Red-shirt sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Kelley is waiting for the fall practices to begin for the Eastern men’s soccer team, so he can try to win the starting job.

After Sean Molony graduated in the spring, the goalkeeper competition opened up for the men’s soccer team.

Molony logged nearly 1,500 minutes last season, playing in 17 games. In 2009, Molony was the starter in 16 games, logging nearly 1,500 minutes. For his last two seasons, Molony was the workhorse in the goal box for head coach Adam Howarth and the Panthers.

After sophomore goalkeeper Shailer Thomas decided to transfer this spring to Metro State College in Denver, Kelley was the only goalkeeper on the roster.

Howarth announced his newest recruiting class Monday, including one new goalkeeper. Evan Turner, a transfer from Howard University, will be Kelley’s competition at the position.

With the recruiting class newly released, Kelley said he does not know much yet about Turner and what he brings to the table.

“We are still trying to figure out who each other are and what kind of person he is,” Kelley said. “At the end of the day, we will be teammates and will learn to play off of each other for the best of the team.”

Heading toward preseason training, Kelley said he is “highly optimistic” about his chances in a battle between he and Turner for the starting goalkeeper role.

“It will be a tough battle,” Kelley said. “It will come down to whoever is most consistent in the net.”

Kelley said he believes the amount of experience each goalkeeper has in college games will be an important factor in Howarth’s final decision on who the starter is.

Kelley played in one game last season. At Howard University, Turner played in 15 matches, and started nine of them.

The most important quality in a starting goalkeeper is something Molony had, Kelley said.

“Consistency,” Kelley said. “Not making little mistakes that end up in conceding a goal.”

Kelley said goalkeeping comes down to communicating with the defense and organizing them in a way that prevents opportunities for the opponent.

Kelley said the chemistry between the goalkeeper and backline will be the most important factor in the coach’s decision.

“It’s the positive communication that makes the defense into a cohesive unit,” Kelley said.

The team’s season starts August 13 in an intersquad scrimmage at Lakeside Field. After three exhibition games, the first regular season game will be August 26 on the road against Northwestern.

This season will be the first as a member of the Summit League.

Alex McNamee can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected]