2008 TEAM PICTURE

Sterling's website recently added the 2008 team photo.

PREVIEW: STERLING @ CENTRAL CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Saturday, September 20th, Sterling travels to Central Christian College in McPherson KS. CCC has recorded 3 wins and 4 losses, with no score yet reported for their match against Ozark Christian.

Central Christian has defeated Southwestern Assemblies of God (1-0), Grace University (5-0) and Nebraska Christian College (9-0), but has lost to Dallas Christian College and Sterling's fellow KCAC members Ottawa (0-4), Tabor (0-2)and McPherson (0-2). CCC has lost the two home games for which I found scores. Sterling stands 2-1 on the road.

When CCC has scored, they have shut out the opponent and won; they have been held scoreless in their losses. Sterling has not yet been shutout, or failed to hold an opponent without a goal.

Sterling's current roster has never lost to CCC, with wins of 1-0 in 2005, 2-1 in 2006 and 4-1 in 2007, following a 0-3 loss in 2004.

9-18-08: STERLING 2 - MCC 1

Sterling has posted the following summary of the victory over Manhattan Christian:

Warriors Win in OT

09/19/2008 - Senior Shawn Sajjadi's goal in the second overtime period proved to be "golden" lifting the Warriors past Manhattan Christian College late Thursday night in Manhattan, KS. With the game tied at 1-1, Ryan Covey was able to get around MCC defender Chris Morrison on the right flank and slotted a perfect ball to Sajjadi who was unmarked at the top of the penalty box. Following a brilliant touch, Sajjadi tucked a blistering shot just inside the left post and into the back of the net for the game-winner.

Sterling College weathered a lively MCC attack in the early stages of the game and was able to strike first on a beautiful goal by Covey that was disallowed as Covey was ruled off-sides. Moments later, Justin Marten's goal was legitimate when he put away a ball that was slipped off the head of Mladen Bjelica from a Jordan Miller throw-in. The Warriors lead lasted until the 43rd minute when Chris Battelli scored the equalizer for the Crusaders, resulting in a 1-1 tie at the half. After numerous chances by both teams, and outstanding goalkeeping on the part of both Zach Hallen (Sterling) and David Ham (MCC) the game was still deadlocked at 1-1 after regulation. The first 10 minute overtime period proved to be more of the same. During the 2 minute break between periods the Warriors talked about taking on the MCC defenders in 1v1 situations. Moments later Covey took it to task as his penetration through the Crusader back line is what resulted in Sajjadi's goal. "This was a fun game tonight. MCC is a very good team and they provide a great atmosphere. We have been talking a lot about playing a full 90 minutes because we haven't been able to put together a complete game. Tonight we played well without any noticeable lulls for 102 minutes. I am very pleased with our effort and the result." said Coach Underwood after the win.

9-18-08: STERLING 2 - MCC 1

I received a text message which indicates that Sterling defeated Manhattan Christian College 2-1 in double overtime.

PREVIEW: STERLING @ MANHATTAN CHRISTIAN

On Thursday, September 18th, Sterling plays Manhattan Christian College in Manhattan KS. MCC is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association or NCCAA (as compared to NAIA or NCAA). Last year they were 23-3 and won the NCAA National Championship. MCC was also NCCAA national champs in 2005.

This year, MCC has won 2 and lost 3, having defeated Colorado Christian University and Asbury College (KY) and lost to Mt. Vernon (OH) Nazarene, McPherson (KS) College of the KCAC and Mid-America Nazarene (KS).

I couldn't find any individual statistics are available for MCC for this season. They have scored 8 goals while giving up 12, and have been shutout twice while winning one shutout.

In 2005, Sterling beat MCC 1-0 in Sterling (a game I attended) and in 2006 Sterling won in Manhattan 3-2. Last year, MCC won in Sterling 3-2.

Here's a link to a map of MCC's soccer field and to the right is a map of the college's location (which appears to be across the street from Kansas State University.

