To put it bluntly, the 2003 men’s soccer season was a huge disappointment. In case you missed it, here’s a recap: Huskies enter the season as favorites to defend their 2002 America East title. After one win they are ranked 14th in the nation, and then fail. Forget the storybook run in the playoffs that saw the number five seeded Huskies beat hated Boston University and then upset number one University of Maryland Baltimore County to make it to the finals. Unless you win it all, you win nothing, and the Huskies came up one goal short in the penalty kick round of the 2003 America East championship game and lost to the number two seeded Bingha-mton Bearcats.

With a huge hole on offense, this year’s team probably won’t be expected to get back to the championship game, but then again, they are always underdogs; it’s a role that fits them well. The 2004 Huskies will score fewer goals than the 2003 squad, but they will be a better team and will reach the finals again this year, only this time they will beat Binghamton and reclaim their throne atop the America East. Here’s why:

Offense: This is where the Huskies will struggle this season. The past two years the Dogs have been led offensively by Atha Kirkopoulos, their electric star who was a threat to score every time he touched the ball. This year’s success will greatly depend on how well the Huskies can patch up the huge hole left by Kirkopoulos, who not only put up big numbers, but more importantly created open space for his teammates by commanding double teams from other teams’ defenses.

While experience isn’t an issue with this roster, production certainly is, as 25 percent of their offense came from Kirkopoulos the last two seasons. By default, much of the offensive load will fall on the shoulders of last year’s second leading scorer Michael Cipriano. The senior forward has become better with every start and looks primed for a stellar season. Although it’s hard to put a positive spin on losing Kirkopoulos, his departure will allow other players more shots this season.

The players who should flourish with the added opportunities are sophomore Daniel Ivec and juniors Jeff Gannon and Tom Heimreid. Ivec was third on the team in scoring as a freshman last season and shows great potential as an offensive force, while Gannon and Heimreid both started 19 games for the Huskies last season and were skilled at capitalizing on the opportunities they were given.

Prediction: Instead of having one or two dominant scorers like they have in the past, the 2004 Huskies will have one of the most balanced attacks in the conference and will end up with at least four players with double-digit points.

Grade: B-

Defense: Just like last season and the season before, this year’s squad will be a very defensive-minded club and although sweeper Oumar Thiam graduated, defense is by far the team’s deepest position. Senior captain Joe Parrish returns as stopper, bringing with him 40 career starts; fellow seniors Jay Hansen and Peter Mosconi have 58 career starts among them and along with red shirt sophomore Matt Handy were crucial parts to the 2002 team that won the conference championship. Sopho-more Brian Koslosky, who started eight games as a freshman, will also see significant playing time this year. The only question here is, who will replace Thiam at sweeper? The bottom line is the 2004 Huskies are stacked on D and with the offense in question, they will need to be the best defense in the league if they want to reclaim the America East crown.

Prediction: With their immense amount of experience and talent in the back, the defensemen will be fast and fresh for every minute of every game and will boast one of the best defenses in recent memory while also being among the league leaders in all defensive categories.

Grade: A+

Goal Keeper: Sergio Sacc-occio faced the second fewest shots in the conference last season but ranked last in save percentage (.750). In 2003 things just didn’t go the Huskies’ way, and many of the goals against Saccoccio were deflections or lucky shots, so before you rush to judgment, let’s not forget that he has led this team to the conference finals in both of his first two seasons and absolutely broke out in the playoffs last year, allowing just one goal in three games. Entering his third year in net, Saccoccio looks primed for a breakout season. He will need to build on his amazing playoff run and become the dominator everyone knows he can be.

Prediction: Aside from Binghamton’s Stefan Gonet, Saccoccio is the best keeper in the America East. With the defense he has in front of him he will allow less than 20 goals this season, and be second in goals against average.

Grade: A

Coaching: When his career is all said and done, coach Ed Matz will probably be up for sainthood. With basically no scholarships to offer, he has performed miracle after miracle in recruiting and coaching, and this year he will need more magic than ever.

The Huskies losing Atha Kirkopoulos is like the Lakers losing Shaq; his ability to open up space for his teammates was as instrumental to NU’s success as Shaq’s wide body in the paint was for L.A. However, Matz has in place one of the most experienced teams in the conference, and in soccer that means a lot.

Prediction: It is yet to be seen if Matz can win without a stud offensive player, but until he proves us otherwise, we’ll stay on the bandwagon. Every starter has championship game experience and with his defensive-minded approach, the Huskies will find themselves back in the championship game.

Grade: A+