Men's Soccer News
Dave Underwood tabbed as the Men’s Soccer Coach at Sterling College
Sterling College Athletic Director Andy Lambert announced today that Dave Underwood has been named the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Sterling College. Underwood replaces Brandon Winn who resigned following the 2007 season.
"We are thrilled that Dave has decided to lead our men's soccer program at Sterling College," said Lambert. "Coach Underwood is an outstanding individual and is interested in using soccer as way to help young men develop spiritually academically and athletically here at Sterling College."
Prior to coming to Sterling, Underwood has served as the head men's and women's soccer coach at Wheaton Academy in Chicago, Illinois Underwood has over fifteen years of experience at the high school, college and club levels.
In his time at Wheaton, Underwood guided the women's team to their first IHSA state championship and has compiled a record of 59–24-13 in four seasons. The Warriors have won 4 conference championships and Underwood has been named PSL Coach of the Year three times.
"My wife and I instantly felt at ease and are looking forward to becoming a part of a very special community," said Underwood. "Upon visiting the college, we were struck with the feeling that there is great momentum at Sterling. Some great things are happening and will continue to happen. I am looking forward to continuing the positive changes that have occurred at Sterling and leading the men's soccer program to an elite level. Along the way, I am looking forward to establishing some great relationships with players. The people at Sterling have been wonderful and we want to be a part of God's movement on the campus."
Underwood has recently completed his Advanced NSCAA National Diploma, has attended coaching symposiums at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, and World Class Coaching
Underwood holds a BS from Grace College Business Administration and Psychology, an MA from Grace Theological Seminary in Ministry, and is currently working on a Master's in Athletic Coaching Education at West Virginia University that will be completed in 2009.
Dave and his wife Jennifer have three children: Emily, Jacob and Madeleine
Tyler Adam and Cory Speed named KCAC “Players of the Year”
STERLING, Kan., -- Seniors Cory Speed and Tyler Adam led the Warriors on the All-KCAC team as they were named to the All KCAC First Team as well as being named KCAC "Players of the Year" at their respective positions.
Tyler Adam, Denver, CO was voted to the first team for the second year in a row after leading the Warriors defense. Adam finished his season with one goal and one assists.
"Tyler was outstanding in the back for us this season," said Sterling College Head Men's Soccer Coach Brandon Winn. "He really stepped up when we needed him and led a solid defense. He will be greatly missed as we move into next season."
Cory Speed, Nederland, TX was also voted to the first team for the first time in his career after having an exceptional year in the goal for the Warriors
"Cory was outstanding this season," said Winn. "He made some great saves in some big conference games for us. He has proven himself every year and gradually become one of the top keepers in our region. This is a tremendous honor for him."
"It's a great honor for our program to have two players named KCAC "Players of Year", said Winn.
Freshman, Mladen Bjelica, Garland, TX was named Second Team All-KCAC as a forward. Bjelica led the Warriors with 9 goals and had one assists this past season.
Junior, Ryan Covey, Oklahoma City, OK was named to the Honorable Mention All-KCAC team for his efforts. He finished the season with seven goals and five assists and tied Bjelica for total points with nineteen.
Junior, Jordan Miller, Hutchinson, KS was also named to the Honorable Mention All-KCAC team as a defender. He finished the season with three assists all coming off his flip throws.
Sterling finishes their season at 8-8-2 and a fourth place finish in the KCAC.
Men’s soccer loses shootout heartbreaker to McPherson College
The Sterling College men's soccer team dropped their KCAC quarterfinal match to McPherson College Wednesday afternoon in a penalty kick shootout 3-4.