CONFERENCE STATISTICS THRU 9/15

The KCAC statistical leaders lists updated on 9/15 include the following Sterling players:

Points per game: 1st-Ryan Covey, 2nd-Justin Martens, 7th-Jorge Bueso, 9th-Mladen Bjelica, tied 12th-Aaron Baker and Shawn Sajjadi, tied 18th-Dario Villatoro

Goals per game: 1st-Ryan Covey, 2nd-Justin Martens, tied 5th-Jorge Bueso, tied 11th-Dario Villatoro and Aaron Baker

Assists per game: 1st-Shawn Sajjadi, 3rd-Mladen Bjelica, tied 8th-Aaron Baker, tied 15th-Ivan Sanabria, Ryan Covey and Jordan Miller

Goals Against Average: 6th-Zach Hallen

As a team, Sterling ranks 1st in the conference in goals and assists, 4th in shots on goal but only 6th in shots, 8th in goalkeeper saves and 6th in fewest goals allowed.

NATIONAL STATISTICS THRU 9/16

The following Sterling players can be found in the following NAIA national statistics lists:

Points per game: Ryan Covey is tied for 12th
Goals per game: Ryan Covey is tied for 10th, Justin Martens is tied for 18th
Assists per game: Shawn Sajjadi is tied for 2nd, Mladen Bjelica is tied for 19th

NAIA TOP 25-9/16/08

The NAIA Top 25 for September 16 can be found here. The top 5 teams are:


1 Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.)
2 University of Rio Grande (Ohio)
3 Fresno Pacific University (Calif.)
4 Simon Fraser University (B.C.)
5 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.)

NAIA NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

The NAIA national players of the week for 9/8-9/14 are:

Offense: Robert Whitnell (Shorter GA) – Senior, Forward
Defense: Howard Fisher (Montreat NC) - Junior, Goalkeeper

9-13-08: MACU 5 - STERLING 2

Sterling's account of the game against MACU in Oklahoma City:

Same Score, Different Result

09/16/2008-After beating MACU 5-2 in the season opener, the Warriors faced the Evangels again on Satruday resulting in the same score, but a very different result. MACU opened up the scoring in the first half on a Brian Jantz goal that was equalized by Ryan Covey moments later. At the end of the first half, Jantz was able to find net again to give the Evangels a 2-1 half-time lead. The first few moments of the second half proved to be disastrous for the Warriors. In the 46th minute Chongo Nevarez launched a shot from 30 yards out that got hung up in the wind and floated into the back of the net just under the cross-bar. Still reeling from the third goal, Sterling wasn't able to regroup and gave up yet another goal a minute later. With nothing to lose, the Warriors pushed forward to try to create some goal-scoring opportunities, resulting in another Covey goal, and a Bueso goal that was disallowed, but the damage done by the Evangels was too great. Warrior coach, Dave Underwood commented about the game, "This was a crazy game, one we would like to immediately put behind us. Clearly, MACU was highly motivated after losing to us a week earlier, and they took it right to us. I think we caught them on an off day when they were at our place, and we had an off day at theirs. They are a good team with some dangerous players who played extremely well."

NAIA'S CONFERENCE RATING

In the latest conference rating by the NAIA, Sterling remained at number 2 in the KCAC, despite the loss to MACU.

1. Friends University (0-0 / 4-1)
2. Sterling College (0-0 / 3-1)
3. McPherson College (0-0 / 2-2)
4. Kansas Wesleyan University (0-0 / 1-4)

KCAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

The KCAC conference players of the week for the week ending 9/13 are James Fox of Bethany College (offensive player) and Michael Mesle of Ottawa University (defensive player).

BOX SCORE: STERLING @ MACU

The box score for the Sterling at Mid America Christian game can be found here.

9-13-08: MACU 5 - STERLING 2

Mid America Christian University's summary of the game Saturday 9-13-08.

Evangels Defeat Sterling College 5-2

9.13.08 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- The Evangels got retribution on Saturday afternoon when they defeated Sterling College 5-2 at Evangel Field. While missing starting goalkeeper Austin Custar, the MACU men's team suffered a 5-2 loss to Sterling College one week ago. With Custar back in the lineup and the team playing with the momentum of their latest win they were virtually unstoppable.

