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Tuesday, November 15, 2011 by Eddie Anderson |
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The men's soccer team and newly appointed head coach Joe Zakowicz concluded the 2011 season with a 5-9-1, TSC 2-6-1 record, but despite the losing numbers, the season is indicative of good things to come for Ave Maria.
The Gyrenes rebounded from a 1-15-1, TSC 1-8-0 record last year, and held opponents to 26 goals over the course of the season while scoring 22 of their own. These numbers are highly impressive considering last year's squad scored 15 goals over 17 games while surrendering a grand total of 91.
As a member of The Sun Conference, Ave Maria gave up 55 goals in the league last season and opponents held them to just five. The 2011 Gyrenes bridged this gap by allowing only 17 league goals and topped last year's number of five by scoring eight. Four of the Gyrenes' nine conference opponents were ranked within the nation's top 25 at some point during the season. On October 26th, the Gyrenes upset conference leader St. Thomas University 1-0 with a stunning overtime goal by Andres Guerra. STU was listed #17 in the NAIA's Top 25 Coach's Poll. Ave Maria tied SCAD-Savannah 2-2 at home on October 3rd; SCAD-Savannah was listed #18 in the preseason national poll and received top 25 votes throughout the season. Other league opponents within the top 25 were Embry-Riddle ranked as high as #20, and Northwood listed as high as #14. Warner University and Florida Memorial had received top 25 votes as well. There is no mistake that the 2011 Sun Conference was one of the most feared conferences in the country.
The difficult schedule extended beyond the conference. On October 12th, the Gyrenes took on Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.), a team ranked #1 in the NAIA National Poll for the majority of the season finishing the regular season a perfect 16-0. The Gyrenes held them to just four goals, but themselves failed to find the back of the net. Ave Maria faced NCAA Division II Lynn University on September 21st, falling short 3-0 at home. Considering the powerful soccer programs on the schedule, its obvious to see the 2011 Gyrenes' season was one they can walk away from without hanging their heads.
Ave Maria soccer players Mario Black (Sophomore - Tampa, Fla.) and Andres Guerra (Freshman - Bogota, Colombia) were the first Gyrene soccer players in the history of Ave Maria's program to receive All-Conference honors. Both were named to the Sun Conference's All-Conference Second Team. Black, a midfielder, scored a single-season record ten goals with one assist. Versus the College of the Bahamas on October 6th, Black netted four goals for another school single-game record. Guerra, also a midfielder, scored two goals and collected three assists on the season. His efforts included scoring the game-winning-goal over conference leader St. Thomas University in overtime on October 26th.
Head Coach Joe Zakowicz was named the Sun Conference's Coach of the Year. He notched his 200th career victory over the past season, and led the Gyrenes throughout a tough schedule of opponents. This was the first year that a Gyrene head coach has seen Ave Maria players named to an All-Conference team.
The men's soccer team gets ready for next fall with many of its leaders returning in 2012. There is excitement brewing as they continue to move away from this transition year. They faced their fair share of adversity in 2011 as they saw three consecutive games postponed due to inclement weather to start the season. Bad weather and struggles behind them, the Gyrenes will look to "bring it" in 2012.
~ LET'S GO GYRENES ~
