Lakeland College

Soccer Players Receive Honors at Team Awards Banquet

Athletics - posted on 1/9/2007

Members of the Lakeland College men's and women's soccer teams were recognized for their hard work and dedication during the 2006 season at their team awards banquet on Sunday, Jan. 7.

Team members selected senior forward Nellie Weiss (Salem/Wilmot Union) from the women's team and sophomore forward Ted Cormier (Green Bay/Preble) from the men's team for the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Weiss constantly surprised opposing teams all year with her acute ability to get open shots in the penalty box, leading the Muskies with nine goals, three of which were game winners.

Cormier's speed and accurate shot made him an ever-increasing threat to rival defenders as the season wore on. He finished the season with a team-high five goals, one game-winning goal and four assists.

Defensive Player of the Year honors went to senior goalkeeper Alli Weiss (New Berlin/Eisenhower) and senior defender Corey Petzold (Kiel/Kiel).

Weiss receiving the award comes as no surprise, as she has been a standout in the net for the Muskies for the past four years. She closes out her career leaving her name at the top of Lakeland's record book in multiple places, setting new records for career shutouts with 32, goals against in a season with 17 this year, shutouts in a season with 14 in 2005 and goals against average with 0.89 also in 2005.

Petzold's vocal leadership made him the ideal defender for the men's side this year, starting every game and playing the most minutes out of anyone on the team, as he constantly helped the squad out of tight situations that could have led to goals.

Sophomore defender Jacqui Drexler (Appleton/East) was dubbed the Most Improved Player on the women's team, while sophomore midfielder/defender Matt Van Drunen (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) and junior midfielder Hoang Dang-Minh (Hanoi, Vietnam/Hanoi-Amsterdam) shared the honor for the men's team.

Drexler's hard-hitting tackles and prolific ability to clear the ball from the backfield made her a formidable threat for attempted offensive attacks to contend with and a major asset to the squad, as she started all but one game this season.

Van Drunen became an increasingly effective defensive force for the Muskies as the season progressed, starting 13 of the team's 16 games and tallying one assist. Dang-Minh played a major role in helping to control the ball in the middle, starting nine games and using his speed, agility and crisp passes to help push the ball up the field.

The Muskie Award was given to one member from each team that embodied everything a Muskie should, such as attitude and work ethic both on and off the field, and someone that all of their teammates admired, respected and used as a role model. Winners this season were Nellie Weiss and junior goalkeeper Ryan Condon (Madison/LaFollette).

Weiss' chipper mood and hard-nosed work ethic on the field made her a favorite among teammates, while Condon had to adjust to an unfamiliar role between the posts as the Muskies began the season without an experienced keeper. However, Condon made the most of the position change from the defensive line and blossomed into a goal-saving machine for the squad. He finished the season ranked second in the Northern Athletics Conference for saves per game with 8.75 and nabbed 140 would-be goals.

The women's team (10-8-1, 7-4-1 NAC) will miss the contributions of seniors Alli Weiss, Nellie Weiss, defender Allyce Maus (Green Bay/West) and midfielder/forward Nikki Boeckh (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg), as they helped the Muskies to a near-win in the NAC tournament quarterfinals, a 1-0 loss to Dominican. However, they can look forward to the return of senior midfielder Tracy Bins (Green Bay/Preble), who sat out the squad's 2006 campaign with an injury, as well as the return of the majority of their starting line-up to pick up the slack in 2007.

The men's team (3-12-1, 2-6-1 NAC) struggled with injuries to key players throughout the season and will lose Petzold as well as defender Sam Schroeder (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) and forward Scott Kress (Kiel/Kiel), who holds several Lakeland records. However, the Muskies should retain the majority of their forces in the middle and on the front line for next season. Kress capped off his collegiate career with a record-breaking total in career goals with 37, as well as holding the top spots for goals in one game with four against Ripon College on Sept. 1, 2004, and goals in one season with 17 in 2003.

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