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Archive
Men's
Soccer
Men’s soccer and women’s volleyball trip to Milan, Italy 2009
Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Champions
1995, 1996, 2005
Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference
Runners-Up
1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007
NJCAA Region IV Runners-Up
1996, 1997, 2003
Program Achievements
Alumni Players
Sept. 1,
2010
Home opener a winner
The
Cyclones dominated McHenry County College with a 6-2 win at their home opener
August 31. Mario Waksmundzki (Reavis) had a standout game with four goals while Erik Gomez
(Eisenhower) scored the other two.
August 30,
2010
Cyclones maximizing potential in 2010
After a
busy and successful 2009 season that included competition in Italy, the men’s
soccer team is ready to maximize their potential and progress even deeper in the
Region IV tournament in 2010.
The 2009 Cyclones had an outstanding regular season, scoring 59 goals and
holding a 13-3-1 record going into the post-season. They also squeezed in an
eight-day trip to Milan with the women’s volleyball team to compete in the 2009
World Interuniversity Games. Overseas the team held their own and finished 2-2-1
and earned the Fair Play Award. After returning from Italy, however, the
Cyclones fell short of expectations in the post-season, losing in the
quarter-finals of the NJCAA Region IV Championship Tournament. The 2010 season
promises a renewed intensity to push further into post-season without the
distraction of a European trip and a few changes to help minimize any late
season fatigue.
“Our goal, as always, is to improve on last season. However we performed last
year, there is always room for improvement. That is what we as a team focus on,”
said coach Chuck Bales.
Since Bales took charge of the men’s soccer team more than 10 years ago, one of
his main objectives was to make sure the freshmen returned for their sophomore
year of soccer. This is critical to the success of the team as well as the
academic success of the student-athlete. It ties in with one of Bales’ goals,
which is to help as many soccer players as possible achieve their dream of
playing soccer at the next level, be it NCAA or NAIA.
With nearly all last year’s freshmen returning and some exciting prospects, the
2010 squad is looking primed for a successful year. Leading the group of
returning sophomores is captain and defensive player Jorge Flores (Argo). Flores
was a member of the Chicago Fire Academy team and brings a wealth of skill and
experience to the Cyclones. His leadership on and off the field will be key.
Joining him will be major contributors from 2009 including top goal scorers
Mario Waksmundzki (Reavis) and Mostafa Abdelrahman (Oak Lawn). Eisenhower
products Luis Cajero and Luis Montoya will contribute to a sound defense. The
team’s depth lies in midfield and its five returners: Miguel Rivera (Bogan),
Zach Dahlman (Andrew), Steve Brown (Andrew), Matt Berman (Andrew), and
Christian
Boyle (Sandburg).
Topping the list of freshmen this year are Erik Gomez (Eisenhower) and Ivan
Lopez (Argo). Both will be expected to contribute from the start and are fully
capable of leading the team to success this year. “Erik is a player who loves to
have the ball at his feet and sees things on the field other teammates don’t.
His passing range and ability to play out of tight jams will be critical,” Bales
said. “Ivan is a work horse who clearly loves to just get stuck-in. He doesn’t
shirk from a challenge and has adapted quite well to the speed and intensity of
college soccer. Both athletes will be expected to be leaders on and off the
field.”
Goalkeeping is always an important element to team success, and this year the
Cyclones will be as strong as ever with two freshmen and one sophomore at the
post. Matt Calhoun (Andrew) spent his freshman year at Norwich University in
Vermont playing D-III soccer before transferring to Moraine Valley. He will be
joined by Danny Mack (Lincoln-Way North) and Angel Yanez (Argo).
Also impressive during the pre-season were Micah Van Bruggen (Andrew), Jonathan
Rodriguez (Oak Lawn), Seth Veloz (Morton West), and Pete Mataragas (Stagg). “Van Bruggen is capable of starting because of his strength with the ball. His
running and work-ethic make him stand out. Mataragas is a hard worker capable of
playing anywhere in the attack. He should only get better during the season and
will be a significant contributor throughout the year,” Bales said. Rodriguez
and Veloz surprised the coaching staff with their ability to adapt to the speed
and power of the college game. Both may end up starting if they continue to play
and train hard.
Other freshmen that should be beneficial to the team include Greg Letocha
(Reavis) on defense, forwards Emanuel Avalos (Eisenhower), Lukasz Szczesniak
(Reavis), and Sergio Prouty (Argo), and midfielders Marek Szczesniak (Reavis)
and Daniel Diaz (Argo).
The goal this year is to finish the regular season stronger than in previous
seasons and make an extended push into post-season play. “In the past, we have
always started very strong and been one of the top teams in the regular season
but suffered unexpected early post-season losses. This season we are attempting
to reverse that trend, and we’ve changed our training and style of play to help
us achieve this goal,” Bales said. “We also have a very strong and deep team
which will help us spread out the minutes so that a few of our best players do
not get overly fatigued by the end of the season. It will be a challenge because
we play in the toughest junior college region in the nation, but we have all the
ingredients in place.” |