2013 Summary: Redlands Men’s Soccer Celebrates Milestones in Successful Season
While celebrating many exhilarating victories and honoring a number of players for their phenomenal contributions, the University of Redlands men's soccer team showed true grit under the guidance of Head Coach Ralph Perez in another fruitful campaign. While registering a 12-4-0 overall record and a second-place finish in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the 2013 Bulldogs men's soccer squad paved the way for the future of the historic program.
The Bulldogs opened the 2013 campaign on the friendly confines of Farquhar Field, registering an exciting come-from-behind 3-1 triumph over the Tigers of Occidental College. Despite facing a one-goal deficit in the first half, the Bulldogs found the back of the net three times during the second stanza to complete the comeback in front of a raucous crowd. Senior midfielder Jon Frisby (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) scored the tying goal for the Bulldogs in the 65th minute, while junior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) provided the go-ahead goal in the 75th. Junior defender Nico Johnson(Las Vegas, NV) sealed the win for Redlands just a few minutes later when he chipped a shot from the right side into the top-left corner of the goal.
Three days later, the Maroon and Gray returned to action when it hosted the previously undefeated University of La Verne. Junior midfielder Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) served as the squad's playmaker of the night, hitting a beautiful cross in the eighth minute of play that found Izydorek who powerfully headed the ball into the back of the net for the early one-goal advantage. Although the Leopards tied it up late in the first stanza, Izydorek saved his heroics for the second half to earn the win for the Bulldogs. On the game-winning play, Kustura penetrated the La Verne midfield and played a looping ball over the top of the defense to Bulldog senior forward Evan Keny-Guyer (Portland, OR). Keny-Guyer then calmly chested the ball to the oncoming Izydorek, who curled his shot into the right-side netting and sent the Farquhar faithful into a frenzy with the exciting victory.
Despite stumbling in its midweek conference contest, the U of R responded with a huge road triumph over Whittier College in its weekend match. Freshman defender Tom Elsea (Mission Viejo, CA) scored his first-ever collegiate goal for the Bulldogs, which proved to be the game-winner as Redlands' defense stifled all Poet attacks in the 1-0 win. Senior defender Richie Marquez (Pomona, CA) and senior goalkeeper Andreas Silva(San Jose, CA) solidified the back line for the Maroon and Gray, maintaining the shutout for the road squad in hostile territory.
Continuing to ride this momentum, the Bulldogs won again in their next conference game, registering a 1-0 triumph against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Keny-Guyer played the role of hero for Redlands, scoring the golden goal in the ninth minute of the first overtime period. For the U of R, it was the first overtime victory at Farquhar Field since November 8, 2008.
Despite falling in its next extra-period contest, the Bulldogs bounced back immediately and began their longest winning-streak of the year, notching their first win of the stretch against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on September 30 by a score of 3-1. Against the Stags, Izydorek continued his phenomenal season with another goal off another assist from Kustura, giving the Bulldogs the early lead. Keny-Guyer doubled Redlands' advantage 11 minutes later with a blast into the top-left corner of the goal. While CMS pulled one score back late in the contest, U of R sophomore midfielderAJ VanderStaay (Bellingham, WA) ripped a left-footed shot into the back of the net in the 89th minute of play to ensure the Bulldogs' victory.
After edging Caltech, 1-0, the Maroon and Gray blew past Whittier in its following game with a solid 3-1 showing. Hosting the Poets amidst torrential downpours at Farquhar Field, Keny-Guyer opened the scoring by burying a header off a whipped-in cross from senior midfielder Will Walker(Folsom, CA). Izydorek then made it 2-0 with a gorgeous diving header later in the first stanza en route to the comfortable two-goal triumph.
Riding the three-game win streak, the Bulldogs hosted Cal Lutheran University in a battle for the top spot in the conference standings. In a very attack-minded contest that included a number of close opportunities, Redlands registered the only score of the match in the 61st minute when Kustura beat a Kingsmen defender off the dribble and slotted home the game-winner. While making his first-career start, freshman goalkeeperDylan Ochoa (Culver City, CA) played an integral role in helping the Maroon and Gray to stay on top of the SCIAC. He racked up eight saves in the first sole shutout win of his career.
