SBU's new soccer coach looks toward top

Ryan Anatol was a men's soccer assistant coach at South Florida when Stony Brook University visited the Tampa campus last September. USF defeated Stony Brook, but Anatol was impressed with the Seawolves. Six months later, he is Stony Brook's new coach.

"When I had a chance to see them play in South Florida, right away I knew it was a talented team," Anatol said. "When the job opened, that's what was intriguing. It was a large sophomore class. I knew right away there was some good talent coming back."

Anatol replaced Cesar Markovic, who left after seven seasons to coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Stony Brook has played in Division I since 1999 and made the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2009. "My expectations are no different than for any of our other programs," athletic director Jim Fiore said. "We expect to regularly challenge for an America East Conference title, return to the NCAA Tournament and compete nationally. Along with coach Anatol, we have high expectations for the 2011 season and beyond."

Anatol, 32, shares that view, saying, "It's not just about doing OK in the conference." In his six seasons as USF's recruiting coordinator, the Bulls went 74-33-18 with five NCAA appearances. Before that, he spent two years at Akron, the 2010 NCAA champion.

"Definitely, recruiting is the life blood," Anatol said. "I have contacts in the Midwest, relationships on the East Coast, and also in soccer, you have to have international contacts. Another positive fact is that New York is a hotbed for soccer. [The formula] is to keep the best players in the state and go out, supplement talent from across the country and internationally."

Anatol has held several meetings with the team. "My first impression is that he really knows a lot about soccer," said midfielder Leonardo Fernandes, who played at North Babylon High School and was a freshman on the conference- winning team at Stony Brook in 2009. "Not everyone's spot is guaranteed. Everyone is playing like the first day of preseason. Everything is headed in the right direction. We only lost three players [to graduation]. We definitely should win the America East; that's our main goal."

Anatol's vision for Stony Brook goes way beyond an occasional appearance in the NCAAs. "The best thing about college soccer is that you don't have to be at an ACC school or Big Ten school to do very well nationally," he said. "Akron proved that, winning the whole thing as a mid-major. You can be part of a smaller conference and do very well nationally. It's not just about doing OK in the conference. Once you can consistently win the conference, that puts you in the NCAA Tournament. Once you get into the NCAA Tournament, you can have some success nationally."