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2007 Schedule
2007 Roster
Dec. 16, 2007
Three
Jaguars named All-America
Three players on the accomplished
GPC men's soccer team reaped the benefits of a national runner-up season by
being named to All-America squads.
It was no coincidence that the
chief duty of the trio—goalkeeper Jon Selkow, sweeper Lance Dacosta and
midfielder Marcelo Aguirre—was preventing goals. The Jaguars allowed only
eight in the regular season and one more in their first two National Junior
College Athletics Association tournament matches.
Not until the championship game
against Yavapai College did the defense suffer a breakdown, permitting three
goals. The Arizona school seized the title in a shootout round, dealing the
Jaguars their lone defeat.
Selkow and Dacosta were named to
the NJCAA first-team All-America list, making GPC the only school doubly
honored. They were the only freshman to make the first team. Aguirre, a
sophomore, received honorable mention.
Selkow and Aguirre were selected
first team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. They will
be recognized at an NSCAA luncheon on Jan. 10 in Baltimore.
Selkow, an Atlantan out of St.
Francis High, ranked third among NJCAA keepers, saving 109 of 120 shots and
granting just .466 goals per game.
“He's been the best keeper since
the first year I was here,” said GPC coach Marc Zagara, who has logged 16
seasons at the school.
Zagara lauded Dacosta, who hails
from Kingston, Jamaica, as “one of the best players in the country.” He
arrived at GPC as a midfielder but converted smoothly to sweeper.
Aguirre, from Coral Park High in
Miami, is a defensive-minded midfielder who managed a goal or an assist on
occasion. Zagara called him, along with teammate Felipe Lopez, “as good as
defensive midfielders as there are.”
A bonus for the Jaguars: Selkow
and Dacosta are freshmen, each with a year of eligibility left with GPC.
Nov. 19, 2007
Jaguars finish second in
nation
The Georgia Perimeter College
men's soccer team was denied its second national title Sunday in a
nail-biting thriller that ended in defeat via penalty kicks.
The Jaguars lost their first
game of the season and fell to Yavapai College 4-3 (5-4 on penalty kicks) in
the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 championship
game at Tyler, Texas.
Georgia Perimeter (21-1-2) and
Yavapai—a perennial junior college power located in Prescott, Ariz.—waged
one of the most exciting NJCAA championship games in recent memory.
After the regulation time
ended 3-3 and after a scoreless overtime, each team took seven penalty
kicks. Vavapai (24-2-0) out-shot the Jaguars 5-4 for the Roughriders’ sixth
national championship.
Bediako Swan’s goal, assisted
by Victor Florez, with just 3:58 remaining in the game, gave GPC a 3-2 lead
and a taste of the title. But Yavapai came right back and scored on a corner
kick with two minutes remaining to force the overtime.
“It was like two heavyweights
in a boxing match just slugging it out,” GPC head coach Marc Zagara said.
“It was a great game, just an unfortunate end for us.”
“It was hard-fought and we
took turns dominating,” assistant coach Ron Moore added. “Both teams were
exhausted at the end of the overtime.”
Adding to the excitement of
the game was the fact that it was a grudge match. In 2005 GPC defeated
Yavapai 3-1 for the national title.
Marcelo Aguirre jump-started
the GPC offense with a goal 10 minutes into the match with an assist from
Cesar Tejera. Yavapai drew even before halftime and went ahead 2-1 early in
the second period.
But Mike Mecerod, assisted by
Swan, quickly tied the score 2-2, and in the final minutes GPC enjoyed the
short-lived 3-2 lead until Yavapai tied it again.
“We had opportunities to score
in overtime,” Moore said. “We just didn't.”
The contest marked the third
appearance in the championship game in the past four years for Zagara and
the Jaguars. GPC finished as national runner-up in 2004, champion in 2005
and in fifth place last season.
To get to the finale, GPC
defeated Community College of Baltimore County-Essex 3-0 Thursday and San
Jacinto College-South (Texas) 3-1 in Friday’s semifinal. Both games featured
typically stout performances by goalkeeper Jon Selkow and the Jaguar
defenders. Selkow registered his 14th shutout of the season and allowed only
his ninth goal, until Vavapai’s three-goal assault on Sunday.
Scoring in Thursday’s victory
were Chris Ugarte, Mecerod and Swan on an assist by Mecerod. Friday’s goals
came from Tejara on a pass from Cedric Tene; Mecerod, assisted by Florez;
and Alpha Diallo, assisted by Swan.
For the Jaguars, whose
preseason aim was simply to qualify for the eight-team nationals, finishing
second in the nation is bittersweet—disappointing to lose in the finale but
a pleasant surprise to go that far.
“We had a great season,”
Zagara said. “We accomplished more than our talent level would have led us
to believe was possible. To make it all the way to the national championship
is a testament to the hard work and heart of the whole team.”
Nov. 17, 2007
Jags' history repeating
itself
If history, as they say, repeats itself, the GPC
men's soccer team should start planning a victory parade.
The No. 1-ranked Jaguars disposed of San Jacinto College-South of Houston
3-1 Friday in the semifinals of the NJCAA tournament in Tyler, Tex., setting
up a title game with a familiar foe.
