AT A GLANCE
Conference West Suburban Gold
Home field 7401 Clarendon Hills Road, Darien
2007 record 12-8-2 (5-1 in WSG; T-1st)
Coach Mark McNellis (11th year)

Top returners
Kyle Gorgol    sr.    M/F
Giovanni Cianelli    sr.    M/F
Nick Just    sr.    D
Dan Lipine    sr. M
Josh Michaelis    sr.    D
Eric Veazie    sr.    D/M
Brian Weigel    sr.    D
Jonathan Beavis    so.    D

Promising newcomers
Don Scholes    jr.    M
Angel Ramirez    jr.    M/F
Mark Palka    jr.    M
Kyle Mutters    sr.    M
Alec Naessen    jr.    M
Patrick Mika    jr.    D
Andy Hock    jr.    D
Edwin Cisneros    so.    F
Stephen Beavis    so.    F
Rene Camarena    sr.    F
Ryan Knoelk    jr.    GK

KEY MATCHES
Sept. 23 vs. Morton The Hornets finished in a three-way tie for first-place last fall with Downers Grove South and Morton
Sept. 30 vs. Leyden A key swing game for Hinsdale South if they want to finish near or at the top of the conference.
Oct. 9 at Downers Grove South A perennial powerhouse in the Gold conference, the Hornets knocked off the Mustangs in 2007.

WHAT TO WATCH
After finishing in a three-way tie for first-place in the WSG a year ago, the Hornets appear primed and ready to make a similar run in ‘08.
Hinsdale South returns eight starters, spearheaded by Gorgol, who tallied 17 goals and six assists a year ago.
“Kyle will lead the way,” McNellis said. “I hope he can add about 10 more to that (last year’s goal total); maybe 25 to 30 goals. He is capable of that. He will be more of an attacking midfielder this year. He has a great shot with either foot.”
Cianelli and Lipine are varsity veterans who will control the action at midfield while Michaelis returns as the sweeper. Just and Weigel also are back on defense in front of Knoelk, who enters his first year as the goalkeeper. Newcomers Cisneros and Stephen Beavis are expected to contribute right away on the front line.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors returning with a lot of experience,” the coach said. “And the guys coming up have a lot of talent. We’d like to get back into the top-two in the conference. That means you are doing well. To do that you have to beat one of Downers Grove South or Morton. It is always tough to sweep those two. The conference is very difficult.”

Coach Speak
Mark McNellis
What are the goals for this season?
“The first goal is always to try to win conference. Besides that, we’d like to go further in the playoffs than last year. We also want to improve upon last year; we’d like to try and improve upon our record. But the first goal is always conference.”

What are the keys for the upcoming campaign?
“A key is how the young guys fill the spots left by the players from last year. And we’ve only got Kyle back with double-digit goals. Everybody has to contribute as a unit to score goals. If it is just Kyle, we will be in trouble. Overall, we’ve got depth and experience and a lot of seniors returning. We will have to see.”