Three members of the Lakeland men’s soccer team garnered All-Northern Athletics Conference honors as the league announced the 2011 All-NAC Men’s Soccer team Nov. 9.
Senior forward Jeremy Hardy and junior goalkeeper Alex Piekarski were named First Team All-NAC and freshman forward Paul Elzinga was named to the All-Freshmen squad.
Hardy found the net eleven times this season – tied for first in the conference – and twice scored hat tricks. His first hat trick came in the team’s first conference game, away at Rockford. Down 2-1 in the 89th minute of a game reffed so atrociously that team captains Adam Benson, Bobby Rublee, and Ben Koepsell felt compelled to make every other word they said vulgar, Hardy dribbled to the end line and, with no angle whatsoever, lofted a shot upper ninety to equalize. In extra time, Hardy found himself in front of the net and laced a ball into the side-netting, and an on-field celebration to end all on-field celebrations ensued.
He commented on his award.
“It feels great to see results from the work that I put in the past four years and this past offseason,” said Hardy. “I also want to thank my teammates and fellow seniors for helping me get better.”
Piekarski recorded 101 saves, the second most in conference, and four shutouts. Perhaps one of his best showings – and indeed the Lakeland defense’s best showings – came Oct. 8 against the top-ranked team in the region, the Dominican Stars. Piekarski saved ten shots in the game against the possession-oriented Stars offense. In the second half, a Dominican player crossed a ball to the far post, where a teammate sure to head it in waited, but Piekarski backpedaled and managed to tip the ball over the bar to keep the score deadlocked. Dominican finally scored in extra time, but after the game their coach shook Piekarski’s hand like mad, clearly impressed, and in a post-season interview Lakeland Coach Tony Pierce, a Hall of Fame goalkeeper for the Milwaukee Wave, called Piekarski an “iron man.”
“It is bittersweet because a goalie is only as good as his defense and for Rublee and [Joey] Salazar not to be honored is a shame,” Piekarski said. “This award reflects their achievements as well.”
Elzinga started in eight of Lakeland’s 16 games. For a few games at the end of the season, a concussion sidelined him. When he was in the lineup, Elzinga scored two goals and had one assist. His technical skills and willingness to take risks shone, and on more than one occasion he made ambitious tackles that left onlookers puzzled as to how he avoided getting booked.
“To be all-conference I feel truly honored, and look forward to next season,” he said.
No Lakeland players made the All-Sportsmanship team.
Lakeland finished the season with an 8-7-3 record, which marked the team’s first winning season since 2008. The team had 33 goals and 19 assists, which ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the college’s record book.