Like the women's game the day before Sterling and McPherson were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation and eventually led to the shootout. Sterling started the match very aggressive pushing the ball forward and capitalizing on a nice goal in the 5th minute of the match. Junior Jordan Miller used his flip throwing ability to find sophomore Justin (J-Mart) Martins in front of the bulldog goal and chipped the ball over the head of Mac's Michael Davis to give the Warriors the early 1-0 advantage. McPherson and SC both had missed opportunities in the first half including a shot off the post by SC freshman Mladen Bjelica. Sterling had a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
In the second half, McPherson used a slight wind advantage to test senior goalkeeper Cory Speed. The bulldogs scored the equalizer in the 59th minute when Eduardo Rodriguez volleyed a ball past Speed to tie the game 1-1. Throughout the rest of the half and into both overtimes neither team could put the game winner away which led to a shootout.
"Going into the penalty kicks we knew anything could happen" said Head Coach Brandon Winn. "We put our best shooters on the line and prayed that our keeper would get a shot to fall his way."
In the shootout Mac's Davis blocked SC's Bjelica first attempt. Mac responded with a goal. Up next Martens placed his nicely in the bottom right corner of the net, once again Mac responded with another goal. The third shooter was junior Jorge Bueso who placed his shot perfectly in the left side of the net, and Mac responded again. Freshman Scott Helverson tucked a nice one inside the post on the left side, while Mac put in another one in. Going into the fifth round SC's Tyler Adam needed to score to keep the Warriors chances alive and but his shot struck the cross bar and out and the Warriors were eliminated from the KCAC Tournament on 2-4 on penalty kicks.
"It was only fitting that the conference's two best keepers meet in a penalty kick shootout" said Winn. "We were just unlucky today we had some nice chances to put the game away and couldn't quite make it happen. I am very proud of this group of guys as they have survived a very tough non-conference schedule and bounced back in the conference play with some nice wins."
Sterling (8-8-2) will now wait till Monday to see if they have a chance at advancing to the NAIA Region IV Tournament which will be based off the Longo points system. If the Warriors do advance this will be the third in time in as many years that they have qualified.
Men's Soccer beats Tabor and gets to host McPherson in KCAC Tournament
The Sterling College men's team honored their seniors Saturday in conjunction with SC's Homecoming. As in the women's game the crowd was excellent and so was the game as the Warriors got the games only goal in the 87th minute of play.
Junior Ryan Covey scored the games only goal in the 87th minute when he beat one defender and put it past TC's Aaron Schumaker for the winning goal.
Sterling (8-8-1, 5-3-1) out-shot the Blue jays on the day 22-6. Sterling was lead in shots by Covey with 10 (8 on goal).
Senior goalie Cory Speed posted three saves on the day as he picks up the shutout.
With the win over Tabor (5-11, 3-6) the Warriors finish in fourth place in the KCAC. They will host McPherson College on Wednesday at 3:00pm in Sterling. The Warriors tied the Bulldogs last Wednesday 1-1 in regular season play. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals on Friday at 6:00pm against #1 Kansas Wesleyan University.
The semifinals and finals will be held at Friends University at Austin Adair Stadium.
Mladen Bjelica named Men's Soccer KCAC "Player of Week"
Sterling College freshman Mladen Bjelica has been named the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) men's soccer "Player of the Week" after two stellar performances in Sterling's victories last week.
Bjelica led Sterling to a 2-0 record on the week, as the Warriors beat the University of Saint Mary 4-2 and Bethany College 3-0.
The forward from Garland, Texas, scored two goals in the victory over USM. Bjelica third goal of the week came on a set piece against Bethany College this past Saturday. He now has scored eight goals and has one assist on the season.
"Mladen had a great week," said Sterling College Head Soccer Coach Brandon Winn. "He continues to get better and be a spark for our offense."
The Warriors current record is 7-8 overall and 4-3 in the KCAC.
Men’s soccer uses four goal second half to cruise by USM
The Sterling College men's soccer team used a four goal second half surge to cruise past the University of Saint Mary Wednesday afternoon 4-2.
The Spires got on the board first in the 9th minute when USM's Tony Barnes put one in off the post to take a 1-0 lead. Which stood to be the only goal of the half. The second half proved to be all Warriors as they scored goals in the 68th, 69th, 76th and 84th minute to push past the Spires 4-2.
Freshman Mladen Bjelica scored two goals for the Warriors along with goals from Justin Martens (Helverson assist) and Ryan Covey (Bueso assist).
Sterling (6-8, 3-3) will be back in action on Saturday as they travel to Bethany College to take on the Swedes who are coached by former Sterling College Soccer standout Jeff Kidd. Game time is set for 3:00pm in Lindsborg.
Men’s soccer win thriller in overtime over Ottawa University
The Sterling College men's soccer team picked up an important KCAC win on the road at Ottawa with a 1-0 victory in overtime Tuesday night.
It what seemed to be a very even matched game from the get go. Both teams tested each other by missing opportunities left and right of the goal throughout the first half of play leaving the score 0-0 at intermission. In the second half, the Warriors had most of the possession but could not finish when they would get into the offensive third of the field.
It was SC freshman Scott Helverson's game winning set piece that went through a swarm of defenders before it finally found its way into the back of the OU net.
"Picking up a conference win on the road was huge for us at this point of the season" said Head Men's Coach Brandon Winn. "It goes to show that finding passion and keeping our momentum will eventually lead to positive results."
Sterling (4-7, 2-3) host Central Christian on Thursday before they travel to Park University on Saturday. Park eliminated the Warriors from the Region IV tournament 1-0 in overtime last season.
Men’s soccer earns big win over Benedictine College
The Sterling College men's soccer team picked up a big win upsetting Benedictine College 2-1 Saturday in Atchison, KS
The Ravens struck first in the match in the 37th minute when David Seefeldt slotted a ball past SC goalkeeper Cory Speed. Sterling answered with 1:55 left in the half when freshman Mladen Bjelica put at twenty-yard shot in to the upper left corner of the Benedictine goal evening the score 1-1. The second half proved to be an exciting one as both teams battled it out. But it was Sterling who would find the back of the net with 19 minutes to play. Sterling then fell back and held off the BC attack to win the match 2-1.
"This win was a result of the dedication that the men have shown through a brutal schedule" said Head Coach Brandon Winn. "We hope to capitalize on this momentum heading into the second half of our season."
Senior Cory Speed finished the game with eight amazing saves.
Sterling (2-6, 0-2) now travels to Southwestern College on Wednesday before traveling to KCAC pre-season favorite Kansas Wesleyan University.
Men's soccer drops game to defending KCAC Champion Friends University
Defending KCAC champ Friends University was in town to face Sterling in a conference match on Wednesday.
The Warriors once again found themselves facing a halftime deficit 0-2 that forced them to make some changes. Coach Winn stated "We made a few changes in the line-up to get some offense generated. Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalize on any of our opportunities". Sterling dropped the game 5-0 and now has an overall record of 1-6-0.
Sterling will travel to Benedictine College on Saturday before traveling to Southwestern College on Wednesday.
Men's soccer lose heartbreaker to Bethel College
The Sterling College men's soccer team started their conference season losing a heartbreaker 2-3 in two overtimes yesterday against Bethel College in Sterling. The Threshers started the game off with a goal from Jason Wood in the 10th minute. Sterling turned a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the second half. The Warriors got a goal in the 53rd minute of play when senior Tyler Adam challenged a ball off a corner kick and the ball was deflected into the goal off a Bethel defender. Sterling took the lead three minutes later when Adam sent a thru ball to junior Ryan Covey for the go ahead goal. Bethel would tie the game in the 73rd minute when Gong Kedze put the ball past SC keeper Cory Speed.
In the overtime SC missed two prime opportunities to win the game but Bethel's keeper denied both chances. Bethel senior Jason Wood would win the game for the Thresher's in the 102nd minute when he slotted a ball to the far post past the SC defense.
Sterling will host #9 Southern Nazarene University on Saturday at 4:00pm. The Crimson Storm team is currently 2-0-2 on the season.