Defending UMAC champs picked to repeat in men's soccer poll
2011 UMAC Men's Soccer Coaches Poll
1. College of St. Scholastica - 34 points (5 first place votes)
2. University of Minnesota, Morris - 31 points (1)
3. Bethany Lutheran College - 25 points (1)
4. Northwestern College - 22 points
5. Crown College - 17 points
6. Martin Luther College - 10 points
7. Northland College - 8 points
ST.PAUL – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men’s soccer coaches picked the College of St. Scholastica to finish first again in the 2011 preseason poll. The Saints weren’t an easy favorite however as the University of Minnesota, Morris men’s team followed close behind in the voting.
1. College of St. Scholastica Saints
2010 Overall Record: 17-4-2
2010 UMAC Record: 12-0-2
2010 UMAC Finish: 1st
Starters Returning: 5
Starters Lost: 7
Coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance, the St. Scholastica men’s soccer team will look to repeat that feat without the usual suspects. Gone are the most successful senior class in program history and 71 percent of the team’s goal scoring from a year ago. During the last four years, the Saints have won three UMAC regular season championships and two tournament titles, and their 34 points and five first place votes make it apparent they are poised to do it again. Back in the net is senior Sam Reed, who is a three-time first team All-UMAC selection and is just three shutouts away from capturing the program’s career record. Also back speeding up and down the sidelines is senior forward Brandon Stemwedel, who is a two-time first team All-UMAC selection after leading the conference with 10 assists last season. Sophomore and honorable mention All-UMAC selection Caleb Yurek is the only returning Saint to have started all 23 games a year ago at his defender’s position.
2. University of Minnesota, Morris Cougars
2010 Overall Record: 10-7-4
2010 UMAC Record: 8-4-2
2010 UMAC Finish: 3rd
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 4
Tallying 31 points in the poll and one first place vote are the Cougars of Minnesota-Morris. Second year head coach Scott Turnbull will look to lead Minnesota-Morris back to the top of the UMAC in 2011. In 2010 he led the Cougars to a 10-7-4 mark overall and an 8-4-2 tally in UMAC play. When the postseason arrived the Cougars found themselves in a familiar place, back in the conference tournament championship game for the fourth straight year. Morris fell to champion St. Scholastica in the title game, but returns eight starters and four all-conference performers this season. After racking up the second most shots and points in league play as a team last season, the Cougars welcome back their catalyst, senior Toby Glaser, who ranked third and fourth individually in shots and points respectively last season. Despite losing their top goal keeper, the Cougars do return senior Tyler Weber, who has 27 matches to his credit and 14 shutouts in his career.
3. Bethany Lutheran College Vikings
2010 Overall Record: 12-8-1
2010 UMAC Record: 9-4-1
2010 UMAC Finish: 2nd
Starters Returning: 6
Starters Lost: 5
The Bethany Lutheran men’s soccer team is hoping to ride the momentum after its best UMAC finish in school history. The Vikings ended the regular season second in the conference and hosted their first appearance in the UMAC postseason. They were picked to finish third this season after collecting 25 points and one first place vote. The Vikings return their leading scorer, CK Pock, who score 10 goals and dished out three assists for the season. Top defender Jimmy DuTremaine will also be back on the field; both he and Pock were voted first team all-conference. Also returning are all-conference honorable montions Henry Ndikum and Joe Nuah. The speedy Nuah contributed eight goals and two assists at forward and UMAC Rookie of the Year Johnny Luna leads the underclassmen as he comes back for his sophomore season as a defenseman.
4. Northwestern College Eagles
2010 Overall Record: 9-9-3
2010 UMAC Record: 7-4-2
2010 UMAC Finish: 4th
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
Playing with eight starters from 2010, Northwestern is picked to again finish fourth in the UMAC after posting 22 points. Junior Sam Mann, a UMAC First Team All-Conference player who led the team with five goals in 2010, will return this season. Besides Mann, no other returners from last year’s squad scored more than two goals. Defense has been an asset to head coach Greg Wheaton in recent years. The Eagles yielded just nine goals in 14 UMAC games in 2010, thanks much in part to Ben Fast and Joel Ottley. Fast is a three-year starter whose voice can be heard often in games, while Ottley’s speed gives Northwestern help on both sides of the ball. Wheaton enters the season with a question mark at the goalkeeper position after last year’s starter, Josh Niedermayer departed due to graduation. Josh Olson and Eric Bocan will compete for that job throughout the preseason.
5. Crown College Storm
2010 Overall Record: 7-11-2
2010 UMAC Record: 6-7-1
2010 UMAC Finish: 5th
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 6
Despite finishing with a 6-7-1 conference record, Crown was a dangerous soccer team last season and heads into the 2011 campaign with confidence and was picked to finish fifth with 17 points in the coaches’ poll. Crown will be led by a strong core of returning players who will solidify the team for the upcoming season. Seniors Brady Griffith and Austin Petersen and sophomore Daniel Bargen will help anchor the defense. Juniors Matt Kuik and Jason Budish will shore up the midfield and the return of senior forward Jon Schultz will add scoring options to the attack. Coach Busha is excited about the mind-set of the team entering this season and also adds a large group of skilled transfers and newcomers to bolster his already experienced team. After a great spring and team trip to Ecuador, the 2011 Storm are excited to get the season under way and improve from a season ago.
6. Martin Luther College Knights
2010 Overall Record: 7-10-2
2010 UMAC Record: 4-8-2
2010 UMAC Finish: 6th
Starters Returning: 8
Starters Lost: 3
The 2011 Knights men’s soccer team returns a number of key contributors from last season, particularly on the offensive end, and hopes to make its way back into the top half of the conference after a 7-10-2 season a year ago. The team was picked sixth in the preseason poll with 10 points. Junior Kaleb Buch returns in the midfield after an all-conference season that saw him lead the team with seven goals and 17 points in 2010. Joining him on offense is junior forward Nathan Gurgel, who scored five goals in 2010, and finished the conference season with four goals and 11 points in just ten games. Defensively, the Knights must replace several key performers, but they do return junior starting goalkeeper Ben Zietlow after an impressive first season in 2010. Zietlow led the conference in save percentage (.844), and finished second in saves per game (8.75). In front of him, the Knights return veteran defenders in seniors Steve White and Julius Buelow and junior Ben Schone.
7. Northland College Lumberjacks
2010 Overall Record: 1-17
2010 UMAC Record: 0-14
2010 UMAC Finish: 8th
Starters Returning: 7
Starters Lost: 6
Rounding out the poll is Northland College with eight points. Lumberjacks are coming off a 1-17 season and a last place finish in the UMAC, but there is optimism and reason for hope. With new coach Olaf Kirsten at the helm the team will bring a positive attitude and enthusiasm to the field each game. With returning UMAC All-Conference Goalkeeper Matt Larsen as the only returning senior, and Nik Myhra-Edwards as the only junior, the Jacks will be a young team. Northland will look to build on some individual growth evident at the end of last season, and a talented group of nine incoming freshmen. “This is the most talented recruiting class Northland has seen in several years,” Kirsten said. “It will be a good opportunity for me to institute a new system and help these young players establish a program that we can be proud of."
The teams will kick off their season starting Sept. 1 with the UMAC season beginning on Sept. 23. An automatic berth to the NCAA Championships will be on the line again for the winner of the UMAC Men’s Soccer Tournament. Semifinals will be on Nov. 1 with the championship game taking place Nov. 5.