Oklahoma City University opens the 2013 men's soccer season picked to finish second in the Sooner Athletic Conference for the second straight year.
In 2012, the Stars began the season unbeaten in their first seven matches and finished 9-6-4 overall, 4-4 in SAC play. OCU bounced top-seeded USAO out of the SAC Tournament in the first round advancing 5-4 on penalty kicks. In the semifinals, the Stars fell 2-0 to John Brown (Ark.).
"Last year we tied a lot of games," OCU coach Brian Harvey said. "We went to overtime in a lot of the games because of a lack of scoring ability and hopefully with some of the new additions this season we can push on and play with a little more purpose going towards goal."
The Stars kick off the 2013 campaign at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against Baker (Kan.) at North Park in Baldwin City, Kan.
"Our No. 1 goal is to make the national tournament," Harvey said. "To do that we will have to win the SAC conference which is something we have not done in a couple of years. We're hoping we can bring enough experience this season to push past USAO who are the favorites to win the league."
The Stars return 14 players from last year's squad including eight players who started eight or matches. OCU adds five newcomers including a pair of transfers to the mix this season.
OCU is led by returning senior Adam Black. Black, of Liverpool, England, led the Stars with 12 goals and 28 points a season ago. The 5-foot-10 forward added four assists in 17 matches and was named first-team all-SAC.
"Adam is obviously a key returner," Harvey said. "He is coming off a very strong season and a very good summer. I expect good things from him again."
Black upped his career goal total to 26 and was fifth in the NAIA in shots per game with 5.2 a season ago.

A position by position look at the Stars:

Goalkeeper

Seniors Jalen Howard and Joe Shulberg return to mind the net for OCU in 2013. The two split playing time in goal a season ago.
"Last year our starting goalkeeper, Shulberg, was injured and Jalen took his place," Harvey said. "It was difficult for Joe to dislodge him from the position and the two of them shared playing time for the rest of the season. They have both been doing well in practice, so I expect a battle between those two again."
Howard, of Oklahoma City, started nine of the 10 matches he appeared in. The 5-foot-10 goalkeeper made 49 saves and allowed 16 goals with a 0.754 save percentage.
Shulberg, of Huntingdon, England, started 10 of the 11 matches he appeared in. The 6-foot-3 senior made 45 saves and allowed nine goals with a 0.833 save percentage.
Newcomer Luca De Piccoli, a junior from Milan, Italy, will join OCU as a reserve goalkeeper this season.

Defense

Transfer Danny Frid, of Raunds, England, joins returning starters Michael Shanahan and Daniel Yeom to anchor the OCU defense. Frid comes to OCU from Missouri State and previously played at Southwestern Christian where he scored 12 goals and passed out eight assists as a freshman and was named Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the year.
"I expect Danny to really anchor the defense along with Shanahan and Yeom," Harvey said. "He has been tremendous in training camp and he's a guy I expect to solidify the defense."
Shanahan, a junior from Edmond, Okla., appeared in 19 matches, made 16 starts on defense and in the midfield and tallied one assist last season. Yeom, a sophomore from Tongyeong, South Korea, started all 19 matches, scored one goal and passed out one assist.
"Yeom will be a sophomore and he had a very good year as a freshman, so I'll be expecting more out of him this season," Harvey said. "Shanahan will be a junior this year and I expect good things from him as well."
Senior Dillon Byrd, of Oklahoma City, and sophomore A.J. Dodson, of Broken Arrow, Okla., will be key members of the OCU defense in 2013. Byrd made 12 appearances a season ago while Dodson played in 17 matches and made four starts.
"I expect Byrd will see more playing time on defense this season," Harvey said. "Dodson will be a contributor back there as well."
Freshman Judah Maxwell, of Noble, Okla., joins the Stars in 2013 and will add depth to the backfield.

Midfield

Returning starters Trevor Harmon, Jimmy Irwin and Kieran McLachlan will spearhead the midfield for OCU.
Harmon, of Allen, Texas, was second on the team a season ago with six goals. The 5-foot-7 senior started all 19 matches and added one assist to finish the season with 13 points.
"Harmon had a very good year last and we'll look for more the same from him in his senior season," Harvey said. "I was really impressed with his performances last year and hopefully we'll get the same production rate from him this year."
Irwin, a senior from Frisco, Texas, appeared in 19 matches and made 17 starts while McLachlan, a junior from Airdrie, Scotland, tallied three goals and three assists in 19 matches a season ago.
According to Harvey, the trio of Ethan Berney, Volney Richardson and Zach Stoner will all factor into the midfield mix. Berney, a junior from Oklahoma City, appeared in 16 matches and made two starts a season ago. Richardson, a sophomore from Flower Mound, Texas, tallied one assist in 17 matches while Stoner, a junior from Piedmont, Okla., made four appearances in 2012.
Lorenzo Ontiveros, a senior from Oklahoma City, and freshman Nic Rhodes, of Hurst, Texas, will provide depth to the midfield unit.

Forward

Joining Black at the forward position is transfer Ruy Vaz. The 6-foot-1 junior from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was a two-time NJCAA first-team all-American and KJCCC offensive player of the year at Cowley County. During his career at Cowley County, Vaz notched 30 goals, nine assists and 70 points.
"I think he can really help Black up top," Harvey said. "Last year Adam was double teamed a lot and it will be difficult to mark both of them this year. I think he will come in and be an impact player for us."
According to Harvey, the team will be looking for goal production from a number of players this season.
"We'll obviously be looking to Black as well as Vaz for goals," Harvey said. "We'll also be looking for goals from Berney and Richardson in the midfield as well as Harmon, who found the net several times last year."

The Stars will play their home opener at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 against Oklahoma Wesleyan at Stars Field. All OCU home matches this season will be broadcast via live video streaming and can be viewed by visiting Stretch Internet's OCU platform.