| Head Coach: |
Greg Holker (Gustavus Adolphus '00; 7th year, 56-42-15 overall) |
| 2009: |
8-8-1 overall, 3-7-0 MIAC (8th/11) |
| Starters Returning/Lost: |
7/4 |
| Letterwinners Returning/Lost: |
18/13 |
VIDEO PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH GREG HOLKER -- CLICK HERE
MINNEAPOLIS -- Turning a negative into a positive could be a key for the Augsburg College men's soccer program to have success in the 2010 season.
Last season, the Auggies suffered through an uncharacteristic losing streak that ended up knocking the Auggies out of contention for the four-team Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoffs. Augsburg ended up 8-8-1 overall, 3-7-0 in MIAC play -- with seven losses during the season by just one goal.
But the losing stretch allowed the Auggie coaching staff to give younger players a chance to play and earn key experience in one of the top NCAA Division III men's soccer conferences in the country. And that experience may be a key for the Auggies to return to the upper echelon of the MIAC this season.
“Once we were eliminated from the MIAC playoffs, our upperclassmen came in and said that we had to play the young guys, because this program is more important than us as individuals, and we're willing personally to concede time to make sure that the (young) players are improving and getting experiences that will help them in the future,” said Augsburg head coach
Greg Holker. “I think this offseason was unique in the fact that you have a motivated group of talented players who want to erase a bad taste (from last year).”
Returning to the MIAC playoffs is a definite goal for Holker, whose teams reached the conference postseason twice in the last four years. He said that there are at least eight MIAC teams that could contend for postseason berths.
“This is an incredibly challenging conference that does very well annually in the NCAA tournament,” Holker said. “It's a testament to how strong this conference is.”
Key contributors return
The 2010 Auggies will be an intriguing mix of both youth and experience. Seven starters and 18 letterwinners return from last year's club, including two all-conference honorees -- All-MIAC recipient
Peter Loyd (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and All-MIAC honorable-mention recipient
Chad Gilmer (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS).
Loyd, who earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors in 2008, anchored an Augsburg defense that allowed just 15 goals on the season (0.86 team goals-against-average), while starting all 17 games.
Joe Keller (SR, Wayzata, Minn.) and
Sherif Soud (SO, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Eagan HS) will also be expected to contribute on defense, along with
Kevin Butcher (SO, Fort Collins, Colo.) and Operolim Marcellino (SO, Rochester, Minn./Century HS).
Holker describes Gilmer as “a dangerous player and a fantastic player,” and with a shift to a forward role this season, he will be expected to utilize his scoring talents, along with players like
Ahmed Gobana (JR, Burnsville, Minn.), who led the Auggies in scoring with five goals last season, and
David Scheller (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.), who contributed three assists.
Jeff Butler (SO, Prior Lake, Minn.) and
Gottlieb Uahengo (SO, Winhoek, Namibia/St. George's College) have also shown promise at the forward position, Holker noted.
In the middle,
Van Hong (SR, St. Louis Park, Minn.) returns for his third season as an Auggie. Hong “really is the heart of this team. When he speaks, the heart beats louder,” Holker said. Hong scored two goals with an assist last season.
Joining Hong in the middle should be three experienced players in
Matt Bowman (JR, Maple Grove, Minn.), #T.J. Haag# (SR, Apple Valley, Minn./Burnsville HS) and
Peter Osborn (JR, Eagan, Minn./Eastview HS). Bowman scored a goal with three assists in 17 games last year, while Haag bounced back from a midseason injury to contribute an assist in 12 games. Osborn, who contributed three assists in 15 games last year, looks to be the anchor in the midfield, as Holker has high praise for him.
Other returners for the Auggies include midfielder
Max Macemon (JR, St. Anthony Village, Minn./AFCA HS) and defender
Jake Wolf (JR, Elk River, Minn.).
Youth will be served
Finding a replacement for four-year goalkeeper starter
Pascaul Venter will require Holker to look to two first-year players as primary candidates to fill the spot --
Will Morlock (FY, Grand Haven, Mich.) and
Clayton Lynch (FY, Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier HS). Morlock was an all-state honorable-mention honoree in Michigan his junior season, while earning multiple all-conference and all-region honors. Lynch earned first-team all-state honors in Iowa his senior year, along with all-conference and all-metro honors.
“They're both disciplined and hard-working kids,” Holker said. “Pair that up with the fact that they chose to be roommates, we've got some good things going on, chemistry-wise, that I think will help us.”
Returners
Joel Lacine (JR, Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) and
Jeb Bates (SO, Parker, Colo./Chaparral HS) will also back up the two first-year players in goal.
Augsburg will benefit from the addition of three transfers -- forward
Benjamin Wexler (SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS), defender
Tyler Heaps (SO, St. Paul, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) and midfielder
Josh Sweeney (SO, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS). Wexler played three seasons at Division I Providence (R.I.), while Heaps had a goal and two assists in 17 games last season for North Park (Ill.) and Sweeney had a goal in five games last year at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Midfielder
Edi Becerra (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Minneapolis Southwest HS) and forward
Mohamed Sankoh (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Como Park HS) are expected to provide key contributions this season, Holker noted.
Forward
Nate Peltonen (FY, Fond du Lac, Wis.) also joins the team this year, along with midfielders
Owen Byrnes (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./Southwest HS) and
Mackenzie Dykstra (SO, Delano, Minn.) and defenders
Victor Enriquez (FY, Eagan, Minn./Minneapolis Southwest HS),
Danny Osip (FY, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and
Aaron Espy (FY, Rochester, Minn./Century HS).
