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News
Cougars Look to Embrace Change as 2011
Season Kicks Off
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (8-26-2011) - With nine
new players, a new coaching staff, a new
system and style of play, and a new
conference, the Mount Vernon Nazarene
University men's soccer team will look to
embrace all of those changes as the Cougars
prepare to kick off the 2011 season on
August 26 at Houghton (N.Y.) College, who
received votes in the NAIA preseason poll.
MVNU is coming off a 12-7-2 campaign
that saw the Cougars post a 5-2-1 mark in
the American Mideast Conference before
advancing to the AMC Tournament semifinals
and the National Christian College Athletic
Association East Region Tournament
championship match. In the offseason, head
coach Paul Furey left for Lee (Tenn.)
University and MVNU hired Andrew Belleman to
become the eighth head coach in the
program's 32-year history.
"I am very
excited about the opportunity to take over a
program rich in tradition," said Belleman
when he was hired. "I will look to build off
of the success and strive to be a national
power year in and year out. I am equally
excited about working with and developing
young men on and off the field on a daily
basis. There are few professions where you
are able to impact people like coaching, and
I want to thank God for preparing me and
allowing me this opportunity."
The
Cougars' attack will be led by senior
forward Chris Allen, juniors Brian Petak,
Damon Yoder, and Jon Peck, and freshmen
Kwaku Frimpong, Josh Selle, and Alec
Barnhart. Allen is the team's top returning
scorer after registering eight goals and
nine assists while being named to the AMC
Second Team and an NCCAA Honorable Mention
All-American. Petak added five goals and two
assists, while Peck scored one goal last
year.
The MVNU midfield will consist
of senior Kyle Maxam, sophomores Marc
Cannon, Clint Eutsey, and Josh Thomas, and
freshmen Kyle Simpson and Tim Predergast.
Maxam had five goals and four assists while
starting all 21 matches a year ago, and
Eutsey, Cannon, and Thomas each gained
valuable college playing time that will
benefit them this season.
Defensively, the Cougars return seniors
Steve Wilging and Eric Appiah along with
sophomore Caleb Palumbo on a back line that
posted seven shutouts last year. Freshmen
Ian Johnson, Collin Riley, and Tyler Lilly
along with juniors Jacob Doup and Anthony
Bible will also figure into the playing mix.
In goal, sophomore Ryan Swartzentruber
and junior Trevor Stewart will compete for
the starting goalkeeper spot after both
seeing time between the posts last year and
combining for six starts.
"We have a
great group of seniors who have shown
tremendous leadership, and we are expecting
them to continue to lead us through this
season," said Belleman. "All four of them
will serve as captains. In changing styles
of play to a much more attacking and high
pressure style, it has been an adjustment
for the team, but they are responding very
well. We hope to be able to impose our will
and style on opposing teams."
"We are
also excited about our incoming freshmen as
well," Belleman continued. "We believe we
will get major contributions from them even
early in the season. Even with the
transition of a new coach and a new system
and style of play, our expectations are high
and we expect to compete in our new
conference."
In addition to the
season opener at Houghton, three other
non-conference matches on the Cougars'
schedule will be against teams ranked or
receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll -
No. 3 University of Rio Grande,
Campbellsville (Ky.) University, and
Davenport (Mich.) University. Matches
against Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College,
Mountain State (W.V.) University, Olivet
Nazarene (Ill.) University, Milligan (Tenn.)
College, and Cedarville University.
MVNU will also make the switch from the AMC
to the Mid-Central College Conference.
Bethel (Ind.) College (receiving votes) is
the preseason favorite, while Indiana
Wesleyan University, Taylor (Ind.)
University, Spring Arbor (Mich.) University,
Huntington (Ind.) University, Goshen (Ind.)
College, Marian (Ind.) University, and Grace
(Ind.) College will all battle it out with
the Cougars for the regular-season crown and
a spot in the eight-team MCC Tournament with
a berth in the NAIA National Championship
Opening Round on the line.
"Our
non-conference schedule is tough and will
test us early and often," said Belleman. "I
expect for us to be well-tested by the time
MCC play begins. This year is the foundation
that will allow us to build on what we
accomplish this year. We are building to
become a team that is in the national
spotlight year in and year out, and we
believe with our group of seniors this year
is the perfect time to begin that process.
We have a vision of what this program can be
and it all starts this year. That being said
we still believe that we will be able to be
a part of the national picture even this
year."
Cougars' 2011
schedule:
http://www.mvnu.edu/sports/nazsoc/news/results.asp
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