Bison Soccer: Look for Continued Success

The Gallaudet University men’s soccer team surprised everyone last fall by advancing to the semifinals of the CAC tournament. Now the Bison look to repeat their success while improving their regular season record.

“We have the potential and the personnel to improve,” says head coach Larry Musa, whose 1997 team finished 7-14. “We lost many close games last year that we should have won. This year, we’re looking to challenge everyone on our schedule.”

The Bison are a diverse group, with nine countries represented on the team’s roster. Many of the squad’s newcomers are foreign-born, giving Gallaudet an instant international flavor.

Senior forward Chris Florenes (pictured) of Oslo, Norway, leads Gallaudet’s multi-national attack. The team’s leading scorer last year, Florenes was named to the All-CAC second team. Junior midfielder Faisal Del of Alexandria, Va., who was third on the team in scoring last year, returns to hone his skills further. Last fall, the squad was energized by the play of Tyrone Giordano of Tarrifville, Conn., who came off the bench to finish fourth on the team in scoring. Now a senior, Giordano gives the Bison much-needed depth in the midfield.

On defense, junior Eric Gunther of Coram, N.Y., returns. Gunther, an All-CAC second team pick in 1997, shuts down opposing forwards with his speed and tenacity, which gets better with each year. The defense is bolstered by the leadership and tackling ability of senior Tyson Dahlstrom of Olympia, Wash., as well as versatile junior Scott DeMario of Westerly, R.I., and sophomore Mohamed Del of Alexandria, Va.

Fearless goalkeeper Harry Pompeo of Whitman, Mass., returns to the team after a year off. In 1996, he played in 13 games, racking up 74 saves.