Awaiting GPC in the championship match Sunday afternoon is Yavapai
College of Prescott, Ariz. It's the same team that the Jaguars upended to
win their first national crown in 2005.
GPC took another step toward its second with a typically stout defensive
performance. Keeper Jon Selkow did allow a goal, but it was only his ninth
all season as the Jaguars limited San Jacinto to six shots on net.
The Jaguars cashed in on eight shots, moving ahead 1-0 eight minutes into
the game when Cesar Tejera tallied off an assist from Cedric Tene.
At the same juncture of the second half, Mike Mecerod made it 2-0 via a
pass from Victor Florez. After San Jacinto scored and racheted up the
pressure for a possible tying goal, Alpha Diallo put GPC out of reach by
striking midway through the second half. Bediako Swan claimed the assist.
"This team has overachieved," said assistant coach Ron Moore of the
Jaguars, who have exceeded expectations by going 21-0-2 and gaining their
third berth in the finals over the past four seasons.
Moore noted that the defense has been outstanding. "And, offensively,
we're scoring just enough goals to win."
The tournament has played out to form, with Yavapai rated No. 2. The
Jaguars can only hope that it concludes with a rerun . . . of the match
three years ago that was the pinnacle of GPC soccer.
Nov. 16, 2007
Jags advance to final four
Carrying the No. 1 seed into a national championship tournament can either
crush a team under the weight of expectations or motivate it to live up to
the billing. It was more of the latter for the GPC men's soccer squad
Thursday afternoon in the first round of the National Junior College
Athletic Association national tournament in Tyler, Texas.The
top-ranked Jaguars coasted past Community College of Baltimore County-Essex
3-0 and advanced to a semifinal match today at 5 p.m. (EST) against fellow
first-round winner San Jacinto College-South of Houston.
Georgia
Perimeter (20-0-2) jumped ahead eight minutes into the game with Mike
Mecerod's unassisted goal on a direct free kick, and the Jaguars never
looked back. Sophomore midfielder Chris Ugarte repeated the act with a
direct kick goal of his own with eight minutes gone in the second period.
Mecerod's pass to fellow freshman striker Bediako Swan for a third goal,
with 21 minutes remaining, erased any hope for No. 8 seed CCBC-Essex
(13-6-1).
GPC
goalkeeper Jon Selkow, the shutout master, threw another blank at an
opponent with six saves, the only shots on goal allowed by the stingy
Jaguars defense. It is Selkow’s 14th shutout of the season.
The
Jaguars assured themselves of advancing farther than last year's edition,
which also entered the elite eight rated No. 1 in the NJCAA coaches poll but
lost in the opening round. The 2005 team brought home a national title, and
GPC was runner-up in 2004.
Today’s
opponent, San Jacinto South (16-2-2), entered the tournament ranked No. 5 in
the NJCAA poll. In Thursday’s first round, San Jacinto won 1-0 over
Jefferson College (Mo.), last year’s national champion.
Another
win today would vault the Jaguars into the finals on Sunday at 2 p.m. (EST).
The loser falls into the third-place match on Sunday at noon.
Nov. 9, 2007
Depth is key for Jags at
national tournament
What is a
National Junior College Athletics Association men’s soccer championship
tournament without Georgia Perimeter College?
The Jaguars
are headed back to Tyler, Texas, for a fourth consecutive year—sixth time in
nine seasons—and with many similarities to last season’s team. But they aim
for a happier ending.
The Jaguars
had the credentials in 2006: unbeaten, high-scoring, rated No. 1. They had
the pedigree: an NJCAA Division 1 crown and a runner-up in the two previous
seasons.
But they were
upset in the first round and finished in fifth place.
Now they’re
headed back to Tyler—the annual site of the national tournament—with a
determined yet less flashy squad that leans heavily on defense and ekes out
lower-scoring wins.
Some aspects
haven’t changed. The Jaguars are again unbeaten (19-0-2) and top-ranked in
the NJCAA coaches’ poll. So expectations for them are lofty in the junior
college soccer world, which Zagara would like to temper.
“They’re going
to be close games,” he cautioned. “That’s just the way we play. My first
team—there are probably a half-dozen better in the country.”
Yet GPC has a
not-so-secret weapon: Zagara’s roster is ocean-deep, as much as any entry in
the elite eight. This richness in reserves could deliver the trophy, given
that the champion must win three games with only one day of rest over the
extended weekend.
Georgia
Perimeter earned the trip by winning the Region XVII tournament and then
defeating Hiwassee (Tenn.) College 3-0 on GPC’s Dunwoody campus two weeks
ago in the Southeast District championship game.
The Jaguars
launch the quarterfinals on Thursday, Nov. 15, against Community College of
Baltimore County-Essex, which dropped five matches this season but is ranked
eighth in part because of its daunting schedule.
A GPC victory
would mean a semifinal showdown on Friday, Nov. 16., with either No. 4
Jefferson College of Hillsboro, Mo. (18-3-0) or No. 5 San Jacinto
College-South Houston (15-2-2). The championship match is Sunday.
The other half
of the bracket consists of No. 2 Yavapai College of Prescott, Ariz. (21-2),
No. 3 Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College (16-1-0), No. 6 Mercer County
Community College of Trenton, N.J. (13-5-1), or No. 7 Illinois Central
College of East Peoria, Ill. (18-4).
