Bowling Green State University Athletics
Men's Soccer To Begin 2000 Season In Omaha
August 28, 2000 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2000
The Bowling Green State University men's soccer team begins its 2000 season this weekend at the Diadora Challenge in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Falcons face Southwest Missouri State in the tournament's first game at 5 p.m. (Central) on Saturday (Sept. 2). The Bears were ranked 13th in the 2000 NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) pre-season poll after recording a 17-1-3 mark in 1999. SMS defeated Evansville and Bradley to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, but fell to Alabama-Birmingham, 2-1, in the NCAA College Cup.
Senior goalkeeper Mark Modersohn played every minute last year for SMS and recorded a 0.84 goals-against average with eight shutouts. Senior forward Mike Williams is the top returning goal scorer (9) and point scorer (23) for the Bears. Coach Jon Leamy has a 94-53-8 record in eight seasons in Springfield, Missouri.
The second game of the tournament on Saturday has tournament host Creighton University, ranked 21st in the country, facing 12th-ranked Washington. The pairings for Sunday have SMS playing Washington at 5 p.m. (Central), while the Falcons face the BlueJays at 7:30 p.m. (Central).
Creighton compiled an 11-5-2 record last season and lost to Southern Methodist, 2-1 2OT, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Bluejays return 15 letterwinners led by sophomore forward Mike Tranchilla (5-5--15) and senior forward Brian Mullen (4-8--16). Junior Mike Gabb (115 minutes last year) is battling three freshmen and a transfer (Guido Leon/Valparaiso) for the No. 1 job.
BGSU coach Mel Mahler has 13 returning letterwinners led by a seven-member senior class of forward Tommy Thomas (Elida, OH/Elida), midfielders Gene Braxton (Cincinnati, OH/Turpin), Chris Kraft (N. Olmsted, OH), Matt Lyons (Maineville, OH/Cincinnati Moeller) and Zac Olson (Mason, MI), and defenders Adam Erhard (N. Olmsted, OH) and Fred Degand (Highland Park, IL/Deerfield).
Other returning letterwinners include junior defender Tony Malik (Parma, OH/Padua Franciscan), junior forward Detrick Matthews (Bellefontaine, OH/Hope-Rio Rancho, NM), junior midfielders Mike Tinajero (Findlay, OH), Benjamin Vaccaro (Kent, OH/Roosevelt) and Kevin Wisniewski (N. Olmsted, OH), and sophomore midfielder Matthew Leardini (Youngstown, NY/Lewiston-Porter). Adam Schokora (Clinton Township, MI/De La Salle), a defender, lettered in 1998 but was a medical redshirt in 1999.
Redshirt freshmen include goalkeeper Mike Began (Broadview Hts., OH/Brecksville-Broadview Hts.) and defender Matthew Martinka (Newton, NJ). Newcomers to the program include Cleveland State transfer Tim Butler (Broadview Hts., OH/Brecksville-Broadview Hts.), freshmen forwards Deryck Freudeman (Dublin, OH/Scioto), Joshua Racette (Pickerington, OH) and Scott Tilford (Cincinnati, OH/McNicholas), midfielders P.J. Behan (Toledo, OH/St. Francis) and Michael Lopez (Perrysburg, OH), and goalkeeper David DeGraff (Naperville, IL/Central).
The Falcons finished the 1999 campaign with a 8-10-1 overall mark, and a league ledger of 4-2-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
