Sept. 20, 2001

,THE PALM BEACH POST
SEPTEMBER 16, 2001
By Bob Gosman

The FAU men's soccer team only returns six players from last year's team, but already FAU coach Kos Donev believes this season's squad has more depth.

"We have a lot of players in the midfield, and we certainly have a choice of who to put where, said Donev, who is beginning his 15th year. "We can rest players, and our level of play won't drop a whole lot."

Although Donev is by no means satisfied with FAU's 1-2 record, he is pleased with the Owls' improvement from the first day of practice.

"We started with (essentially) a bran-new team," he said. "We're not where we want to be, but we have progressed quite well early in the season."

When the Owls do have a breakdown in a match, they can rely on Jonas Kolstad. The senior goalkeeper had a 1.29 goals against average in 2,000. This season, his skill will only improve and he's in better shape physically.

"He's got himself fitter, and he's much quicker and more mobile," Donev said. "We're looking for him to be a leader from the back."

In the midfield, Donev is expecting strong play from senior midfielder Pablo Luna.

"We're looking for him to control the pace of the game for us," Donev said.

Donev also is excited with the progress forward Emiliano Aranes has made. Aranes transferred from FIU in 2000 as a junior and took a medical redshirt.

"He improved his physical speed and his overall game," Donev said. "He's playing more to the team's needs, and (doing) quite well for us."

FAU returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Friday for its home opener, a match against Atlantic Sun Conference foe Belmont.

"We're (starting) to implement in matches the type of things we do in practice," Donev said. "We're playing with confidence."