8/30 - PREVIEW: Balanced Bruins Aim for Winning Record and Higher Finish in Conference
NEWBERG, Ore. - With a team that is relatively young but well-balanced between offense and defense, the George Fox University Bruins are taking aim at a winning season and perhaps a place in the top half of the Northwest Conference standings in men's soccer in 2007.
The Bruins have not had a winning record since the 2000 team went 10-7-1 and tied for second in the conference, but just missed a break-even season last year, ending with an 8-9-2 record that was a six-win improvement over the year before. Included was a season-ending 2-0 upset of NWC champion Puget Sound. A 4-9-1 record in conference play left them seventh in the league.
"It's always hard to predict records," says veteran coach Manfred Tschan, who is 184-151-18 (.547) in 18 years at George Fox and 248-180-26 (.575) in 24 years overall as a college coach. "With the right preparation, a little luck and some good health, we have a chance to be competitive with anybody. Now we must go out and prove it."
Twelve letterwinners, including seven starters, are back for the Bruins. Key losses were All-NWC Second Team defender Brain Zaro, four-year starting midfielder Dan Potter, and third-leading scorer Dylan Durrell (three goals, four assists). Part-time starting defender Jon Maroni was lost for the 2007 season with a torn ACL but hopes to return next year.
Returning between the posts for the Bruins is one of the best goalkeeping tandems in the conference in Kyle Putnam (Sr., Bend, Ore. / Mountain View HS) and Jake Maguire (So., Aurora, Ore. / North Marion HS), who had 98 saves between them. The Bruins' back row is anchored by Keith Marshall (So., Redmond, Ore. / Redmond HS), who had a pair of assists and was a conference Defensive Player of the Week. Kyle Story (So., Graham, Wash. / Bethel HS) and Zach Sanders (So., Puyallup, Wash. / Emerald Ridge HS), who played in 17 and 13 games respectively last year, will vie for starting jobs this season. Story spent some time at midfield as a freshman and had three goals and an assist.
"Replacing Zaro will be big issue, obviously," admits Tschan, "but the number of players we have returning bodes well for our defense. In the pre-season, Connor Campbell (Fr., Salem, Ore. / West Salem HS) has certainly looked good, and Sean Daughtry (Fr., Vancouver, Wash. / Battle Ground HS) and David Rickey(Fr., Richmond, Ind. / Richmond HS) have played effectively in the back."
Versatile Ryan MacKenzie (Sr., Redmond, Ore. / Redmond HS) returns for his fourth year as a starter to a center midfield position, with Brian Story (So., Graham, Wash. / Bethel HS), Kyle's twin brother, at the other center mid spot. Mackenzie had two goals in 2006, while Story had one goal and one assist.
Erich Hangartner (Sr., Central Point, Ore. / Crater HS) will hold down one flanker position after scoring twice and tying for seventh in the conference with five assists in 2006. The other outside mid berth could be filled by returnees Bret Hamilton (So., Medford, Ore. / South Medford HS), who had two goals, or Tony Zamora (So., San Salvador, El Salvador / Newberg HS), who had one goal and one assist.
Injuries have hampered the flankers' pre-season preparations, opening the door for newcomers Carlos Pehr (Fr., Woodburn, Ore. / Woodburn HS) and Justin Meyer (Fr., Lacey, Wash. / Timberline HS). "Both have had an immediate impact with their abilities to pass or score," observes Tschan, "and they will see significant playing time."
Medical red-shirt Caleb Martin (Fr., Dayton, Ore. / Amith HS) appears healthy and will get a shot at midfield. Newcomer Peter Luginbill (Fr., Caledonia, Ill. / Christian Life HS) is a versatile player who brings strength to either the midfield or the back row.
On offense, the Bruins feature a dynamic duo at the forwards who happen to be cousins: Garrett Blizzard (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev. / Bonanza HS) and Matt Gurlides (So., Las Vegas, Nev. / Palo Verde HS). Blizzard tied for second in the league in assists (6) and scored three goals. Gurlides, a Second Team All-NWC selection, led the conference in shots (70) while ranking fifth in goals (8) and sixth in points (20).
"Blizz and Matt work well together and will present a serious challenge for defenders this year," predicts Tschan, "but we do have other options. Pehr and Meyer were both strikers in high school and we can move them up if we need to. Hamilton and Zamora both played up front last year and give us additional speed wherever they go. We have also been joined by John Zaganiacz (Fr., Wilsonville, Ore. / Wilsonville HS) from the track team, who played soccer in high school and made a good impression when he tried out for us."
Two newcomers who have the skills to play either midfield or forward and will get long looks include Jose Lewis (San Jose Pinula, Guatemala / Tillamook HS) and Peter Menig (Fr., Gilroy, Calif. / Escuela Caribe, Dominican Republic).
"Overall, we could be pretty balanced," Tschan says. "If our players are interested in defense, we could shut down almost anybody. We have some good size and speed, and are very athletic, though we are still a bit young, with only three seniors and one junior. Our sophomores got a lot of experience last year, and that should really pay off for us this season.
"Offensively, we have good speed up front and on the flanks, but we must learn to use it well. If our attackers work well together, we should be able to give people some headaches."
The season gets under way for George Fox this Saturday, Sept. 1, when the Bruins host Holy Names University at 2:30 p.m. at Morse Field in Newberg. The game follows the GFU women's home opener vs. The Master's College at 12 noon. The Bruins continue at home on Monday, Sept. 3, vs. Walla Walla College at 4 p.m. before their first road game Tuesday, Sept. 4, against Warner Pacific College at Portland Christian High School at 8 p.m.