The Hobart College soccer team will begin the 2013 season playing in the Xara Soccer Classic at Keene State on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The Statesmen play Rowan on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m. and then take on the host Owls on Sunday at 2 p.m. In his 14th year at the helm, Head Coach Shawn Griffin's roster features 19 returners and eight first-years.

Hobart finished the 2012 season with a 10-6-0 overall record and a 4-4-0 mark in the conference. It marked the program's seventh consecutive winning season. This year's Statesmen have their sights set on making the Liberty League tournament and fighting for their goal of a conference championship.

This year the Statesmen bring a great deal of depth at the midfield position. Sophomore Marco Ronning, senior Ian McGarty and junior Bernard Abagali will anchor the unit. McGarty is a fifth year senior who brings maturity and technical skills. Last season, he saw time in 14 matches, scoring once. Ronning is a calm presence in the middle of the field and an excellent distributor. A starter in all 14 games he played in last year, Ronning chipped in a goal and shared a team-high with four assists. Abagali is an explosive player who will be able to get behind defenses and contribute offensively. He garnered Liberty League honorable mention last year. Abagali played in 14 matches, starting 12.

Sophomores Kyle Wiatrowski, Zico Gaeffke, DJ Clark, and TJ Kaszubski, as well as first-years JP White, Charlie Kelly, Clint Dunn and Carl Weiss, bring talent and depth to the midfield. This depth will help Hobart to wear out opponents. Coach Griffin has high expectations for his midfielders. Each of these student-athletes has the ability and potential to work into the starting lineup or make significant contributions off the bench.

At forward, the 2012 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, Jacob Fox returns. He ranked second on the team last fall with 11 points on five goals and an assist. Sophomore Tyler Terens will look to build on his rookie season and has the ability to make an immediate impact in the final third. First-year Sean Barry has shown a great work ethic and potential in preseason.

Hobart returns a solid portion of its defense that logged a 1.04 goals against average and five shutouts last fall. Senior captain Kaeghan Kelly brings experience and leadership to the defensive unit. He played in 13 games last year, starting 11. Junior Kyle Herod, another of Hobart's three captains, suffered a season-ending injury this summer, but the Statesmen will still look to him for his leadership throughout the season. Junior Oddmund Nesbakk returns after playing in all but one match in 2012. Junior Ryan Farrell, and sophomores Tyler Niles, Chris Poggi and Chris Walker-Jacks supply the Hobart D with a great deal of height. They are athletic group that has made great strides and will be challenging each other for playing time. In addition, first-years Joe Busuttil and Josh Vendetta are the newcomers to the Statesmen defense.

At the goalkeeper position, the Statesmen return three strong, experienced players in junior captain Mike Lucas, senior Mark Benya and sophomore Tyler Serafine. Lucas earned Liberty League honorable mention in 2012. He started all 16 games and posted a 1.09 goals against average and a .809 save percentage. Benya saw time in one match last year, and Serafine played in three.

After taking on Rowan and host Keene State in the Xara Soccer Classic this weekend, the Statesmen will travel to play at Brockport on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., before returning home to host St. John Fisher on Cozzens Field at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 10. Hobart will open Liberty League play when it hosts No. 20 St. Lawrence on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m.