The
tradition-rich field is almost identical to last year’s, with six of eight
teams returning. Of special interest to GPC is Mercer, which decked the
Jaguars in the 2004 title game and tied them 1-1 on Sept. 9. They have not
faced any other elite eight qualifiers this year.
GPC’s defense
has been downright miserly, granting just eight goals. Its impenetrable
nature was never more evident in the three playoff triumphs so far. The
Jaguars have outscored their foes by a combined 11-1, allowing only a
penalty kick.
Freshmen drive
this team. Freshman goalkeeper Jon Selkow of Atlanta (St. Francis) amassed
12 shutouts while getting beaten on shots more than once in only one game.
“He’s been the
best keeper since the first year I was here,” said Zagara, whose GPC term as
head coach dates to 1992.
Zagara is just
as effusive in his praise of freshman sweeper Lance Dacosta, who adjusted to
his new position as if born into it. The converted midfielder, a Jamaica
native, is no less than “one of the best players in the country,” the coach
says.
“He’d never
played [sweeper] in his life. I knew he could do it.”
A pair out of
Miami, sophomore co-captains Marcelo Aguirre and Felipe Lopez, “are as good
as defensive midfielders as there are,” Zagara said.
Without a
dominant striker, GPC’s freshman scorers have shared the wealth. Mike
Mecerod of Long Island, N.Y., has edged out Bediako Swan of St. Patrick for
scoring honors, 17 goals to 16, while Cesar Tejara of Miami has contributed
10. Tejara is the assists leader with 14, followed by Mecerod with 11.
The balance
offers a clue to the Jaguars’ depth. Their winning formula all season has
been to drive opponents to exhaustion with a productive bench employed via
steady substitutions. The majority of GOC goals were registered in the
second half of matches.
“We wear
people down,” Zagara said. “That’s why we organize our team in this way. You
better have the horses to play three games in four days at the national
tournament.”
Zagara’s
philosophy of evenly dividing minutes also enables more players to develop
into potential scholarship recipients at four-year colleges. Ultimately, the
amount of promoted Jaguars is the most important number to him. He expressed
confidence that all graduating sophomores will continue their athletic and
educational careers elsewhere.
But another
number—two—would be welcome. That would be a second championship trophy, a
better-late-than-never piece of hardware to stand aside the one GPC brought
home in 2005.
Nov. 5, 2007
GPC headed to fourth
straight national tournament
What is an NJCAA national
championship men’s soccer tournament without Georgia Perimeter College?
The Jaguars, ranked No. 1 in
the National Junior College Athletic Association coaches’ poll, lived up to
that billing Saturday, earning their fourth consecutive invitation to the
Division 1 elite eight with a 3-0 win over Hiwassee (Tenn.) College on the
Dunwoody Campus.
GPC will take a 19-0-2 record
to Tyler, Texas, for the Nov. 15-18 event, along with the goal of bringing
home the national trophy—as it did in 2005.
The host team followed a
familiar, if nerve-wracking, pattern Saturday by starting slowly and
allowing Hiwassee to stay in the match.
“Hiwassee came out very
energetic and gave us a tough game the first 45 minutes,” said GPC head
coach Marc Zagara. “We talked about the basics at halftime.”
“We were a little anxious in
the first half, trying to force the ball,” said freshman striker Mike
Mecerod. “In the second half, we made shorter passes and worked on
fundamentals. We adjusted and took control early in the second half.”
Freshmen led the Jaguars’
second-half drive. Mecerod got the offense untracked four minutes after
intermission with a goal off a pass from freshman midfielder Cesar Tejera.
Nine minutes later, Tejera
assisted again, this time to Bediako Swan, also a freshman striker. Freshman
midfielder Cedric Tene, aided by Mecerod, closed out the scoring midway
through the half as GPC converted three of 13 shots.
Freshman goalkeeper Jon Selkow
turned aside all five Hiwasee attempts for his 13th shutout of the season.
This marks the Jaguars' sixth
visit to the nationals in nine seasons. GPC was national runner-up in
2004, setting the stage for its title run a year later. Last year the
Jaguars lost in the first round and then went on to finish fifth in the
nation.
“The national tournament gives
our players exposure to scouts from four-year colleges across the country,”
said Dr. Anthony Tricoli, president of Georgia Perimeter. “Our
student-athletes at GPC are focused not only athletic excellence, but also
on excelling in the classroom and moving on to complete their education.”
Oct. 29, 2007
Jaguars win region, advance to Southeast
District title game
Four seemed to be the lucky
number for the Georgia Perimeter College men's soccer team over the weekend
as the Jaguars won their conference tournament, claiming their fourth
straight Georgia Junior College Athletic Association tournament title.
GPC defeated Middle Georgia 4-0 on Saturday
and event host Young Harris 4-1 on Sunday in winning what is also Region
XVII of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Jaguars did
not allow a goal until Young Harris' penalty kick in the final seconds.
Next for Georgia Perimeter:
the NJCAA Southeast District title game at 1 p.m. Saturday on GPC’s Dunwoody
Campus against Hiwassee College, Madisonville, Tenn. A win would punch the Jaguars'
ticket to the eight-team national tourney Nov. 15-18 in Tyler, Texas.