Bryce Jantz and Donte Roberti were an force on Saturday afternoon with Jantz scoring 3 goals and Roberti assiting all of them. Jantz scored the first goal of the game in the 17th minute off of a cross from Roberti. Sterling tied the game four minutes later when forward Ryan Covey scored an unassisted goal. Jantz scored his second goal of the match and gave the Evangels the lead going into half time when he capitalized on a cross from Roberti in the 38th minute.

MACU started the second half off well with a goal in the 46th minute of play. Freshman Martin Maese sent a ball to Luis Nevarez who fired a shot from 20 yards out, grabbing the third goal for the Evangels. Just 30 seconds later Maese scored with the help of a pass from Kyle Pezant. Sterling College tried to fight their way back in the game in the 74th minute when Convey netted a goal in the 74th minute. Jantz found the back of the net for a third time off a Roberti cross in the 72nd minute. The Evangels held Sterling College to only two shots on goal. Custar had six saves in the contest.

The Evangels will play their first Sooner Athletic Conference match verses Oklahoma Baptist University on Tuesday, September 16th at 4 p.m.

9-13-08: MACU 5 - STERLING 2

Sterling played Mid America Christian in Oklahoma City today. Sterling defeated MACU last week in Sterling, 5-2.

Sterling originally planned to bus down to OKC on Friday evening and spend the night in a hotel, before playing Saturday. However, due to expected bad weather conditions from Hurricane Ike, Sterling waited to leave home until Saturday morning. On the trip down, the Sterling bus had to detour off I-35 in northern Oklahoma due to water on the road, which delayed the start of the game for an hour. It is my understanding that the storm front in Oklahoma was not part of Ike and in fact probably contributed to Ike having virtually no impact on Oklahoma.

Although it rained most of the day, the rain relented for most of the first half. MACU scored about 17 minutes in, Ryan Covey tied it around 8 minutes later, but MACU scored before half, for a 2-1 lead.

It began raining lightly at halftime and continued raining steadily throughout the second half (making it difficult to get good photos). Things fell apart for Sterling quickly in the second half, with MACU scoring twice within the first minute of play. Ryan got another goal, MACU netted one more, and the game ended 5-2, reversing the score in Sterling last weekend. Sterling was missing Aaron Baker due to red card suspension and Mladen Bjelica left due to second half injury.

Here are some action shots from the game:

PREVIEW: STERLING @ MACU

Sterling comes to Oklahoma City on Saturday 9/13 to play Mid America Christian University. Sterling recently defeated MACU in Sterling by a 5-2 score on 9/5. Following that game, MACU beat McPherson 1-0 but has not played since that time. Bryce Jantz scored both goals against Sterling, but Kyle Pezant has also been scoring goals.


Weather may be a factor in the game, as Oklahoma is expected to be receiving rain as a result of Hurricane Ike. A weather forcast I checked indicates thunderstorms with a temperature of 80 degrees.


The Oklahoma State v. Missouri State football game in Stillwater OK, which had been scheduled for a 6 pm kickoff has been moved to a noon start due to "adverse weather conditions on Saturday, especially during the evening hours."


View Larger Map

9-10-08: STERLING 2 - CUNE 1

Sterling's summary of the victory over Concordia:

Warriors Top Bulldogs 2-1

09/11/2008 - The Sterling Men's soccer team moved to 3-0 on the season after beating Concordia University (NE) 2-1 on the road.

The first half of play was uneventful, with both teams having some opportunities to score, yet coming up empty resulting in a 0-0 tie after the first 45 minutes. The second half would prove to be a different story. In the 50th minute, Bulldog midfielder, Richard Rattray received a red card, forcing Concordia to play a man down. The Warriors wasted no time in capitalizing. One minute later (51st) Shawn Sajjadi found the head of midfielder, Justin Martens for the first goal of the game.

In the 54th minute, Mladen Bjelica was able to get deep and served a wicked ball into the middle that senior Jorge Bueso was able to one-touch into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. It appeared that the Warriors were in solid control of the match and would cruise to an easy win, but all of that changed in the 71st minute. Sterling junior, Aaron Baker, was called for a foul in the Warrior penalty box resulting in a penalty kick for Concordia and an ejection of Baker. After converting the PK, Concordia was within one goal of the Warriors; however, the Sterling men proved to be too much as they were able to hold on for the victory.

