8/16 - NWC POLL: Bruins 7th in Men's Soccer Poll but Return Key Offensive Pieces
2007 NWC Men's Soccer Coaches' Pre-Season Poll
NEWBERG, Ore. - Picked to finish seventh in the pre-season poll of the Northwest Conference's eight men's soccer coaches, the George Fox University Bruins are hopeful that a stable full of 19 expected returnees and eight returning starters will enable them to challenge for a higher place in the conference standings in 2007.
The Bruins missed a break-even season by one game in 2006, ending with an 8-9-2 record that was a six-game improvement over the year before. A 4-9-1 record in conference play left them seventh in the league.
Gone from that team are three starters, including Second Team All-NWC defender Brian Zaro and midfielders Dan Potter and Greg Hoiland. Las Vegas cousins Matt Gurlides and Garrett Blizzard lead the large group of returning letterwinners, however, in what could be one of the better offenses in the league. Gurlides, a Second Team All-NWC selection, led the conference in shots (70) while ranking fifth in goals (8) and sixth in points (20). Blizzard tied for second in the league in assists (6) and scored three goals.
Also back are starting midfielders Erich Hangartner, who tied for seventh in the NWC in assists (5), Ryan MacKenzie, Dylan Durrell and Brian Story, defender Keith Marshall, and the talented goalkeeping tandem of Kyle Putnam and Jake Maguire, who had 98 saves between them.
Veteran coach Manfred Tschan enters his 19th season at George Fox with a record of 184-151-18. Coupled with two years leading the women's program at the University of Oregon and four years with the men's team at Concordia University-Portland, he is 248-180-26, and needs only two wins to reach the 250-win milestone in his college career.
Around the rest of the conference, Tacoma, Washington is expected to be the home of the top two teams in 2007. Defending champion University of Puget Sound edged Pacific Lutheran University in the pre-season poll, the Loggers picking up 62 points and four first-place votes to 55 points and three first-place votes for the Lutes.
UPS won the league with a 10-2-2 record last season behind a defense that allowed only 0.38 goals per match. Logger keeper Pete Van Sant, the 2006 NWC Defensive Player of the Year, returns to mind the nets for his senior season. All-NWC defender Cole Peterson also returns, along with all-conference midfielder Scott Blanchett. Pacific Lutheran finished third in the standings last season (9-4-1) and welcomes back three First Team All-NWC players of their own in defender Brian Lubeck, midfielder Baard Asker, and forward Mike Ferguson.
Whitworth University finished third in the poll with 51 points. The Pirates, who won conference titles in 2004 and 2005, will have to overcome the graduation of five First or Second Team All-NWC honorees from last season's squad if they want to return to the top of the standings. Linfield College picked up one first-place vote and 40 points to finish fourth in the poll. The Wildcats graduated two of their three First Team All-NWC selections from last season, but do have defender Chris Nicoletti returning for his senior season.
Pacific University surprised by contending for the NWC title for much of last season. The Boxers are fifth in the poll with 31 points and welcome back midfielder Danny Williams. Whitman College is sixth in the poll with 27 points. The leading scorer from last fall, Stephen Phillips, is back on the attack for the Missionaries.
George Fox garnered 22 points, followed by Willamette University with eight points for eighth in the poll.
The season gets under way for the Bruins at home on Sept. 1 against Holy Names University at 2:30 p.m., following the GFU women's home opener vs. The Master's College at 12 noon. The Bruins continue at home on Sept. 3 vs. Walla Walla College at 4 p.m. before their first road game, against Warner Pacific College at Portland Christian High School, at 8 p.m. under the lights.