“We had a good weekend and
took care of business,” said GPC head coach Marc Zagara.
Assistant coach Ron Moore
added, “At this time of year, it’s win or go home. We accomplished what we
set out to do.”
The Jaguars (18-0-2) did
nothing to jeopardize their No. 1 rating in the NJCAA coaches' poll. The
latest version is scheduled to be released Tuesday.
Bediako Swan exploded on
offense, accounting for two goals in each match. Mike Mercerod chipped in
with one apiece. Brett Witlin closed out the scoring on Sunday, when GPC
launched 19 shots on goal, while Alpha Diallo wrapped up Saturday's
goal-getting in an unusually economical output of shots by the Jaguars. They
sent only nine at the goal.
“We were a little more
selective, and it paid off,” Moore said.
Chris Ugarte contributed two
assists on Saturday, the first in the sixth minute that gave GPC the only
goal it needed. Mercerod, Cesar Tejera and Thiago DaSilva were credited with
an assist in each game, while the other was awarded to Marcelo Aguirre.
Goalkeeper Jon Selkow staved
off nine shots by Middle Georgia for his third consecutive shutout. He
yielded the position late in Sunday's match to A.J. Wilson.
Georgia Perimeter has finished
first in the GJCAA 11 of the 15 seasons in which Zagara has served as head
coach, and the Jaguars have won 11 region titles in that span. They have won
the Southeast district and traveled to the national NJCAA tournament six
times, finishing second in 2004 and winning the national title in 2005.
The Southeast District
championship game will be played Saturday, Nov. 3 played, at 1:00 p.m. at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Oct. 24, 2007
GPC returns to No.
1 in NJCAA
Entering the Region XVII playoffs this weekend, the Georgia Perimeter
College men's soccer team will be the team to beat, as the Jaguars have
returned to the No. 1 ranking in the nation among two-year colleges.
The
Jaguars jumped back to the top spot on Tuesday when the National Junior
College Athletic Association released its Division 1 coaches’ poll.
GPC
had been ranked No. 1 two weeks ago, but dropped to second place when Truett-McConnell
tied the Jaguars. The Jaguars moved back up this week after the previous
top-ranked Yavapai College (Ariz.) lost to Pima Community College 3-2.
Yavapai slid back to the No. 2 spot, while Tyler Junior College (Texas) held
down No. 3. Georgia Perimeter beat Tyler 2-1 in September. The Jaguars
(16-0-2) are the only unbeaten team in the poll.
Michael Mecerod leads the Jaguars with 36 points on 14 goals and 8 assists.
Cesar Tejara has chipped in 30 points (10 goals, 10 assists). Goalkeeper Jon
Selkow ranks fifth in the nation, yielding only seven goals this season on
84 shots (77 saves) for a .395 goals-against average.
In the four-team Region XVII
tournament at Young Harris College this weekend, GPC plays on Saturday at 1
p.m., facing the winner of today's play-in game between Middle Georgia and Truett-McConnell. The region championship match begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Oct. 17, 2007
GPC
wins but slips to No. 2 in nation
A dip from the top of the
NJCAA rankings failed to distract the GPC men's soccer team, which defeated
Young Harris College 3-0 Tuesday hours after learning they had lost their
national bragging rights.
Last week's tie against Truett-McConnell
cost the Jaguars the No. 1 rating, which they had attained by leapfrogging
Yavapei (Ariz.) College. But three wins by Yavapei (17-1) last week enabled
it to swap spots in the coaches poll with the No. 2 Jaguars, who improved to
16-0-2 with Tuesday's road win. Yavapei is riding a 14-game victory streak.
GPC surged ahead in the third
minute on Bediako Swan's goal, assisted by Marcelo Aguirre. The Jaguars
waited until midway in the second half to salt away the game, Alpha Diallo
striking with help from Victor Florez. Paul Wiesboeck closed out the scoring
on an assist from Mark McGaw.
Jon Selkow, who fell to ninth
in the national goalkeeper ratings after being scored on twice by Truett-McConnell,
notched the team's 10th shutout. He has given up seven goals all year.
“We controlled the tempo and
pace of the game,” GPC assistant coach Ron Moore said. Every player saw
action.
With the victory, Georgia
Perimeter improves to 16-0-2, 12-0-1 in the Georgia Junior College Athletic
Association.
The Jaguars shoot for an
unbeaten regular season Saturday afternoon at Darton College. They will be
afforded a week to prepare for their regional playoff opener Oct. 27 at
Young Harris against an opponent to be determined.
Oct. 15, 2007
Jaguars post another
shutout
Mike Mercerod scored two goals
and assisted on one of two others as the Georgia Perimeter College men's
soccer team closed out its regular season home schedule with a 4-0 victory
Saturday over South Georgia on the Dunwoody Campus.
Now the Jaguars (15-0-2) await
the release of the NJCAA coaches poll this week to see if they retained
their No. 1 ranking. GPC vaulted from third to first in last week's poll but
managed only a 2-2 tie against Truett-McConnell just hours after the ratings
were announced.
Bediako Swan gave GPC the only
goal it needed, scoring 10 minutes before halftime on assists by Eddie Souza
and Cesar Tejera.