Sterling coach Dave Underwood commented, "This was one of those games where you are glad to get away with a win. We played poorly in the first half, but I thought we responded well early in the second half and we felt in firm control of the match with a 2-0 lead. Then, in the blink of an eye everything changed. A couple of bad decisions within a few seconds made it a game again, but we were fortunately able to come away with a win on the road. It's nice to be able to learn from mistakes and still win."

The Warriors will take their 3-0 record on the road to Oklahoma City where they will face Mid-America Christian University on Saturday.

9-10-08: STERLING 2 - CUNE 1

This is Concordia's summary of the game against Sterling (with some minor corrections).

Warriors sneak past Bulldogs

The Concordia University men's soccer team had a flurry of offensive chances turned away in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Sterling College Warriors on Wednesday night at Bulldog Stadium in Seward, Neb.

The two teams played stellar defense as neither team was able to put any points on the scoreboard before the halftime break. The Warriors (3-0, 0-0 KCAC), however, came out of the intermission and quickly scored two goals. The first was scored by Sterling's Justin Martens in the 50th minute, just after the Bulldogs' Richard Rattray received his second yellow card of the match and Concordia was forced to play a man short.

The second Warrior goal came just minutes later when Jorge Bueso was able to find the back of the net.

The Bulldogs (1-3, 0-0 GPAC) had an opportunity to pull within one in the 58th minute when Sterling was called for a foul in the box. Concordia's penalty shot by Aaron Skipworth, however, sailed wide of the net. The Bulldogs did cut into the deficit in the 71st minute when, after another foul in the box, Concordia's George Lara Jr. was able to find the back of the net for the Bulldogs.

Concordia then turned up the pressure on offense. The Bulldogs' tenacity gave them a chance to tie in the 88th minute, but Concordia's initial shot was blocked and a rebound shot sailed wide.

The Bulldogs' next game comes Friday, Sept. 12, against the Benedictine College Ravens at 7 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb. at the Abbott Sports Complex.

CUNE PHOTOS

Concordia University has posted some photos, mostly of Concordia players but including a few Sterling players, here.

BOX SCORE: STERLING v CUNE

The box score for Sterling's 2-1 victory over Concordia University can be found here.

SCORING SUMMARY:

GOAL Time Team Goal Scorer Assists
1. 50:24 STER Martens, Justin (unassisted)
2. 53:21 STER Bueso, Jorge (unassisted)
3. 71:12 CNCM Lara Jr., George Penalty kick

STERLING v CONCORDIA BROADCAST

I am currently watching Sterling's game against Concordia on a live streaming broadcast at www.cune.edu/athletics. At halftime, the score is 0 - 0.

The "broadcast" is a little fuzzy and there is no sound, so my comments might be wrong. Early in the second half, a Concordia player received a red card. On the ensuing free kick, Sterling headed in a goal. Score now Sterling 1-0.

Sterling just scored again 2-0. I can't tell who is scoring the goals.

Concordia just missed a penalty kick.

Concordia has just converted a penalty kick, so the score is Sterling 2-1.

After much defending, and the loooooongest second half ever, Sterling notches a 2-1 victory.

PREVIEW: STERLING v CONCORDIA

Sterling travels to Concordia University in Seward NE today to play the Concordia Bulldogs at 6:00 pm. Concordia currently has 1 win and 2 losses, having defeated Grace University of Omaha NE 15-0, sandwiched around losses to Kansas Wesleyan of the KCAC 1-4 and Mount Mercy of Cedar Rapids IA 3-5.

Concordia's coach was a four-year letter winner at Concordia, coached at his high school in Nebraska, then was an assistant at Concordia before becoming head coach this season.

I believe the game will be played on the artificial turf in Bulldog Stadium, Concordia's football stadium. On Tuesday evening, the temperature in Seward was around 60 degrees with a moderate east wind. Last year, Concordia was 4-14, with three of the four wins coming at home. This year, Concordia is 1-1 at home.


