews

5' 10"
Sophomore
M
Peter Baker

#1 Peter Baker

6' 1"
Sophomore
GK
Collin Chrun

#16 Collin Chrun

5' 9"
Sophomore
F
Trevor Cissell

#11 Trevor Cissell

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
F
Marco Cora

#7 Marco Cora

5' 10"
Junior
D
Turner Hall

#6 Turner Hall

5' 10"
Junior
M
Noah Mabry

Noah Mabry

5' 6"
Sophomore
F
Sean Michel

#8 Sean Michel

5' 9"
Junior
M
Tyler Pisoni

#12 Tyler Pisoni

5' 11"
Junior
F
Federico Verlicchi

#17 Federico Verlicchi

6' 1"
Junior
M
Josh Lindell

#20 Josh Lindell

6' 3"
Freshman
D
Brenden Dolan

#25 Brenden Dolan

5' 10"
Freshman
D