Mercerod, the Jaguars’ leading
scorer this season, heated up in the second half. With nine minutes elapsed,
he passed to Tejera for a goal. He struck barely a minute later on a
delivery from Marcelo Aguirre. Then he was on the receiving end of a Tejera
pass, finding the back of the net and end any doubt.
GPC outshot the visitors 22-5,
wearing them down in the second half with trademark depth. Jon Selkow, the
nation's third-stingiest goalkeeper, was called on for only three saves.
The Jaguars embark Tuesday on
their first of two trips this month to Young Harris College—first for a
regular season game, then for a Region XVII tournament semifinals match on
Oct. 26. Between those dates is the pre-tourney finale Saturday at Darton
College.
Oct. 10, 2007
Truett-McConnell holds No.
1 GPC to tie
The GPC
men's soccer team learned Tuesday morning it was rated No.1 in the National
Junior College Athletic Association coaches poll for the first time all
season. By nightfall, the Jaguars faced the possibility that their reign
might last all of one week.
A trip
to Cleveland, GA, proved bittersweet as the Jaguars tied nemesis Truett-McConnell
College 2-2 in a Georgia Junior College Athletic Association game. GPC
remains unbeaten at 14-0-2, 10-0-1 in the GJCAA, but is in jeopardy of
turning over the No. 1 ranking to another national power.
San
Jacinto College-South in Houston, which had ruled the rankings all year,
fell to 9-1-1 and to No. 3 in the polls. Voters vaulted No. 3 GPC over
second-rated Yavapai College of Prescott, Ariz. (14-1) and kept Marshaltown
(Iowa) Community College, the lone team with a perfect record at 13-0, No.
4.
In
typical fashion, the Jaguars broke slowly from the gate Tuesday and reached
halftime in a scoreless tie. The offense came alive in the second half as
GPC scoring leader Mike Mercerod assisted on a Nigel Lake goal and tallied
himself with help from Cesar Tejera.
However, Truett-McConnell (9-6-2) also scored twice during the period.
Twenty minutes of overtime changed nothing, and GPC settled with a draw
despite a 21-10 advantage in shots.
Adding
to the frustration, two Jaguar goals were cancelled by offside infractions.
And the host team lost two players to pairs of yellow cards, meaning GPC
could not capitalize on an 11-on-9 situation at the end.
“We did
not get into a rhythm,” said GPC assistant coach Ron Moore.
The
Jaguars, still leading the North Division of Region XVII, have one more
chance to impress the poll voters before the updated rankings are released
next Tuesday. They entertain South division frontrunner South Georgia at 2
p.m. Saturday on the Dunwoody Campus, their final home game of the regular
season.
The Jaguars’ home soccer
games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Oct. 9, 2007
Georgia Perimeter ranked
No. 1 in nation
The Georgia Perimeter
College
Jaguars
vaulted to No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association
Division I men's soccer poll announced Tuesday. Going into Tuesday’s match
at Truett-McConnell College, GPC was 14-0-1 on the season and 10-0 in the
Georgia Junior College Athletic Association.
The
Jaguars moved to No. 1 when San
Jacinto College-South (Texas) fell for the first time this
season. Georgia Perimeter moved past No. 2
Yavapai College (Ariz.),
while San Jacinto dropped to No. 3.
Michael Mecerod leads the Jaguars in scoring with 28 points on 11 goals and
6 assists. Goalkeeper Jon Selkow is rated fifth in the NJCAA with a .345
goals against average.
Visit
the NJCAA Web site, www.njcaa.org, for more information on the poll and
Division I men’s soccer.
Oct. 8, 2007
Jaguars tighten grip on Region XVII
North
The Georgia Perimeter College
men's soccer team seems stuck in a pattern.
The Jaguars opened Saturday's
match against Gordon College on the Dunwoody campus in customary fashion,
keeping hope alive for their upset-minded opponent. GPC waited until the
final minute of the first half to score, Mike Mercerod doing the honors on
an assist from Cesar Tejera.
As often has been the case,
that opened the floodgates. Mercerod struck again early in the second half
and the Jaguars poured it on, winning 5-0 and staying undefeated in the
Georgia Junior College Athletic Association.
The Jaguars (14-0-1, 10-0
GJCAA) likely secured their No. 3 ranking in the NJCAA coaches poll while
moving closer to clinching the North Division of Region XVII title.
Brett Witlin equaled
Mercerod's two-goal performance and Richard McDonald took care of the other
score among 29 shots.
Goalkeeper Jon Selkow, rated
fourth in the nation for fewest goals allowed per game, was called upon to
make just three saves. He has let just five balls slip past for scores this
season.
The Jaguars could be playing
with fire if they stick with the routine and rev up slowly in their next
match, Tuesday afternoon at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland. The host
team threw a scare into GPC last month in a 1-0 decision, the Jaguars'
tightest match this season aside from their tie with Mercer Community
College.
On Saturday, Georgia Perimeter
hosts South Georgia College at 2:00 p.m. at the Dunwoody Campus. GPC defeated
South Georgia 4-1 in September.
The Jaguars’ home soccer
games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Oct. 3, 2007
Georgia Perimeter remains
undefeated
The Georgia Perimeter College
men's soccer team defeated Andrew College 6-0 Tuesday in a Georgia Junior
College Athletic Association contest.