View Larger Map

MR TEE CLASSIC ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

Sterling soccer's website reported the following regarding the Mr. Tee Classic:

Men's Soccer Wins Mr. Tee Classic/4 Named to All-Tourney Team

09/08/2008 - With two wins over the weekend, the Sterling Men's soccer team claimed the title of Mr. Tee Classic Champions. The Warriors were 2-0 for the tourney, while McPherson College and Mid-America Christian University both finished the weekend with 1 win and 1 loss. Southwest Assemblies of God University was 0-2. Four Sterling men were named to the All-Tourney team: Jorge Bueso, Ryan Covey, Shawn Sajjadi, and Wes Tom. Covey was named MVP of the tournament.

Here are photos of Ryan, Shawn and Jorge, taken by Grayson Graves. For Sterling's article, click here.

NATIONAL STATISTICS THRU 9/7

Sterling has two players who are included on the NAIA national individual statistics lists for the week of 9/1-9/7/08. Shawn Sajjadi is tied for 1st nationally on the assists list with an average of 1.50 assists per game. Ryan Covey is tied for 10th nationally with an average of 1.50 goals per game and is tied for 12th nationally with an average of 3.50 points per game (goal = 2 points, assist = 1 point).

NAIA NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: 9/1-9/7

The NAIA National Players of the Week for September 1 - 7 are:

Elliott Purdom of Viterbo (WI), National Defensive Player of the Week and

Ben Stropes of Central Christian (KS) (and Santa Fe South HS in Oklahoma City OK, I believe) National Offensive Player of the Week.

A list of nominees for PoW can be found here.

NAIA TOP 25-9/9/08

The NAIA's Top 25 list has been released for games thru 9/7/08. The top 5 are:


1. Lindsey Wilson College (KY)
2. Auburn University Montgomery (AL)
2. Fresno Pacific University (CA)
4. University of Rio Grande (OH)
5. Simon Fraser University (BC)

CONFERENCE STATISTICS THRU 9/7

Sterling College players dominate the KCAC statistics lists after games for the week of 9/1-9/7/08.

On the points per game list, Ryan Covey is 1st, Justin Martens, Jorge Bueso and Mladen Bjelica are tied for 3rd, Zdravko Gerganoff, Shawn Sajjadi and Aaron Baker are tied for 6th, Dario Villatoro is tied for 9th, and Jordan Miller and Ivan Sanabria are tied for 16th.

For goals per game, Ryan is 1st, Jorge and Justin are tied for 2nd, Mladen, Zdravko, Dario and Aaron are tied for 5th.

The assists per game list has Shawn 1st, Mladen 2nd, Aaron, Ivan, Ryan, Jordan and Zdravko tied for 4th.

Goalkeeper Zach Hallen is 1st in goals against average and tied for 4th in saves per game.

For the full list of conference statistics, click here.

BOX SCORE: STERLING v SAGU

Here is a link to the box score for the Sterling v. SAGU game on Saturday, 9/6/08.

BOX SCORE: STERLING v MACU

Here is a link to the statistical "box score" for the Sterling v. MACU game on 9/5/08.

NAIA CONFERENCE RATING

Following Kansas Wesleyan's losses to Baker University (0-1) and Missouri Baptist College (2-3 OT) and McPherson's loss to MACU (0-1), Sterling climbed from fourth to second in the NAIA conference ratings for the KCAC, which were released today.

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
1. Friends University (Kan.) (0-0 / 3-0)
2. Sterling College (Kan.) (0-0 / 2-0)
3. Kansas Wesleyan University (0-0 / 1-2)
4. McPherson College (Kan.) (0-0 / 1-1)

9-6-08: STERLING 5 - SAGU 1

After the MACU game Friday evening, KAN, KHC, RKC, Astegman and Cuca went to Lyons KS and ate at a good Mexican restaurant. It rained almost all night and during the day on Saturday, September 6th.

Before the Saturday game, RKC took KAN and KHC on a tour of the town of Sterling. We saw where RKC works, Sterling Lake and where some of his friends live. We ate at Haldon's inside the gas station on the north side of town.

Saturday afternoon, Sterling played Southwestern Assemblies of God University. SAGU had lost to McPherson by a 3-1 score in a game that had to be moved from Hesston's grass field to Bethel College's artificial surface and didn't get started until after 9 pm.

Here is Sterling's summary of the game:

Warriors Win Big and Covey Breaks Record

09/06/2008-The Sterling Warriors men's soccer team scored a barrage of goals in the second half to beat Southwest Assemblies of God University 6-1, but Sterling senior Ryan Covey was the hero of the day. After scoring two goals in the season opener last night, Covey needed only one goal to break the all-time goal-scoring record at Sterling College held by Brandon Winn. Ryan's record breaking goal came in the 79th minute, giving him 40 goals in his career and giving him sole possession of the Sterling record. Upon scoring the goal, Covey was met by congratulatory hugs from his teammates as well as Winn, and was presented with the game ball. When asked about the record, Covey commented, "Obviously, I couldn't break the record without great teammates around me to give me opportunities to score, and I've worked hard to put myself in this position. It's pretty cool to break the record, but I'm relieved it's over. I felt pressure because I think people were expecting it today, and even Brandon flew back earlier from his honeymoon so he could be at the game. So I was glad to get it today. "

The Warriors got on the board early again when senior Shawn Sajjadi found the head of Mladen Bjelica on a corner kick in the 11th minute. Justin Martens got another in the 35th on an assist from Aaron Baker to give Sterling a 2-0 halftime lead. SAGU responded early in the second half when Glorie Ndongala gathered up a loose ball in the box and put it away in the 47th minute. The rest of the game was all Sterling. Martens scored again in the 56th minute on assist by Covey, followed by Covey's record breaking goal in the 79th minute. Jorge Bueso scored in the 82nd minute (assist Sajjadi) and newcomer Dario Villatoro rounded out the scoring in the 87th minute (assist Bjelica).

The Warriors improve to 2-0 and will travel to Nebraska on Wednesday to take on Concordia University.

Here are some photographs I took during the game of action in front of the goal, a foul leading to a yellow card, and the record-breaking goal.

SAGU posted a brief description of the game, which can be found here.

9-5-08: STERLING 5 - MACU 2

KAN and I attended the season-opening game at Sterling. It rained all the way on us from northern Oklahoma to near Sterling, but the weather was clear for the game and the sun even appeared off and on. Here is Sterling's game summary:

Warriors Cruise to 5-2 Win in Season Opener

09/05/2008-The Sterling men's soccer team kicked off the 2008 campaign in fine fashion with a 5-2 win over Mid-America Christian University (Oklahoma City, OK) in game one of the Mr. Tee Classic. The Warriors wasted no time getting on the board when Ryan Covey tucked a full volley just under the crossbar off of Mladen Bjelica's cross in the 3rd minute. Jorge Bueso got into the scoring action in the 20th minute off of Jordan Miller's throw in. Covey broke through for a second goal in the 25th minute (I. Sanabria assist) for a 3-0 lead. Covey's second goal tied him with former Sterling standout, Brandon Winn, for the top spot on the all-time goal scorers list with 39 career goals. Aaron Baker added a fourth goal for Sterling in the 37th minute, to give the Warriors a 4-0 half-time lead.

The Warriors didn't have quite the same offensive punch in the second half, coming up empty on a few good chances, but the Warriors found themselves defending much of the half while the Evangels continued to press. MACU forward Bryce Jantz was able to capitalize twice on mistakes made by Warrior defenders late in the game (65th and 89th minutes). Sterling freshman, Zdravko Gerganoff was able to notch his first goal in the 82nd minute.

Sterling coach David Underwood commented, "Obviously, I'm pleased with five goals, and a solid win, but we are a little disappointed with some mistakes in the back that resulted in two goals for MACU. We came out with great energy tonight, but we aren't as fit as we need to be to sustain that for 90 minutes".

Here is Mid America's summary of the game:

Men's Soccer Drop's First Game in the Mr. Tee Classic

9.5.08 - STERLING,KS- The Mid-America Christian University men's soccer team dropped their first match 5-2 to Sterling College in the Mr. Tee Classic on Friday evening.

