Losing his top scorer is becoming an all too familiar off-season tradition for Dan Donigan, but the real challenge is replacing a stud forward. Once again, Donigan will turn to a trusted midfielder to anchor his offense.
Before the 2004 season, Saint Louis University saw its top scorer, Vedad Ibisevic, leave NCAA competition early to turn professional. Will John, the top Billiken scorer in 2004, also left the team after his sophomore season to join the pro ranks. John was selected by the Chicago Fire in the MLS SuperDraft. Two other 2004 Bills now play in the MLS with John; freshman defender Tim Ward was selected by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and goalkeeper Martin Hutton signed a developmental contract with the Kansas City Wizards after graduation.
John, Ward and Hutton double the total of former Bills who are playing in the MLS to six.
With the defense a lock, SLU will turn to junior John DiRaimondo to help solve the Bills’ pesky scoring problems.
“Johnny [DiRaimondo] has been really successful as a forward for us in the spring,” Donigan said.
DiRaimondo has seen most of his collegiate minutes in the midfield, and has a reputation of covering the entire field. A move to the top will cut DiRaimondo’s responsibilities, and allow him to focus on finishing the ball.
“We have players behind him [DiRaimondo] to do that job. Those defensive responsibilities will still be there, but not like when he was in the midfield,” Donigan said.
Incoming freshmen Dado Hamzagic, Kyle Patterson and Eric Sweetin are likely to help pick up the slack in the attacking third. Both Hamzagic and Sweetin were selected to the Atlantic-10 pre-season All-Rookie Team.
Senior Ryan Wileman, the 2004 team captain, will also be depended upon to add to the Bills’ attacking power. Wileman was named to the A-10 pre-season All-Conference Team, along with DiRaimondo and Gasparovic.
SLU will also be without defender Brett Branan, who graduated in 2004. Branan anchored the Billiken defense, playing in the center of the back line.
Without Branan, SLU will likely feature three defenders and five midfielders, which is most like the formation the Bills used during their run to the 2003 NCAA tournament. Sophomore Brandon Gasparovic and junior Mo Benne will anchor the stingy Billiken defense. Gasparovic started in the middle of the back line from the beginning of the season, and will take charge from the same position again in 2005. Benne, who battled injuries throughout the 2004 season, brings speed, toughness and size to the SLU defensive third.
The Bills have several options to fill the third spot, and their depth will allow for a fourth defender to fill out the back line, depending on the opponent. Senior Danny Wynn showed his ability to play as a wide back in 2004, and led SLU in assists from the position. Newcomer Calum Angus, from Portsmouth FC in the English Premier League, will also figure into the defensive mix with Dan Guffey and Jason Vilmer.
“We have a number of kids that are pretty versatile,” Donigan said of his options. “We can play three or four in the back. I’m pretty comfortable with our options right now.”
While Donigan may still have some work to do with the defense, the goalkeeper situation is pretty well determined. Sophomore Pat Disbennett will assume the reins between the pipes throughout the 2005 season. Disbennett split time in goal with Hutton during the last season, and played all 180 minutes of SLU’s 2004 playoff games.
“Pat Disbennett pretty much solidified himself as the number one keeper,” Donigan said.
As always, the Bills are primed to take on a difficult schedule, but this time, the face of the competition is different. Donigan will lead his remade team into the A-10 with the goal of taking the league by storm in their inaugural season. The Bills will, however, have the advantage of the hometown crowd, as SLU will play host to the A-10 tournament in the fall.
SLU trades in past schedule stalwarts like Louisville, DePaul and Cincinnati for Temple, Rhode Island and UMass.
Despite playing many of their away games against foes from the northeast, the Bills shouldn’t pile up too many more frequent flyer miles.
“Realistically, we won’t travel any more than in the past,” Donigan said. “We just have to get used to playing Friday-Sunday games on weekends.”
While the A-10 does not have the soccer powerhouse reputation that Conference-USA had, SLU will not have an easy road to the NCAA tournament.
“You have an idea about programs and coaches,” Donigan said. “We expect it to be competitive and to have some very tough games.”
SLU opens the exhibition season on Aug. 19 at Creighton. The regular season kicks off at against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Sept. 1 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