Victor Florez scored early,
but only Paul Wiesbrouch repeated the act for GPC in a first half that ended
2-0.
“We started a little slow and
missed several goal-scoring opportunities,” GPC head coach Marc Zagara said.
Nearly 17 more minutes passed
until Cesar Tejera tallied. Rakim Hall and Mike Mercerod followed in
blink-blink fashion, and Thiago DaSilva just beat the final horn to round
out the scoring. Tejera and Florez also recorded assists.
GPC bombarded Andrew’s
goalkeeper with 31 shots on goal. Meanwhile, Jaguar goalkeeper Jon Selkow
enjoyed a stress-free day, requiring just two saves. Selkow has allowed .37
goals per game, seventh lowest in the country among two-year colleges.
Last week Selkow was named
national goalkeeper of the week for the National Junior College Athletic
Association.
The victory at GPC’s Dunwoody
campus keeps the Jaguars’ unbeaten streak alive, and it came on the day that
they retained their No. 3 ranking in the NJCAA coaches poll.
The Jaguars (13-0-1, 9-0 GJCAA)
play at home again Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. game against Gordon College. GPC
defeated Gordon 4-0 on Sept. 1.
The Jaguars’ home soccer
games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Oct. 1, 2007
Jaguars extend 3-year home
win streak
With two more commanding
performances over the weekend, the GPC men's soccer team likely will
maintain its No. 3 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic
Association poll.
The Jaguars notched a 4-1
triumph Friday at South Georgia College, a nationally-ranked team coming
into the game with a 10-1 record. Then GPC showed no fatigue Saturday by
taking Georgia Military College 9-1 at home. Both games were Georgia Junior
College Athletic Association match-ups.
The Jaguars improved their
record to 12-0-1 (8-0, GJCAA) and extended their win streak on home turf to
3 1/2 seasons.
In typical fashion against
testy foes, the Jaguars took a while to exert control Friday, leading only
1-0 at the half on Bediako Swan's goal. Cesar Tejera provided some breathing
room with a score early in the second half, and then GPC was able to exhale
on late goals by Paul Wiesboeck and Marco Casanova. South Georgia managed 10
shots, seven of them saved by keeper Jon Selkow.
In Saturday's match Wiesbrouck
and Tejera both netted hat tricks. Brett Witlin contributed two goals and
defender Lance DaCosta got into the scoring act with a rare strike on a
penalty kick. GPC bombarded the goal with 33 attempts, while limiting
Georgia Military College to three shots.
The Jaguars welcome two
visitors this week, the first on Tuesday afternoon with Andrew College for a
2:00 p.m. match. Saturday at 1:00 p.m. GPC hosts Gordon College.
The Jaguars’ home soccer
games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Sept. 26, 2007
GPC GPC wears down Young
Harris
On the surface, soccer is a
game of 11-on-11. But, with liberal substitution allowed on the college
level, the numbers take on a new meaning: It's the backups who often help
determine the outcome.
Take, for example, Tuesday's
Georgia Junior College Athletic Association match between the Georgia
Perimeter College men and Young Harris. The first 20 minutes were tightly
contested until the Jaguars began to rotate players in from the bench, thus
wearing down the visitors.
Chris Ugarte scored with five
minutes remaining until intermission, and Cesar Tejera and Bediako Swan
added goals early in the second half as Georgia Perimeter remained
undefeated with a 3-0 victory on the Dunwoody campus.
Sept. 24, 2007
Jaguars roll by No. 4
Louisburg
The GPC men's soccer team took
a working trip this weekend to the Carolinas, and things couldn't have
turned out finer.
Ranked third in the latest
National Junior College Athletic Association coaches poll, the Jaguars on Saturday legitimized their lofty status
by disposing of unbeaten and fourth-rated Louisburg (N.C.) 4-1. On Sunday
they defeated Spartanburg (SC) Methodist 6-0.
The twin wins move GPC to
9-0-1 on the season, with a 5-0 record in the Georgia Junior College
Athletic Association. The Jaguars return to in-state competition with three
games this week, beginning Tuesday versus Young Harris on GPC's Dunwoody
Campus.
The Jaguars brought home a
busload of memories from the weekend. They were tied 1-1 with Louisburg
shortly after halftime when Cedric Tene tallied off an assist from Richie
McDonald. Eddie Souza, aided by Bediako Swan, delivered an insurance goal,
and McDonald made it a runaway when he scored via a pass from Felipe Lopez.
The first-half goal went to Chris Ugarte, with Victor Florez assisting.
Goakleeper Jon Selkow repelled
three of four Louisburg shots, a manageable number made possible by the
defense of Lance DaCosta and crew.
The Jaguars waited only two
minutes to seize a lead over Spartanburg Methodist that held up. GPC rang up
three goals in each half with a fusillade of 20 shots.
Characteristically, the
Jaguars spread the scoring wealth, with single goals apiece by Cesar Tejera,
Paul Wiesbouck, Swan, Mike Mercerod, Mark McGaw and Souza. Assisting were
Nigel Lake, Lopez, Tejera and McDonald.
The Jaguars play the next two
games on the road, Tuesday at Young Harris College and Friday at South
Georgia College. They return home to host Georgia Military College on
Saturday, Sept. 29, at 3:00 p.m.
