Sports
Lutheran Cougars Seeking to Build on Successful 2010 Campaign
Boy's soccer team returns leading scorer, several others from 2010 District Championship team.
The boy’s soccer team had a respectable season last year and despite losses to graduation, head coach Brad Beekman doesn’t plan on taking a step back.
“I’d expect us to be about the same this year,” Beekman said. “We lost a lot of our defenders and midfielders. We’re a class 1A school and our schedule is tough. The teams in our league (AAA) are primarily 2A schools. We play some of the best competition in our state in our league.”
The Lutheran Cougars finished the 2010 campaign with a 13-15 mark and also won a district championship. The Cougars lost four seniors to graduation from the 2010 team—three defenders and a goalkeeper. Lutheran returns three seniors this year: defender Tim Standing and midfielders Kevin Schmelder and Ryan Lyefer. Schmelder played outside midfield last year but will serve as a link between the forwards and defenders this year.
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“Hopefully, Tim (Standing) will be able to star in a defensive role,” he said. “I’d also like to see Kevin (Schmelder) make a successful transition to a more defensive role.”
Beekman said the sophomore Sam Preusser will most likely earn time as a defender.
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“He (Preusser) started as a freshman,” Beekman said. “He’s a tall and strong kid with a good set of eyes. He has the size and strength to play a central role.”
The Cougars’ top scorer, junior forward Grant Owens, also returns for another season.
“In every sense of the word, he’s an attacker,” Beekman said of Owens. “He scored 20 goals last year and had 22 or 23 assists. Grant is an explosive guy who can find the back of the net, but he’s also good at finding the open man on the field. He makes those around him into scorers.”
Beekman said there are a number of players competing for the goalkeeper position at this time, but he’s made no decision on who will play there.
Beekman also said that the AAA Conference should be tough as usual.
“We go up against some of the best competition around,” he said. “But going up against that level of competition prepares a team for the postseason.”
The 2011 Cougars will make its debut at 4 p.m. on Sept. 8 with a contest against St. Charles.