BAY CITY, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State University head coach Cale Wassermann was named 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference "Coach of the Year", while junior defender Zach Myers was named "Defensive Player of the Year" today by the conference office. Five Cardinals total were named to All-GLIAC Teams.
Wassermann is in his second season as head coach of the men's soccer program at Saginaw Valley State University. He is the first full-time head coach at SVSU and finished his debut season with nine wins, four more than the previous year. In 2011, