Ancilla College Charger Soccer News

Huard is one of the most decorated prep stars to ever sign with the Chargers.  The striker was a two-time ISCA All-State selection for Munster High School, earning third team status his junior year and second team status his senior year under Mustangs coach Jim Prasopoulos.

Known for his excellent pace and finishing, Huard made an impact immediately at the varsity level as a freshman, collecting 15 goals and 6 assists.  Over the course of his varsity career, he has amassed 57 goals and 21 assists.

Huard has been a 1st Team All-Conference selection all four years for the Mustangs, helping them win sectionals each year and reach the semi-state championship in 2008.  He has also been a 1st Team All-District selection his junior and senior years, and was an honorable mention pick his freshman year.

His junior season, Huard was selected by both The Times and The Post-Tribune newspapers as the Northwest Indiana Player of the Year.

He is a former state and regional Olympic Developmental Program member and has played club ball for both the Chicago Magic and their affiliate, the Indiana Magic.

“We really wanted to address our goal scoring this offseason and Anthony gives us a fantastic answer to that issue,” said Ancilla soccer coach James Drzewiecki.  “He’s an absolutely gifted player and one who should make a major impact upon his arrival.  It’s just been a pleasure getting to know him and his family, and we’re very excited about his future here at Ancilla.”

Lomeli and Kabella are both seniors at Crown Point High School, where they play for Bulldogs head coach J.R. Rosenbaum.

Lomeli, a midfielder, was selected to the All-Conference team for the Duneland Conference, arguably one of the toughest conferences in the state for soccer.  An Indiana State ODP pool member for the ’92 age group, Lomeli finished second on the team in scoring with four goals and six assists.

“Silvestre is an exciting player to watch with exceptional ball skills and great vision on the field,” said Rosenbaum.  “He has the ability to read the game at a higher level than your typical forward and puts himself in dangerous positions over and over.  He has filled an important role for us over the past few years and will be missed as he moves on to represent the Chargers next season.”

Kabella, a striker, has been somewhat of a late bloomer for the Bulldogs.  Voted as Crown Point’s Most Improved Player by his teammates this year, Kabella finished third in scoring for the Bulldogs with four goals and three assists.  He bagged two game winning goals this season against Merrillville and Mishawaka Marian and was selected as the Crown Point High School Athlete of the Week for his breakout performance against Merrillville, contributing two goals and two assists in a 5-3 victory.

“Johnny is a hard working forward with loads of potential,” said Rosenbaum.  “He is an incredibly selfless player and is more concerned with the success of the team than his own personal success.  He has progressed immensely over the past season and helped set the tone for us by showing our underclassmen that hard work can translate into success.”

Ancilla men’s soccer coach James Drzewiecki echoed Rosenbaum’s sentiments and is confident that both players will strengthen an already potent attack for the Chargers.

Parr is a former goalkeeper for Mavericks coach Mike Etzkorn and teammate of current Ancilla freshman Steven Manzano.

During his time at McCutcheon, Parr helped the Mavericks win the Knights Cup, hosted by Lafayette Central Catholic.

An active keeper on the indoor circuit, Parr has been a regular in the FC Indiana Indoor Soccer League.  He will now look to make the full transition to the outdoor game for a Chargers squad that set a program record in 2009 for least goals conceded in a season.

Parr has also been active in the community, volunteering as a head coach for a recreational U6 soccer team, and helping coordinate events to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation.

Koesters, a 2008 graduate, is the first player to sign for the 2010 season with the Chargers.

As a midfielder, Koesters was a highly decorated player at Carroll.  In addition to earning 1st Team All-Ohio status for Division 2 in 2007, he was selected to the NSCAA/Adidas All-Region IV team, placing him amongst the best soccer players from West Virginia to Michigan.

Koesters led Carroll in 2007 with 17 goals on the year while chipping in with 18 assists in 20 matches.  Carroll won the district title and shared the Greater Catholic League North division title that year, finishing 15-4-2 on the season.

Over the course of three seasons on varsity, Koesters helped Carroll post a record of 49-8-4, picking up 40 goals and 26 assists along the way.  Carroll won two district titles and a region championship during that time.

He joins a Chargers team that finished runner-up to NJCAA #3 Schoolcraft College for the MCCAA title in only Ancilla’s third year of offering men’s soccer.