The Warrior started strong by scoring in the third minute of play when Ryan Covey scored off a cross from Mladen Bjelica. The Evangels gave up the second goal in the 20th minute; Jorge Bueso scored off a throw in by Jordan Miller. Covey scored his second goal of the night in the 25th minute. In the 37th minute Aaron Baker scored a goal to give Sterling College a confident 4-0 lead at half time.

The Evangels regrouped at half time and came out fighting in the second half. Bryce Jantz put the Evangels on the board in the 65th minute after capitalizing on Sterling defensive errors. The Evangels pressed the Warrior's goal much of the second half. Zdravko Gerganoff scored Sterling's final goal of the night in the 82nd minute. Jantz scored a MACU goal in the 89th minute. Unfortunately, the Evangels ran out of time and the game finished 5-2.

FIRST WEEKEND PREVIEW

I plan to attend Sterling's first two games at home in the "Mr. Tee Classic" against Mid America Christian University (of south Oklahoma City) on September 5th and against Southwestern Assemblies of God (of Waxahachie TX) on September 6th.

Mid America Christian has already played and lost three close matches. On 8/15, MACU lost to USAO in Chickasha OK, 3-2, in a pre-season exhibition. On 8/22, MACU was defeated by Lyon in Batesville AR, 2-1, in the first official game. And, on 9/3, MACU lost to Concordia University (TX) at home, 3-1. Here are the game summaries from MACU's web site:

Evangels Suffer Tough Loss in Season Opener

8.29.08 - BATESVILLE - The Evangel soccer team suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in their season opener against Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas on Friday afternoon.

Going into halftime the game was tied with no score. The second half was quiet until MACU freshman, Matin Maese scored an unassisted goal from 20 yards out in the 63rd minute to give the Evangels a 1-0 advantage.

The Evangels held the Scots for most of the second half. Lyon College junior, Greg Buford tied the game in the 82nd minute. Two minutes later the Scots took the lead when Buford assisted a goal by sophomore, Daniel Young in the 84th minute.

MACU goalkeeper Austin Custar had four saves on the day and the Evangels had eight shots on goal.

Evangels Drop Home Opener

8.3.08 - OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Mid-America Christian University men's soccer team dropped their home opener 3-1 to Concordia University Texas on Wednesday afternoon at Evangel Field.

The Evangels started out strong by taking the lead in the 6th minute with a goal by Kyle Pezant, assisted by Clint Paxton. In the first half MACU held the Tornadoes, only allowing them four shots on goal.

The Evangels had an unfortunate call against them in the 55th minute. Goalkeeper, Austin Custar was red carded after a collision in the box. The referee deemed it a foul and awarded Concordia a penalty kick. Junior defender, Matt Ross stepped in as goalkeeper for the remainder of the game. CUTX midfielder, Jay Shaffer capitalized on the penalty kick and tied the game 1-1.

In the 62nd minute the Tornado midfielder, Mitch Yates, found the back of the net to take the lead. Brain Friend scored Concordia's final goal of the afternoon in the 83rd minute.

Matt Ross had eight saves on the day after taking over the goalkeeping position.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University had an interesting preseason. To read about it, click here. SAGU has lost its only match, 1-0 in 2 overtimes, at home to Central Christian College. SAGU plays McPherson on 9/5 before travelling to Sterling for the game on 9/6. Here is SAGU's report on the CCC game.

SAGU 0, Central Christian 1 (2 OT)

Waxahachie, TX--When Head Soccer Coach Jeremy Tosaya asks his team to give more than 100%, he usually is not talking about the number of minutes in game, but in the Lions season opener, this was the case.

On a hot, hazy, and humid late August Saturday afternoon the SAGU Men’s Soccer found themselves tied with Central Christian College 0-0 after the first ninety minutes of regulation play.

Then the again found themselves tied after the first 100 minutes of play.

About five minutes in the second overtime, Central Christian finally was able to break the SAGU defense score the first and only goal of the game, taking the contest 1-0.

Ten Lions took the field, and ten walked off the field after a standing ovation from the SAGU faithful who endured the game.

Danny Martinez did managed three shots on goal while goalie Emilio Frias earned two saves.

The Lions will have the week to recover as they will head to Kansas for a game on Friday and Saturday.

