ARGOS' DIXON NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - West Florida sophomore midfielder Richard Dixon earned the program's first GSC Player of the Year award in more than 10 years and the Argonauts led all squads with six honorees to the 2009 All-GSC Men's Soccer Team. Dixon, a native of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., is just the second player from UWF to claim the accolade, succeeding Aren Cook in 1998. Joining Dixon on the First Team are defenders Nikola Kljaic, Trey Kramer and forward Paul Willoughby. Willoughby and Dixon were both Second Team selections in their freshman seasons last year. Junior midfielder Matt Tanner and senior forward Jay Mainville rounded out the Argo honorees as Second Team choices.
CBU AND UAH EACH PLACE FOUR ON ALL-GSC FIRST TEAM
Christian Brothers totaled four players on the All-GSC squad, equaling UWF's mark of four First Team nominees. The Bucs were led by three-time honoree Robert Mingo. The senior defender was a Second Team selection in 2007 before earning back-to-back First Team nods. Midfielder Clark Bradford joins Mingo as the only two returning First Team selections. Two first-time honorees for CBU included seniors Gordon Blum and Zach Tubinis.
Alabama-Huntsville placed two on the First Team and two on the Second, led by defender Devin Schleif. The senior was a Second Team honoree last season and is joined on the First Team by goalkeeper Tyler Earley. Senior defender Brian Hadley and sophomore midfielder Tomokai Matsuo rounded out the Charger contingent on the Second Team.
Harding and Ouachita Baptist each placed two players on the 2009 All-GSC squad. Both Bisons were First Teamers, led by defender Chad Marshall and forward Connor Galloway. Marshall, a senior, earned Second Team accolades last season. OBU freshman Rezvan Ceka became just the second player in school history to earn First Team honors and the first since 2004 (Phillip Presley). Senior goalkeeper Neal Ozmun corralled Second Team laurels.
Delta State senior forward David Horstmann finished the regular season as the GSC leader in goals scored and collected a Second Team nod.
OBU'S CEKA NAMED FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Ouachita Baptist forward Rezvan Ceka became the third Tiger to win a major award in men's soccer, claiming the 2009 GSC Freshman of the Year honor. Ceka was second in the GSC in goals scored and first in points per match and is the second-straight Freshman of the Year hailing from Coppell, Texas.
UAH'S ZIYENGE MAKES HISTORY WITH COACH OF THE YEAR HONOR
Alabama-Huntsville head coach Tafadzwa "Lincoln" Ziyenge was named GSC Coach of the Year in his first full season as the men's leader. Ziyenge, a former Charger, is the first person to win both a GSC Player and Coach of the Year award. The Marondera, Zimbabwe native was the 1996 GSC Player of the Year after setting numerous records as a four-year letterwinner at UAH. Ziyenge is in his 12th season at the helm of the women's program but took over the men's squad 11 matches into last season. The 1996 Co-MOP of the GSC Tournament has the Chargers in Pensacola for the first time since 2006 and seeded second, their highest since 1999.
2009 All-GSC Men's Soccer Team Breakdown
Selections By School
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West Florida - 6 (4 First, 2 Second)
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Christian Brothers - 4 (4 First)
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Alabama-Huntsville - 4 (2 First, 2 Second)
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Harding - 2 (2 First)
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Ouachita Baptist - 2 (1 First, 1 Second)
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Delta State - 1 (1 Second)
Selections By Class
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Seniors - 10 (6 First, 4 Second)
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Juniors - 4 (3 First, 1 Second)
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Sophomores - 3 (2 First, 1 Second)
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Freshmen - 2 (2 First)
| Downloadable Files |
| 2009 GSC Men's Soccer Release: All-GSC Team |