The
Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack
Road in Dunwoody.
Sept. 19, 2007
Jaguars
ranked
third in NJCAA poll
Call it the Jon and Swan Show.
Goalkeeper Jon Selkow recorded
his fifth shutout in eight games and Bediako Swan scored the lone goal for
the GPC men's soccer team in a 1-0 win Tuesday over Truett-McConnell College
on the Dunwoody campus.
With the victory, GPC remains
undefeated in the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association while moving
up to third in this week’s National Junior College Athletic Association
poll.
The Jaguars, closing out a
four-game gauntlet at home against mostly fierce competition, went ahead in
the 14th minute when Swan tallied. Another laser from Swan hit the post and
bounced away, one of 13 Jaguar shots on goal.
Selkow saved all eight scoring
attempts by Truett-McConnell. GPC has allowed only three goals all year.
“We did not play well, but a
win is a win,” assistant coach Ron Moore said. “We will take it.”
Michael Mecerod leads
Georgia Perimeter on the season with 18 points (seven goals, four assists),
followed by Swan
with 15 points (six goals, three assists).
The Jaguars (7-0-1, 5-0, GJCAA)
take to the road this weekend for back-to-back games in separate states.
First up on Saturday afternoon is Louisburg (N.C.) College, ranked fourth
nationally—one spot behind GPC. Sunday afternoon's opponent is Spartanburg
(SC) Methodist College.
Sept. 17, 2007
GPC
shuts out Darton
The GPC men's soccer team
defeated Darton College on the Dunwoody Campus 7-0 to remain unbeaten.
The Jaguars, who moved up one
slot last week to No. 4 in the National Junior College Athletic Association
poll, put away Darton within the first eight minutes on two goals by Bediako
Swan. The scoring wealth was spread as five teammates later tallied one
apiece—Nigel Lake, Mike Mecerod, Eddie Souza, Alpha Diallo and Chris Ugarte.
GPC (6-0-1) made the most of
19 shots on goal, with a 37 percent scoring rate. A 6-0 halftime lead
enabled the coaching staff to flood the field with substitutes after the
break.
“We dominated every aspect of
the game,” GPC assistant coach Ron Moore said.
Goalkeeper Jon Selkow was
rarely tested, notching five saves for GPC.
The Jaguars' four-game home
stand concludes Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. against Truett-McConnell.
The Jaguars’ home soccer
games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody.
Sept. 10, 2007
Jaguars hang on to remain
undefeated
The Georgia Perimeter College
men's soccer team emerged from a potentially harrowing weekend without
defeat, tying Mercer (N.J.) Community College 1-1 at home on Sunday. Mercer
is ranked No. 2 in the nation among two-year colleges.
The standoff followed a
Friday victory, 2-1 over No. 7 Tyler (Tex.) Junior College. The weekend left
GPC with a record of 5-0-1.
Unlike Friday, when the
Jaguars fell behind in the first half, they jumped ahead Sunday on a goal by
Miseal Martinez. Mike Mercerod provided the assist.
Mercer answered in the second
half, which closed out the scoring as well as Georgia Perimeter's chances of
a perfect regular season. Still, the outcome confirmed GPC's status as the
fifth-ranked team in the NJCAA coaches’ poll and a national contender.
Mercer was limited to four
shots on goal as Lance DeCosta paced a stingy defense. GPC mounted numerous
chances but, with Martinez’ exception, was unable to convert.
Halfway through a four-game
homestand on the Dunwoody Campus, the Jaguars next welcome Darton College at
noon Saturday.
The Jaguars’ home
soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in
Dunwoody.
Sept. 7, 2007
Jaguars rally past No. 7
Tyler
The steep climb to a higher
level of competition left the GPC men's soccer team dizzy for a long while
Friday, but the Jaguars regained their equilibrium in time to subdue Tyler
(Tex.) Junior College 2-1 in the home opener on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars, having pounded
four foes by a combined 25-1 on the road, struggled to adjust to the quicker
pace and superior skills brought by Tyler, ranked No. 7 in the preseason
National Junior College Athletic Association poll. Tyler scored in the 28th
minute and, if not for a few stellar saves by GPC goalkeeper Jon Selkow,
would have led by more than 1-0 at intermission.
No. 5 GPC attacked more
frequently after the break, but did not score the equalizer until midway
through on Abel Martinez's goal, assisted by Eddie Souza. Then, in the 81st
minute, Victor Florez passed to Souza, who banked a shot off the right post
that curled into the back of the net.
The score held up, allowing
the Jaguars to escape with a victory even as Tyler mounted more offensive
opportunities and controlled much of the game's flow.
There will be no immediate
return to softer competition for the Jaguars. Next up is No. 2 Mercer (N.J.)
Community College at noon Sunday.
Sept. 6, 2007
Jaguars off and running with 4-0 start
It's a good thing the GPC
men's soccer players have been tested in the classroom. They have yet to be
tested on the field.
The Jaguars have overwhelmed
four foes, all on the road, in trying to erase the bitter taste of an
unexpectedly early ouster in last year's national tournament.
The latest win, 9-0 over
Georgia Military College on Tuesday, was the most lopsided. They also
manhandled Tri-County Tech 8-1 and have a pair of 4-0 cakewalks over Middle
Georgia College and Gordon College. Combined, GPC's four victims have been
outscored 25-1.