While falling in its midweek match to La Verne in overtime, 0-1, the Bulldogs flipped their fortunes around by winning on the road against Occidental in dramatic fashion, 1-0. While neither team scored during regulation or the first overtime period, Elsea came up clutch for Redlands when he volleyed a right-footed shot into the back of the net for the golden goal with just seven ticks left on the clock in the second overtime stanza. The thrilling win set up a big showdown with CMS just two days later.
After falling behind by two goals to the Stags, the Bulldogs halved the deficit in the 88th minute, thanks to a right-footed rocket from Kustura into the top-right corner. Pushing for the late equalizer, the Bulldogs registered a number of shots and close opportunities, including a shot in the waning seconds, but unfortunately the ball did not find the back of the net, resulting in the tough defeat.
Immediately responding to the disappointing loss, Redlands trounced Caltech by a score of 5-0. Garnering contributions from the entire team, the Bulldogs outshot the Beavers, 37-5, while boasting five different goal-scorers. Freshman midfielder Isaac Bogart (Lynden, WA) tallied the first goal of his Bulldog career, putting the Maroon and Gray in front after just four minutes of action. Junior midfielder Grahame Fitz (Menlo Park, CA) doubled Redlands' lead in the second stanza with his first goal of the year, while Keny-Guyer, freshman midfielder Colin Zaccagnio (Phoenix, AZ), freshman forward Matt Speegle (Castro, CA) all added scores in the convincing triumph.
In its final home game of the regular season, Head Coach Ralph Perez captured his 300th career victory as the Bulldogs topped Chapman in a dominating performance. After honoring its entire slate of seniors prior to kick-off, the Bulldogs cruised to a 3-1 victory, making the night even more memorable than it already was. Walker started the night off with a bang, finding the back of the net early on in the match, while Kustura and Elsea capped off the exciting SCIAC triumph with goals on Perez's historic evening.
On the final day of the regular season, Redlands traveled to Pomona-Pitzer knowing it needed to win and get some help from around the league in order to clinch the SCIAC regular-season championship. Despite giving up the game's opening goal, the Bulldogs showed resiliency and scored three times in the second half en route to moving into first place in the conference standings. Izydorek tallied the tying goal while Kustura notched the game-winner and third goal to secure the triumph. Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, other results around the conference did not play in the squad's favor, leaving the Bulldogs one point out of first place in the final regular-season standings.
With the 12-4 mark in conference action, the U of R garnered a league-high six All-SCIAC selections, including Marquez being tabbed the Player of the Year. Keny-Guyer, Izydorek, and Kustura joined him as members of the First Team, while Silva and Elsea received Second-Team laurels.
The awards continued to pour in for Redlands, as Marquez landed on the D3soccer.com All-America Third Team. In addition, four Bulldogs collected National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III All-West Region accolades. Marquez landed on the First Team for the third time during his illustrious career with the Maroon and Gray, as Kustura, Izydorek, and Keny-Guyer each garnered Third-Team honors.
In addition to his on-field success, Marquez was awarded by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) with an Academic All-America Third-Team honor. For the SCIAC Player of the Year, it was his first-ever CoSIDA All-America plaudit, following two years as an All-District member. In addition, he landed on the NSCAA Scholar All-America Third Team and Scholar All-West Region First Team for the first time in his career. Furthermore, Marquez was named the ODK Athlete of the Month for September, rewarding his extraordinary leadership skills on the field and his success in the classroom.
While the loss of seven seniors from this year's squad will be tough to replace, the Bulldogs return a strong core of youth that is led by the talented returning upperclassmen. With Perez leading the way, there is no doubt that the U of R is headed in the right direction and is set up for continued success. While building upon the rich history that represents Bulldog men's soccer, the returnees strive to reclaim the SCIAC title and once again return to the NCAA Championships.
