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Barons’ men’s soccer outlook rosy

MOUNT VERNON—The Brewton-Parker College men’s soccer team added 11 freshmen to their 2006 line up. 
“This is the future of the team, and it’s a bright future,” said Bill Glass, Brewton-Parker Head Soccer Coach.
Among the new players is a quintet from Florida. Defender Jake Giannini, midfielder Mike McDonald and goalkeeper Mike Gibbs all played on the 2005 Middleburg High School team that finished second in the Florida Class 4-A State Soccer Tournament. The other two Floridians are midfielder Brian Peyton, a former Florida ODP player, and defender Nathan Knight, who was captain of the Marion County High School team in 2005 and played club soccer for Treasure Coast United. 
Of course, Georgia is home to many of the new recruits. Midfielder Sage Lauderdale hails from McDonough where he played for Henry County High School and for his club team, the Henry County Thunder. Another freshman, forward Pedro Hoyos, is from Newnan and played for East Coweta High School and for AFC Lighting’s Premier team. Hoyos’ friend, Sean Boggs, plays defense and is also from Newnan, where he played varsity soccer for Newnan High School.
Forward Lukas Suzano from Marion, Ind., is the son of Professor Armenio Suzano, a distinguished member of the Brewton-Parker College faculty.
The Barons’ freshmen will also feature two international players. Defender Andy Allison is from Paisley, Scotland. He played soccer for St. Andrews for four years and for his amateur club, Aidrie United. From the other end of the world comes Jose Vera Aray, a native of Ecuador, who plays defense. 
“It is great to have players here from overseas,” said Glass. “We learn a lot from them, and they get a chance to experience a different culture from their own.”
Notable returning players for 2006 include senior midfielder Julian Bedoya of Mount Vernon; sophomore forward Jerome Sinclair of Macon; senior midfielder Carlos Ortiz of Snellville; junior Dereck Johnson, a defender from St. James, Trinidad; sophomore goal keeper Nick Rodriquez of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; and, sophomore defender David Alvara of Waycross. Junior midfielder Jon Pat Vanden Dooren of Tallahassee, Fla., and sophomore forward Josh Davis of Richmond Hill, who were both red-shirted in 2005, will be on the active roster in 2006.
Coach Glass explains that the returning players form the backbone of the team. 
“They are a strong group,” Glass said. “For example, Vanden Dooren graduated from Leon High School in Tallahasse, where he holds the record of most career assists. He was a Florida All-State player from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, he was named Florida 3-A All-State Player of the Year. The Barons will benefit from the strong leadership of (these) returning players.”
The Barons’ men come off a 5-11-2 season, and Glass will be in his first year coaching them. Glass has coached the women at BPC since 2003. 
Several key players left the men’s team last year, including senior striker Corey Herron of Tallahassee, who scored four goals for the Barons in 2005, and junior sweeper Etchu Tabe of Cameroon. Freshman forward Chad Wyatt of Dublin departed after scoring five goals during the 2005 campaign, adding two assists. Midfielder Jonathan Gustard of Kingston, Jamaica, who had two assists, graduated, as did starting goalkeeper Zach Brunner of Lancaster, Calif., and midfielder Raul Buenrostro of Atlanta who tallied one goal and one assist in 2005. Striker Luis Ramirez of Houston, Texas, will red shirt in 2006; he had nine goals for the Barons last season.
“We will sorely miss the seven starters who will not be with us this year,” said Glass, “but this means that our freshmen will now have the chance to gain valuable college soccer playing experience.”
The Barons face a challenging schedule including Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) powerhouse Lee University, perennial SSAC favorite Auburn University-Montgomery, North Georgia College & State University, a strong NCAA Division II program, Montevallo University another strong D-II, and several nationally-ranked out-of-conference NAIA opponents, including Flagler College, Thomas University and Spring Hill. 
“This will be a challenging schedule in light of the injuries we have sustained during the pre-season and the eligibility issues we faced,” said Glass. “Nevertheless, we have a solid group of players here who have come together during the pre-season to form a very cohesive team. They will not be intimidated by anyone.”
The Barons will play their final exhibition match of the pre-season in Savannah against SCAD on Wednesday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, they will hit the road for Rome and a 3 p.m. season opening contest with Berry College. After Berry, the Barons head over to Montevallo, Ala., for a Monday appointment with the University of Montevallo. The match is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
 
—BPC—