Six of those goals came off
the foot of Michael Mercerod. Nigel Lake, Bediako Swan and Misael Martinez
share the No. 2 spot on the hit-the-net list with three goals each. All four
players have logged two assists apiece.
The Jaguars' team bus will get
a rest as the first of four straight home games kicks off at 2:00 p.m. Friday
against Tyler Junior College on GPC’s Dunwoody Campus. Tyler is ranked sixth
nationally in the National Junior College Athletic Association preseason
poll.
It's followed with a Sunday
date against second-ranked Mercer Community College at noon. There’s some
recent history between Mercer and Georgia Perimeter—they played for the
National Junior College Athletic Association championship in 2004 in Tyler,
Texas. Mercer won that game 3-1 to claim the national title.
The Jaguars’ home
soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in
Dunwoody.
August 24, 2007
Jaguars reload with new
roster
Rare is the coach who would
look back on a 23-1-1 season, during most of which his men’s team was ranked
No. 1 in the junior college nation, and not describe it as one of his best.
Georgia Perimeter College
men’s soccer head coach Marc Zagara launched the Jaguars’ program in 1992
and has seen it soar in recent years, topped by a national title in 2005.
Zagara says that although last
season’s defense posted stellar statistics—14 shutouts, 19 goals allowed—the
stats belied shortcomings. He attributed the impressive numbers to an
offense, top-heavy with midfielders, that controlled the ball about 70
percent of the time.
The Jaguars’ sole defeat all
year struck in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic
Association national tournament, a 2-1 heartbreaker to College of DuPage. “I
think they did impact us psychologically,” Zagara says.
Only four of 14 freshmen from
that roster have returned this season. The coaching staff might consider
handing out nametags as the season gets underway.
Still, Zagara is not about to
plunge into a daunting schedule with lowered expectations.
“The jury is out on this
team,” he says. “But we don’t rebuild. We reload.”
Soccer pollsters concur, placing the Jaguars sixth
in the NJCAA preseason ratings.
“We have a lot of talent—size,
speed, athleticism,” he says. “We’re going to be good. Whether we will be
special, I don’t know.”
Zagara will have a clue soon
enough. His schedule is front-loaded with non-Region XVII heavyweights
Mercer County Community College (ranked second), Louisburg (sixth) Tyler
Junior College (seventh). Those matches will help fine-tune the Jaguars for
their typically powerful region.
Zagara must identity goal
producers to replace Martin Nunez and Heber Hernandez, who ranked first and
third nationwide in scoring last season. Nunez, the No. 2 scorer in school
annals, elected to turn pro.
South Florida, a recruiting
gold mine for the Jaguars, is home base for the bulk of this year’s roster,
notably midfielder Marcelo Aquirre and defender Lance DeCosta, who earned
stripes with the Jamaican Under-23 team. Defender Felipe Lopez could further
shore up the back line after sitting out last season.
Other defenders who could
contribute are Alejandro Ruiz Rumph and Oswaldo Saravia. Zagara raided
Guatemala, where he has participated in soccer camps, for both sophomores a
year ago.
Striker Bediako Swan came to
campus sight unseen this year from Grenada’s national team, recommended by
its coach.
Striker Chris Ugarte of Duluth
heads up the sizable contingent from metro Atlanta.
Jon Selkow protects the goal,
an area of concern for Zagara because of minimal support behind the starter
from Roswell.
The coach grades his seasons
less on won-loss record than on landing scholarships for players to
four-year schools. Accustomed to sending as many as nine per team, the
Jaguars were rewarded with only five promotions off last year’s roster, not
counting Nunez.
This season, an additional
goal is restoring the lifestyle discipline that he found lacking in the 2006
squad. Zagara attributed the regular-season tie to the suspensions of two
players and the tournament defeat against “a vastly inferior team” to an
inability to adjust to unfavorable conditions.
“I could have predicted such
an outcome eventually,” he says.
Still another aspiration, as
always, is a national championship. Zagara says he hopes this team
celebrates the return of the NJCAA trophy to GPC.
The
Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack
Road in Dunwoody.
February 6, 2007
Nunez shoots for
professional soccer
After one season at Georgia
Perimeter College, freshman Martin Nunez has opted to forgo the remaining of
his college eligibility to play professional soccer.
Nunez was selected in the second round by Miami-FC in the United Soccer League First
Division College Draft held January 24.
The USL’s first division is the highest level of
professional soccer in its league. Its two-round draft featured only college
seniors, college players with no remaining eligibility, and
college and high school players who will give up their remaining college
eligibility.
Miami FC made Nunez the 22nd selection in
the second round.
“We lose the top striker in the country,” said GPC head
coach Marc Zagara. “He will do well playing professional soccer.”
In his only college debut, Nunez, a National Junior
College All-American, topped the nation with 30 goals scored, placing him
second at Georgia Perimeter in the number of goals scored in a single
season. He also finished the season with 17 assists.
GPC completed the season 23-1-1 and earned its third
consecutive Georgia Junior College Athletic Association Region XVII
conference title. The Jaguars also finished fifth at the national
championship tournament this season, after winning the title in 2005.
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