2012 Summary: U of R Men’s Soccer Enjoys Exciting Season with Memorable Wins and Individual Accolades
With a history of accomplishments and high expectations paving the way, the University of Redlands men's soccer program gained yet another successful season under Head Coach Ralph Perez. The 2012 campaign culminated in a 12-6-3 record and boasted thrilling wins, hard-fought matches, and numerous individual accolades, including another All-America distinction for the program.
After falling in the season opener, the Bulldogs responded with vigor by kicking off its Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) crusade with a 4-1 victory over Occidental College on September 10. Junior defender Evan Keny-Guyer (Portland, OR) initiated the offense when he headed the ball into the back of the net in the 23rd minute, marking the first goal of the season for Redlands. Subsequently, Redlands received scores from three other players on a night that saw Perez collect his 100thvictory at the helm of the Bulldogs in his seventh year with the program.
Amidst a busy week that included four games in seven days, Redlands edged a persistent Caltech squad, with junior midfielder Will Walker (Folsom, CA) notching the game-winning score.
In front of a strong contingent at Farquhar Field, the Bulldogs then battled with the top-ranked Tigers of Trinity University (TX) to a double-overtime, 1-1 draw. Sophomore forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) put the U of R in front in the 51st minute on a beautiful counter-attacking play that was set up by sophomore midfielder Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV). After Trinity tied the match just 12 minutes later, the teams traded numerous close chances late in regulation and during the overtime frames, none of which resulted in a goal.
Redlands capped off this challenging stretch with a loss and a tie, but the Bulldogs returned to their winning ways on September 22 by taking down the Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 1-0. Senior midfielder Gabe Ramirez (Pasadena, CA) provided the heroics this time, striking an incredible volley from 18 yards out into the top-left corner of the net.
Watch Ramirez's impressive goal here.
Battling through the always-challenging SCIAC schedule, the Bulldogs tied and suffered a tough midweek loss prior to its match against west-region rival, UC Santa Cruz. Responding well once again, however, the Maroon and Gray put together one of its best performances of the campaign, cruising past the Banana Slugs, 3-0. Senior forward Alex Laughton (Pleasanton, CA) scored the opening goal by smashing one past the Santa Cruz goalkeeper in the 24th minute. Senior forward Noah Prudhomme (San Anselmo, CA) and freshman forward AJ VanderStaay (Bellingham, WA) both added scores later in the first stanza to help secure the crucial mid-season triumph.
Despite falling to Whittier College days later, the U of R let off some offensive steam by trouncing Caltech over the weekend in an 8-0 rout. Junior defender Richie Marquez (Pomona, CA) didn't waste any time in scoring the opening goal of the match, when he headed in a Kustura corner kick in the third minute. Izydorek tacked on two more before five different players found the back of the net in the team's highest output of the season.
Building on the momentum of the blowout win, Redlands traveled to Occidental to take on the Tigers on October 8. With the match tied at one apiece in the 89th minute, Izydorek out-jumped the Tigers' defense to head the ball past the oncoming goalkeeper for the dramatic game-winning goal.
After pounding Cal Lutheran while finding the finishing touch on four different occasions, Redlands defeated Chapman University for the first time since 2007. The 2-0 triumph was the fourth straight for the Maroon and Gray and lifted the squad into the second spot in the SCIAC standings. Kustura scored the game-winner in the 27th minute off of a beautiful feed from Izydorek.
Another win over Cal Lutheran primed the team for the anticipated rematch against CMS. A back-and-forth contest saw neither side break through during regulation, but the Bulldogs found what they were looking for in the first overtime. VanderStaay beat a Stag defender who fouled him in the penalty box, resulting in the U of R penalty kick. Izydorek confidently stepped up to the spot and drilled the shot past the CMS goalkeeper for yet another exciting Redlands victory.
Izydorek and VanderStaay played a big part in the Bulldogs' seventh-straight win of the season when the squad took down La Verne by a score of 2-0. Both goals came in the final 20 minutes of the game, spurring the team on to the pivotal conference victory and moving Redlands atop the SCIAC standings.
Unfortunately, a midweek loss to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges left Redlands in second-place with just one regular-season contest remaining. On the road in a raucous atmosphere at Whittier, the Bulldogs once again had the flare for the dramatic, coming from behind to tie the game at one apiece late in regulation before winning it in overtime. After receiving a flick-pass from Walker near the top of Whittier's 18-yard box, Laughton made a move to beat a defender and then ripped a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner of the goal, sending the team into a frenzied on-field celebration.
As the No. 2 seed in the final, regular-season conference standings, Redlands hosted No. 3 CMS on November 1 in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinals. In front of nearly 600 fans, both teams had numerous chances to win the match during regulation, but solid defense and quality goalkeeping kept the game scoreless. During the second overtime, the Stags struck just 20 seconds into the action, ending the match and the Bulldogs' season.
Despite the early exit from the conference postseason tournament, the Bulldogs still raked in the awards, garnering six All-SCIAC selections. Ramirez, Marquez, junior goalkeeper Andreas Silva (San Jose, CA) and Izydorek each collected First-Team accolades, while Kustura and Keny-Guyer both landed on the Second Team. With the six selections, Redlands earned more awards than any other program in the conference in addition to garnering the most players on the First Team.
In addition, Marquez garnered National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First Team All-Far West Region honors. Izydorek and Silva collected Second-Team nods, while Ramirez capped off his sensational Bulldog career with a Third-Team selection.
Furthermore, the NSCAA voted Marquez as the only player from the SCIAC to collect All-America honors with a spot on the Third Team.
Boasting a fantastic reputation in the classroom, Marquez also received a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District First-Team selection. Furthermore, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) recognized the junior defender as the Athlete of the Month for October, rewarding his extraordinary leadership skills on the field in congruence with his scholarly success.
Despite not winning the conference title for only the second time in 12 seasons, the Bulldogs have many reasons to celebrate as they continue the strong traditions of the program. They look forward to returning a talented nucleus of young players and a savvy group of experienced veterans who will lead the program into the next campaign, with the intent recapturing the SCIAC title once again.
