Holker named MIAC Men's Soccer Coach of Year; 5 Auggies earn conference honors

2006 ALL-MIAC MEN'S SOCCER TEAM -- CLICK HERE

MINNEAPOLIS (11/14/06) -- Augsburg College head coach Greg Holker was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Coach of the Year, joining five Auggies who earned conference honors, it was announced on Monday.

Goalkeeper Pascaul Venter (So., Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) and midfielder James See (So., Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels HS) earned All-MIAC honors, while defender Alex Hildebrandt (Fr., St. Paul, Minn./Highland Park HS) and midfielder Andrew Seidel (So., Woodbury, Minn.) were named honorable-mention all-conference. In addition, defender Cassidy Duerr earned All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team honors.

Holker has led a dynamic rebuilding of the Auggie men's soccer program since being named head coach in 2004. Taking a team that had won just five games in the year before he arrived, Holker's teams have shown strong improvement in each of his three seasons, including this year's 13-3-3 overall record and first-ever berth in the MIAC's four-team postseason playoffs. The Auggies finished 5-2-3 in league play for a third-place conference finish. Holker's career coaching record of 26-22-7 is now third-best in Augsburg history.

The Auggies' 13 wins this season were the second-most in a single season in school history, behind only the 15 wins in the team's MIAC championship season of 1975 (15-2-1), and the 13 points in league play were the most for the Auggies since their last MIAC title season in 1980 (11-1-3 overall, 9-0-3 MIAC, 21 points).

Augsburg had the longest unbeaten/unscored-upon string to start a season in all of NCAA Division III men's soccer this year, a streak that lasted for the first 10 games of the season (8-0-2). Augsburg's consecutive-game shutout streak was halted at 12 games, a span of 1,111:31 (981:31 this season). The streak is the fourth-longest in NCAA Division III history, behind the 17-game streak of Drew (N.J.) in 2003 and the 13-game streaks of St. John's (Minn., 1982) and Muhlenberg (Pa., 1998).

The Auggies' dramatic run this season came from a team with just three seniors and 26 underclassmen -- and all five Auggies who received conference honors this season were underclassmen. Venter and See were two of only six underclassmen to earn spots on the 20-member All-MIAC first team. 

Venter was one of the top goalkeepers in all of NCAA Division III men's soccer in 2006. Venter set a single-season shutout record with 12 this year, breaking the old single-season mark of eight set by Augsburg Athletic Hall-of-Famer Mark Anderson in 1980. His 13 career shutouts are now second-most in school history.

Venter compiled a personal shutout streak of 1,101:05 (929:54 this season and 171:11 from last season), the third-longest individual goalkeeper shutout streak in NCAA Division III history. Peter Boyer of Drew (N.J.) holds the record of 1,428:00, set in 2003, while Terry Leiendecker of St. John's is second with 1,110:00, set in 1982.

As a team, Augsburg set records for most shutouts in a season (14) and lowest goals-against-average (0.30). The Auggies finished the regular season first among all NCAA Division III squads in team save percentage (.945), while Venter finished first in individual save percentage (.943) and third in goals-against-average (0.33).

See established himself as one of the top midfielders in the MIAC, with one goal and two assists for four points in 17 games (15 starts) in 2006. In his two seasons at Augsburg (34 games, 29 starts), he has one goal and three assists for five points.

Hildebrandt was one of only two freshmen to claim a spot among the 36 players who were named either All-MIAC or all-conference honorable-mention. A two-time Minnesota all-state selection and Pioneer Press State Player of the Year in 2005, Hildebrandt immediately stepped into the starting lineup as an outside back, starting 18 games and contributing three goals and three assists for nine points.

Seidel was the team's leading scorer for the second year in a row, with six goals and five assists for 17 points. Among MIAC players in overall play, Seidel finished tied for seventh in points and ninth in goals. In his two seasons at Augsburg (37 games, 31 starts), Seidel has nine goals and 12 assists for 30 career points. His 12 career assists are now seventh-most in school history. 

Duerr was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the conference is establishing sportsmanship teams in each league sport. Members are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

Duerr, an All-MIAC first-team selection last year, appeared in 19 games, starting 14 as a central back on the Auggie defense. He has appeared in 37 games (31 starts) in his two seasons as an Auggie.

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Augsburg College, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III.

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