If you ask fourth-year University of Maine men’s soccer coach Travers Evans who his starters will be for this weekend’s St. Bonaventure Invitational Tournament (N.Y.), he probably can’t tell you yet.

That’s because he used 18 field players in last weekend’s two games and feels comfortable using all 18.

“This is the strongest team I’ve had since I’ve been here,” said the fourth-year coach. “We have a lot more depth. It’s a real luxury having this kind of depth and not feeling you have to put an inferior player out there [to fill in for a starter].

“Six teams make the [America East] playoffs this year and we feel that’s a very attainable goal. I’d be disappointed if we didn’t,” said Evans.

Another positive is most of the 18 players have significant experience.

“For the first time, we don’t have to rely solely on young kids to help carry the load,” said Evans.

“We’re pretty even from top to bottom and that creates a lot of competition. That makes everyone better. It makes everyone work hard,” said senior co-captain and fullback Eric Lemont.

“This is our year and we’ve felt that way ever since our freshman year,” said senior back and co-captain Matt Young. “We plan to make the playoffs this year.”

Sophomores Ben Wilcox and Adam Chenault join Lemont and Young in the back in the 4-3-3 alignment with sophomore Eric Pedersen and redshirt freshman Jason Jacobe providing quality depth.

America East All-Rookie team member Cooper Friend of Ellsworth will head up the midfield corps, which also includes junior Matt Bernal, sophomore Kevin Forgett, redshirt senior Jack Rioux and junior Kyle McMorrow.

Second team All-America East member Daniel Florez, also a midfielder, will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed injury.

The group of interchangeable forwards includes seniors Greg Bajek and Keith Moore; redshirt junior Luke Rivard, junior Andy Halligan, Dean Junior College (Vt.) transfer Justin Stockford, sophomore Kyle Vosmus and freshman Gabriel Germano.

Redshirt junior Josh Sjostrom and sophomore Chad Mongeon will share the goaltending unless one emerges as the clearcut number one, according to Evans.

Lemont said the 4-3-3 alignment “should really help us produce more offense. That’s what we lacked last year.”

Maine scored only 12 goals while going 3-11-2 overall. They were 1-7 in America East.

“Nobody we play is going to be much more athletic than we are,” said Evans.

2003 Schedule

September

6 – vs. LaSalle at St. Bonaventure Tournament , 2:30 p.m.

7 – at St. Bonaventure, 2:30

13 – Manhattan, 1 p.m.

17 – UNH, 3 p.m.

20 – at Dartmouth, 3 p.m.

24 – at Harvard, 3:30

27 – Sacred Heart, 1 p.m.

October

4 – at Albany, 1 p.m.

6 – at Army, 7 p.m.

11 – Stony Brook, noon

15 – at Northeastern, 3 p.m.

18 – Vermont, 1 p.m.

22 – at Boston University, 7 p.m.

25 – at Binghamton, 1 p.m.

November

1 – Maryland-Baltimore County, 1 p.m.