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Men's Soccer News
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Jaguars slip by South Georgia in opener A halftime wakeup call roused the slow-starting Georgia Perimeter College men's soccer team, which downed South Georgia College 2-0 Saturday in its season opener at GPC's Dunwoody Campus. The Jaguars (1-0), ranked second in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll, fired only two shots at the Tigers in the first half. Meanwhile, GPC's defense similarly stifled South Georgia (0-1) until the Tigers managed the first shot nineteen minutes into the game. Georgia Perimeter began to
gel after the break, finally striking in the 23rd minute on a goal by
freshman forward Flavia Souza with an assist from freshman Julio Anzueto.
Then two of the three sophomores in the lineup teamed up in the 58th minute,
Mike Mecerod feeding Bediako Swan for a two-goal cushion. "We didn't look very good," said GPC head coach Marc Zagara. "We looked better in the second half, but we weren't good." Assistant coach Ron Moore added, "We won, but we've got a lot of work to do." The rough start could be expected after a roster turnover that has resulted in eight freshman starters. In addition, the Jaguars employed seven freshmen among the eight reserves Saturday. GPC's defense is coping with the loss of last year's All-America goalkeeper Jon Selkow, and Lance DaCosta, an All-America sweeper who returned home to Jamaica for family reasons after completing summer courses. The good news is that the defense stopped South Georgia's midfielder Sean Howe, an impressive import from Great Britain, and forward David Hunter, the Tigers' second-leading scorer last season. Both of Georgia Perimeter's soccer teams have a double date Tuesday at the Dunwoody Campus with Georgia Junior College Athletic Association foe Truett-McConnell College. The men's game begins at 3 p.m., followed by the women's game at 5 p.m. The Jaguars’ home soccer games are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road in Dunwoody. Jaguars' goal: net national title In 2004, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s soccer team advanced to the program’s first National Junior College Athletic Association title match, only to lose 3-1 against Mercer County (N.J.) Community College. When the Jaguars returned to the nationals a year later, “There were no ifs, ands or buts with them,” coach Marc Zagara recalls. “They were going to win it.” They did, beating Yavapai (Ariz.) College 3-1. Zagara hopes for a repeat of history this season. The Jaguars fell to Yavapai in an excruciating 2007 championship game on penalty kicks following a 3-3 tie, dampening a dream season that ended at 21-1-2. “It was a successful season,” Zagara said of the 2007 national runner-up, his 17th team at GPC. “But there's no denying the disappointment in not finishing the deal.” The Jaguars can play “Let's Finish the Deal” this time, he believes, beginning with the opener Aug. 23 against South Georgia College on GPC’s Dunwoody campus. Validating those aspirations are plenty of returning Jaguars eager to purge the sour after-taste and a roster replenished with a gifted freshmen class. “We’re going to be more talented this year,” Zagara says. “Whether they have the heart, the desire, of last year’s team remains to be seen. Talent is 75 percent of the equation.” The ’07 Jaguars were a dogged bunch with a barely penetrable defensive midfield, a superb goalkeeper and a focus that never wavered even as the squad became depleted by injuries. Eight players, including all six active sophomores, earned scholarships from four-year schools, which is Zagara's annual measuring stick for success. Numerous contributors are back on board; they are supplemented by “one of our better recruiting classes, talent-wise.” There are some disappointments. All-America Sweeper Lance DaCosta of Jamaica most likely won’t be aboard for personal reasons. The Jaguars’ equally decorated goalkeeper, Jon Selkow, succumbed to academic ineligibility. Top assist producer Cesar Tejara will be redshirted. The Jaguars limited foes to nine goals last year until the national semifinals, when their allotment jumped to 13 by season’s end. The DaCosta/Selkow combo was most responsible for the stinginess. But the Jaguars’ two prolific scorers, strikers Mike Mecerod of Long Island, N.Y., and Bediako Swan of Grenada, are on hand to give it another go. Mecerod, a national All-Tournament Team selection, had 20 goals and 12 assists; Swan had 18 and seven. Honorable Mention All-America midfielder Marcelo Aguirre, gone with his diploma, will be missed, but there’s a bountiful crop of incoming replacements. The cast includes Eder Molina and Yeong Choi, leading a parade from the Miami area. They also can help fill the void left by the redshirting of Tejara. In goal, quality gives way to quantity as Zagara fills Selkow's shoes with four new keepers, the most ever during his term. Two were recruited, the other pair sought an audition. “We won't be as solid without Jon,” Zagara says, “but all four are very good.” With three championship appearances in four years, GPC has become a go-to destination for graduating high school seniors. Zagara has mined South Florida for a while and has recently made inroads with prospects in fertile metro Atlanta. The recruiting net was cast this year as far as Colorado, capturing goalkeeper Jonathan Foley. Now that the Jaguars have made four consecutive trips to the NJCAA tournament, the coach has gone from pounding on prospects’ doors to being flooded with requests for a uniform and scholarship money. The trend should continue as GPC received a No. 2 preseason NJCAA national ranking, behind defending champion Yavapai. To prepare for the postseason, Zagara has lined up a typically scary nonregion schedule that includes perennial powers Tyler Junior College (Texas), San Jacinto South (Texas) and Louisburg (N.C.). As always, the modest team goal is a ticket to the eight-team nationals field. There, the Jaguars are assured attention from four-year colleges. “It's great exposure for the kids,” Zagara says. “If we win it, that's even better.” No ifs, ands or buts there. | |||||||||||
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