2009 season preview

Northwestern Hopes to Return to National Tournament

In Coach Swier’s initial campaign, Northwestern finished 9-8-2 in 2008 and went 6-4-2 in GPAC contests, finishing in sixth place. The Raiders advanced to the semi-final contest of the GPAC tournament before exiting, defeating Doane 1-0 on penalty kicks following two overtime periods.

The 2009 squad returns four starters, two part-time starters and seven letter winners. Among the starters are two All-GPAC senior performers; first team defender, Tyler Sytsma, and second team forward Aaron O’Brien. Sytsma has twice been a first team All-GPAC defender, once a second team All-GPAC defender, and was an honorable mention All-American in 2007. O’Brien led the team in goals and assists last season, with nine and seven respectively. O’Brien has also twice been named All-GPAC honorable mention. O’Brien is seven goals away from second all-time at Northwestern in goals scored and 11 points away from second all-time in points.

Sytsma and O’Brien will be joined by junior Ben Karnish as the team’s captains this season. Coach Swier says, “All three are good at coaching their teammates on the field in practice and in games, but they are also captains because they lead with their play on the field, they play with high intensity and have a high desire for the team to be successful.”

Here is a look at the team by position;
Forward: O’Brien has played well enough to be the third leading scorer in Northwestern history and there is no reason to believe he cannot keep climbing the ladder. “We relied on Aaron too much last season,” said Coach Swier. “We need to relieve some of the scoring pressure on him and we believe Jonathan Taves can do at striker. That should create more scoring opportunities for Aaron and our offense in general.”

Midfielder:Northwestern returns two starters in Ben Karnish and Jordan Born and a part-time starter in Aron Pall at midfield. Freshman Mario Garcia will figure into the mix at midfield as well. Swier said, “We return some players with big game experience and we think Karnish can be a difference maker for us.”

Defender:Sytsma will be the only returner back from the 2008 squad, but with 60 games under his belt, he will provide great leadership in the back. Dereck Ball and Ben Hoogeveen will also provide game experience to the defense. “This position was our biggest concern going into the season but our defenders have stepped up and we are very comfortable with where we are right now,” said Swier.

Goalkeeper:Jeff Lanser is the front runner to anchor the defense in goal. Last season, Lanser started three games and collected two shut-outs, finishing with a goals against average of 0.67 and a record of 2-1. “Jeff has made great improvements since coming to Northwestern,” said Coach Swier. “We don’t expect any drop off in the goalkeeper play this season.” A new face will be coaching the goalkeepers this season as Morgan Swier will coach the keepers for the men and women. “We are happy to have an all-region goalkeeper working with the men and women,” said Dan Swier. “We can never underestimate the value of a goalkeepers coach on staff and she should help with Jeff’s transition to a full-time starter this season.”

Northwestern opens the 2009 season at the Judson University Classic; taking on Judson and Embry Riddle before hosting the Pizza Ranch Classic versus Grand View and Mt. Mercy. Judson and Grand View both qualified for the National Tournament in 2008 and will test the Red Raiders early. In the GPAC, Northwestern will face challenges throughout the season, playing Hastings in game two and ending the regular season with Doane. “The Doane game to finish the season will no doubt have playoff implications again this season, I hope we can show up, play with energy, and not take any games ‘off’ in 2009,” said Swier.

Northwestern is picked to finish seventh by the league coaches, but Swier states that Northwestern’s goal is to finish in the top three and be one if the two teams to make the National Tournament. “Team chemistry is high and success could be attributed relationships built during a challenging training camp. We are looking forward to seeing how this group of guys will play on the field,” Swier commented.