The Daily Campus

Issue date: 6/15/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Nick Hart Tony Cascio goes after a ball against Tulsa on August 31, 2008. Cascio finished the season with two goals and six assists.

Nobody electrified Goal Patrollers like O'Brian White. And it's hard to imagine anyone coming close in the Jamaican-born Hermann Trophy winner's wake.

But when the Huskies take to Morrone Stadium with national title aspirations sophomore midfielder Tony Cascio will try his best to make the spirited student section in Storrs forget about the void left by one of the most prolific scorers in program history.

Cascio concedes that it will indeed be tough for the team to move on without their highly decorated striker - White was Big East Rookie of the Year in 2005 and was selected to consecutive All Big East First Teams in 2007 and 2008. Cascio drew praise from his teammates for the strides he took when White was sidelined at various points during the 2008 campaign.

The Gilbert, Ariz. native spent the spring putting his game to the test against the best players the country has to offer from his age group: the US Under-20 National Team.

"It was a good experience playing with top notch guys my age, guys who were drafted into the MLS," said Cascio. "It was a totally different experience."

While he ultimately missed the cut that would have sent him to Cairo for a pair of friendlies opposite the Egyptian U-20 squad in preparation for the U-20 World Cup, Cascio saw match time both in Trinidad and Tobago for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, and in the US Soccer Development Academy's Spring Showcase in Sarasota, Fla.

The competition on the pitch was, admittedly, unlike any he'd ever faced, but Cascio found that the coaching staff of the U-20 teams featured a much kinder, gentler brand of tutelage than he's accustomed to playing for Ray Reid.

"[The coaches were] more laid back," Cascio said. "They kinda just expected you to be good. Coach [Reid] pushes us more."

Reid will expect a lot out of Cascio in 2009 and with good reason. Out of the midfield, Cascio established himself as an adept distributor with the ability to get off his share of shots as well. He finished his first collegiate season with two goals and six assists, netting the Huskies' only score in their third round departure from the NCAA Tournament - a 2-1 overtime battle with No. 2 Creighton.

Replacing O'Brian White is a task much too lofty to ask of any college soccer player, let alone someone who shared the field with him. But Cascio turned enough heads with his first season to earn a shot to play for his country. He'll have the Goal Patrol's undivided attention soon enough.

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