December 3: Ancilla’s Huesca Honored by NJCAA
Ancilla College soccer player Tim Huesca (Schererville, IN/Lake Central HS) has been honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with the NJCAA Leader for Life Student-Athlete of the Week award, the College announced on Thursday.

The award was designed to spotlight student-athletes based on their leadership and community involvement, as well as athletic and academic achievements.

As the recipient of the award, Huesca is currently featured on the NJCAA’s web show, entitled NJCAA 360, located on the home page of www.njcaa.org.

“We don’t give this award every week,” said Mark Krug, Director of Sports Information and Media Relations at the NJCAA.  “It takes a very credible nomination for us to do this and Tim’s was very worthy.”

Huesca serves as President of the Beta Beta Beta chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, the men’s soccer representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and also is a member of the Student Development Committee.

In addition to his academic and athletic commitments, Huesca has volunteered to work with local youth soccer players, help with the Phi Theta Kappa food drive, and help organize the Phi Theta Kappa book collection for schools in Africa.

He has been on the Dean’s List every semester, carries a 3.72 GPA, and has been previously selected as the Ancilla College Student of the Month.

Athletically, Huesca has been a two-year starter at left back for the Chargers, helping the team set numerous program records in 2009 for overall victories (9), overall winning percentage (.600), conference winning percentage (.750), least goals allowed (26), and least shots on goal allowed (106).

He is still weighing his options as to which four-year school he plans to transfer to.  Huesca is currently pursuing a degree in education with aspirations of becoming an administrator.

November 30: Ancilla College’s Major Signs Professional Contract
Former Ancilla College soccer player Travis Major has signed a professional contract with Blacktown City Demons of Australia’s New South Wales Premier League.

Major, a native of Greystanes, New South Wales, is a long time member of the Demons youth system, recently earning induction into the Demons Century Club for representing the club in over 100 matches at all levels.

The 19-year-old left Ancilla following his freshman year in 2009 to rejoin the club at the U/20’s level.  Though he missed the first several matches of the season, Major quickly made his impact felt at Demons.

“Coming home from overseas I immediately got off to a flying start,” said Major.  “I was originally told that I had a chance of earning a contract with the first grade at the end of the season.  I had not contemplated that because I was still eligible to play another year in the U/20’s competition.  The only thing I had to do was prove to the coach in a match that I was worthy enough to warrant a contract.”

Used as a center back, Major shored up a backline that had been leaking in goals to the opposition, earning multiple shutouts off the bat.  Despite playing the furthest back of all the field players, Major still showed his nose for the goal, recording three goals and three assists in just 15 matches.

Midway through the season, he was awarded the team’s captaincy, and responded by leading Demons to the title of Minor Premiers, given to the club that posts the best regular season record.

He earned a call-up and made his first grade debut on Aug. 3, 2009, coming on in the 85th minute in a 4-2 victory at Wollongong Community FC.

Major was the only player from the U/20’s that was offered a first grade contract with Demons, and will be the youngest of all players on the Demons roster. 

He has been training with the first grade squad since Nov. 21 in preparation for the Feb. 28, 2010, opener against A.P.I.A.-Leichhardt Tigers at Gabbie Stadium, the home grounds of Demons.

“The preseason training with the first grade is the hardest thing I’ve ever physically had to do,” said Major, who is competing for the starting right fullback spot under Demons manager Aytek Genc, a former Australian international.

“Spending time playing soccer in America allowed me to learn a whole new style of play.  The Americans play a lot more in your face, but at the same time it was very physical which took some getting used to.  Playing up front for Ancilla and now being a defender for Blacktown, I now have a much better understanding of what the strikers will do and how I personally can mark them.”

The 6’2” Aussie was vital in transforming Ancilla into a legitimate conference power, taking the second year program from a 2-6-0 finish in conference in 2007 to a 6-4-0 finish in 2008.

Major was voted by his peers as Ancilla’s 2008 Player of the Year after posting 15 goals and 5 assists on the season while playing both midfield and striker for the Chargers.

He finished runner-up in NJCAA Region 12 Player of the Year voting behind Lakeland Community College’s Kwesi Peterson, a Trinidad youth international, and received the most votes of any player from the Michigan Community College Athletic Association.

He still holds a number of records at Ancilla, including goals in a season (15), points in a season (35), points in a match (9), and fastest recorded hat trick (19 minutes).