After this weekend's games, Sterling should have some idea of the quality of future opponents, as they will play Concordia (NE), that beat MACU, on 9/10, and will play Central Christian (KS), that beat SAGU, on 9/17. Sterling will also play MACU again, on 9/13 in Oklahoma City.

ALUMNI GAME

Sterling played its annual Alumni Game today, with the current team defeating the alums by a score of 6-4. I understand RKC was called offside several times by a very questionable alumni officiating crew. Alums attending and playing included 2007 conference goalkeeper of the year Cory Speed, 2007 conference defender of the year Tyler Adam and Charlie Sewell of the 05 and 06 squad.

PRACTICE BEGINS

Practice has begun. I understand the team has been running in the early morning, doing skill drills in the afternoon, and playing soccer in the evening.

FALL ATHLETES ARRIVE

Fall athletes, including soccer players, arrived at Sterling, registered and moved in today. Practice begins tomorrow.

NAIA PRE-SEASON CONFERENCE RATINGS

Apparently, the NAIA has done away with the various regions and regional rankings, in favor of conference rankings. Here is a link to the NAIA's pre-season rankings for each conference. Sterling is ranked fourth in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
1. Friends University
2. Kansas Wesleyan University
3. McPherson College
4. Sterling College
5. Bethany College

NAIA PRE-SEASON RANKINGS

2008 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll

RANK/SCHOOL
1 Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)
2 Concordia University (Calif.)
3 Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.)
4 Fresno Pacific University (Calif.)
5 Simon Fraser University (B.C.)
6 Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.)
7 Southern Nazarene University (Okla.)
8 Graceland University (Iowa)
9 University of Mobile (Ala.)
10 University of Rio Grande (Ohio)
11 Berry College (Ga.)
12 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.)
13 Park University (Mo.)
14 Ohio Dominican University
15 Oklahoma City University
16 Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.)
17 Lee University (Tenn.)
18 McKendree University (Ill.)
19 Indiana Wesleyan University
20 Mid-Continent University (Ky.)
21 Benedictine College (Kan.)
22 University of Maine at Fort Kent
23 Hastings College (Neb.)
24 Concordia University (Ore.)
25 Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.)

Others Receiving Votes:
Covenant College (Ga.); Madonna University (Mich.); Grand View College (Iowa); Notre Dame College (Ohio); Lindenwood University (Mo.); University of the Cumberlands (Ky.); William Carey University (Miss.); Friends University (Kan.); Northwestern College (Iowa); Northwood University; Bethel College (Tenn.); University of Texas at Brownsville; Hannibal-LaGrange College (Mo.); Saint Ambrose University (Iowa); Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.); Montreat College (N.C.); Columbia College (Mo.); Westminster College (Utah); Rogers State University (Okla.); Warner Pacific College (Ore.); Kansas Wesleyan University; Taylor University (Ind.); Martin Methodist College (Tenn.); Union University (Tenn.); Aquinas College (Mich.); Davenport University (Mich.); State University of New York at Canton (N.Y.)

For more info, go to KCAC or NAIA.

KCAC PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL

Sterling Colllege was predicted by conference coaches to finish fourth in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) this season, behind Friends, Kansas Wesleyan and McPherson. Last year, Sterling finished in fourth behind KW, Friends and Bethel.
Click here to see the poll at the KCAC site.


MEN'S 2008 KCAC SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES RANKINGS
Rank School Points 1st place Votes
1. Friends University 80 (8)
2. Kansas Wesleyan University 72 (1)
3. McPherson College 66
4. Sterling College 58
5. Bethany College 50
6. Southwestern College 45
7. Tabor College 35
8. University of Saint Mary 33
9. Bethel College 28
10. Ottawa University 18

COLORADO SOCCER

Ryan and Cuca, along with former teammate Ty, recently worked at the Technical Touch soccer camp for the Broomfield Blast Soccer Club in Broomfield CO, near Denver. After the week long camp, they went to Vail CO and played in a 3 v 3 soccer tournament.

Here are some photos of the tournament and Vail.
















After the tournament was over, Cuca, Ty and RKC went to the Colorado Rapids v Everton game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City CO.