Experience and enthusiasm are two key components that are helping the 2008 edition of Massachusetts Maritime men's soccer prepare for the upcoming campaign, as the Bucs return 13 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year's squad that had 10 of its 17 matches decided by one goal in a very competitive Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference race.

That experience, coupled with an influx of 11 newcomers to the program, have hopes high on the Canal for the coming fall as Head Coach Greg Perry begins his 16th season. Perry, a two-time pick as MASCAC Coach of the Year, will look to a pair of those veterans for leadership both on and off the field, as seniors Matt Duggan (Worcester, Mass./St. John's) and Tim Meighan (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) will serve as the Bucs' co-captains.

"Matt and Tim are two individuals who possess leadership qualities that every member of this team should emulate," Perry says of his two senior captains. "They set examples that will be extremely important to follow as we come together this year."

Here's a look at how things are shaping up for the 2008 edition of Massachusetts Maritime Men's Soccer:

FORWARD. Senior Tim Vincent (Manchester, N.H./Pembroke Academy) and sophomore Brian Reske (Duxbury, Mass./Sacred Heart) lend experience up front for the Bucs, as the duo combined to appear in 23 contests a year ago. Perry will welcome five newcomers that will be looking for solid production on the front line in freshmen Kevin McCord (Norwell, Mass./Norwell), Josh Hoy (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill), Sean Szczesny (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson), Chris Sullo (Canton, Mass./Canton) and Joao Antunes (Hyannis, Mass./Cape Cod).

MIDFIELD. Sophomores Matt Patten (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and Christian Lopes (Charlestown, Mass./Brighton) are the top returning scorers for the Bucs after combining for three goals and four assists for 10 points as rookies in 2007, while Duggan and sophomore Andrew Mullen (Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman) lend additional experience after combining for 24 match appearances last fall. Freshmen James Gendrolis (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and Mike McCarthy (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) will also look to impact Massachusetts Maritime's fortunes during their freshman campaigns.

BACK. Juniors Chris Corr (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) and Matt McDonnell (Marshfield, Mass./Sacred Heart) lead an experienced defensive unit for Perry and combined for a pair of goals and an assist for five points as well last fall. Senior Neil Carlson (Kingston, Mass./Silver Lake) and the sophomore trio of Jon White (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield), Kyle Sheehan (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) and Rory O'Donnell (Somerset, Mass./Somerset) comprised an experienced quartet in the backfield for Perry, as they combined for 74 match appearances last season, while the freshman duo of T.C. Brady (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) and Dennis Doherty (West Falmouth, Mass./Bishop Stang) will be vying for roles in the Bucs' defensive lineup as well.

GOAL. Meighan returns to the Massachusetts Maritime net after appearing in all 17 contests as a junior, as he posted a pair of victories (including one shutout) and 118 saves to go with a 2.26 goals against average. Freshmen Corey Cameron (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) and Mark Mullaney (Bridgewater, Mass./Catholic Memorial) will challenge Meighan for a spot in the Bucs' cage as well this season.

Perry's crew kicks off the 2008 campaign on Thursday, September 4th when Massachusetts Maritime heads to Newton Centre, Mass. to tangle with Mount Ida in a non-league match that begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT.