New players, new system, new year for men's soccer team

The Cyclones won some hard fought battles in 2011, finishing as one of the top four teams in NJCAA Region IV. With a number of all-conference and all-region players absent, the squad looks to its four returners, including all-region and all-conference forward Pawel Rychtarczyk (Reavis), and some tough incoming freshmen to make some noise on the field.

“There are some very talented new faces. We have a very young team, and I’m taking this as a positive,” said head coach Chuck Bales, who starts his 13^th year at the helm. “Maybe this year will be a little tough, but I modified our system of play to help and give us the best advantage. We can build on this and should be in even better shape next year.”

Rychtarczyk was the Cyclones’ leading scorer last year. This fierce competitor has speed on the field that should be a great asset once again. Edward Vallejo (Reavis) was injured toward the end of last season, which was a big loss. He looks healthy, and Bales is excited to have the midfielder back in the lineup. Venezuelan-born midfielder Alan Ward finished his first year looking strong and fast and is expected to continue that momentum. Cristofer Martinez (Hubbard) also returns with hopes of building on his progression and working toward a starting position.

Some of the new talent will come from Stagg grad Greg Healy, who played with the Chicago Fire Academy. He plays midfielder/forward, but can play everywhere on the field. Mike Rusnak (Stagg) also will be key on defense with his intelligent ball-handling. Midfielder Kris Dolinsky (Indiana) has college playing experience from his time at Iowa Wesleyan and should bring his soccer knowledge to the field. Lukasz Duda (Reavis) is a strong forward who also will add to the mix.

This season the Cyclones have three solid goalkeepers in Max Boyso (Eisenhower), Jair Castanon (Reavis) and Mousa Sheikh (Reavis). “We’re going to have good competition in the goalkeeper position,” Bales said.

“It’s going to be tough this year. We’ll be learning a new system that will hopefully cater to the players we have,” Bales said. “Every game will be a chance to figure things out and improve for the next game. We’ll be a strong team, but it’s a long way between now and the end of the season. We’ll have to work hard.”

Rejoining Bales is Nolberto Damian as goalkeeper coach who will be accompanied by new assistant coach Albert Palar.