The UCSD men’s soccer team loses five seniors after this season, and while it is not a great loss in terms of numbers, it will be a loss in terms of talent and experience. The seniors on this year’s team helped lead the Tritons to an 11-6 overall record and a 9-5 record in California Collegiate Athletic Association matches.
Defenders Kris Chiles and Burke Fathy, midfielders Tyler Girimonte and Derek Orchard, and forward Bobby Saadati all finished their careers at UCSD as seniors this year. Chiles and Saadati were full-time starters for the Tritons, while Fathy, Girimonte and Orchard made key contributions off the bench and as occasional starters.
UCSD men’s soccer head coach Derek Armstrong was pleased with the effort that his seniors gave him. He specifically mentioned Fathy’s ability to overcome a slow start to the season.
“”Burke grew from a rocky start to be an important player for our team,”” Armstrong said.
Fathy finished the season with three goals. Armstrong was also happy with Girimonte’s game.
“”Tyler was the epitome of a team player,”” Armstrong said.
Saadati proved to be one of the key offensive threats for the Tritons this season. He was third on the team in goals, finishing the season with five. Saadati came to the Tritons just two years ago, but due to an injury his junior year, was only really able to play one season for the Tritons.
“”Bobby was a difference-maker. One of the things I will remember about this year was how he set the conference on fire with his play,”” Armstrong said.
Chiles had a solid senior season, playing multiple positions for the Tritons. He started as a defensive player, but Armstrong also had him play other positions.
“”Kris was responsible,”” Armstrong said. “”He maintained the level of leadership and consistent play that you expect from seniors.””
Chiles was named to the 2002 All-Far West Region First Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, after being named to the Second Team in 2001.
Chiles enjoyed many highlights during his years at UCSD, including scoring a goal in the first minute of his final home game and having one of the best games of his career. Still, Chiles felt somewhat disappointed with how the season finished for the Tritons.
“”Unfortunately, this soccer team throughout the four years almost always fell short of my expectations during the pre-season. We have been extremely talented, but have missed the important breaks that a successful team needs,”” Chiles said.
Though Chiles’ career is over with the Tritons, he has plenty of options for his post-playing days. Chiles was named to the 2002-03 Verizon Academic All-America Men’s Soccer First Team for the College Division. The College Division includes all of Division II, III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and honors 11 student-athletes. Chiles also earned a National Collegiate Athletic Association postgraduate scholarship. Chiles says he is applying to medical school for the fall of 2004.
The Tritons have a chance to be very competitive again next year. They return 20 underclassmen, including leading scorers Tiago Venturi and Matthew Davey, in addition to goalkeeper Jeremy Cookson. If they can fill the void left by the loss of this year’s seniors, next year’s team should be just as strong as this year’s.