November 3: Ancilla Trio Earns All-Region Honors
Three members of the Ancilla College men’s soccer team have been selected to the NJCAA All-Region 12 teams, the College announced on Tuesday.

Midfielder and sophomore captain Rudy Baldetti was named 1st Team All-Region 12 while fellow sophomore midfielder Bichara Souleimane and freshman striker Andre Hilson were named 2nd Team All-Region 12.

All three were also selected as 1st Team All-Conference in the MCCAA for their efforts on the year.

“They deserve to be recognized,” said Ancilla coach James Drzewiecki.  “All three are very talented young men and they were a big part of our success this year.  What we have to keep in mind is that this is the most we’ve ever had selected to these teams, and that simply wouldn’t happen if all our young men didn’t put in the effort they did.  From top to bottom, this was our best team to date, and every member of our team should take pride that we were honored like this.”

Baldetti closes his career as the third leading scorer in Ancilla College history, finishing with eight goals and eight assists.  After playing sweeper his freshman year and the first three matches of 2009, the Highland native moved to center midfield and became a major threat to the opposition’s goal.  He recorded at least one point in eight of his final 11 regular season matches, setting a record for consecutive matches with an assist (4) and tying the record for consecutive matches with a goal (3).

He recorded two multi-goal efforts on the year – September 16 in a 3-0 win at Kellogg CC and October 22 in a 3-0 home victory over the University of Saint Francis.  He also tied a school record with three assists in a single match on October 7 in a 7-0 victory over Kellogg, a game in which he also scored for the Chargers.  He finished tied for third in scoring in the MCCAA this season with 20 points on seven goals and six assists.

Souleimane, a Fort Wayne resident, played behind Baldetti in the holding midfield slot and was often assigned the role of marking the opposition’s best attacker.  A native of Chad, Central Africa, Souleimane recorded five goals and one assist on the year and finished with six goals and three assists for his career.  He scored the match winner in a 4-2 win at Jackson CC on September 23rd, a result that was vital to Ancilla qualifying for the postseason.  He also recorded the first multi-goal match of his career on October 7 against Kellogg, scoring in the 31st and 38th minutes for the Chargers.

Hilson, a Bremen resident, emerged as a major scoring threat in the conference in 2009, finishing second in the MCCAA with nine goals and third in overall scoring with 20 points.  A striker known for his exceptional pace, Hilson recorded at least one point in eight of his 15 matches.  He recorded the second fastest hat trick in Ancilla history on October 7 against Kellogg, recording all three of his goals by only the 34th minute of the match.  Hilson followed that up on October 14 with one goal and one assist in a 2-1 victory over Jackson, securing Ancilla a berth in the Region 12 playoffs for the first time in program history.

November 2: Ancilla Bows Out in Region Semi-finals
The Ancilla College men’s soccer team was eliminated from the postseason on Saturday, falling to NJCAA #13 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College by a score of 2-0.

Dylan Hoop scored twice for the OCCAC champion Surge (16-2-1), who advanced to play NJCAA #5 Schoolcraft College in the NJCAA Region 12 final on Sunday.

The Chargers (9-6-0) were making their first appearance in the Region 12 tournament in program history, and were winners of nine of their last 11 matches, with their only setbacks in that period both coming to Schoolcraft.

The match, originally scheduled to be played on grass fields at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, OH, was moved late in the week due to inclement weather to the artificial-surfaced Rival Sports Facility in Lorain, OH.

For the Surge, who played a majority of their home matches on artificial turf, it was likely a welcomed change.  They wasted little time taking advantage of an Ancilla squad that hadn’t played any matches on turf this year, pressuring the Chargers into a high number of turnovers early in the match.

In only the 3rd minute, Hoop collected a pass from Grant Kercher and released a quick shot from midfield.  His effort skipped off an Ancilla defender, changing directions on Chargers keeper Adam Calhoun and rolling in for a 1-0 lead.

Cincinnati continued to apply pressure and doubled their lead in the 26th minute as Kercher once again found Hoop for his second goal of the match.

Ancilla managed to regroup at halftime and began to win the battles for possession and territory.  Repeated efforts by Rudy Baldetti, Luis Delgado, Michael Lobbo, Andre Hilson, and Brooks McDonald were turned away by Surge keeper Austin Morgan, however, as Cincinnati held on for the victory.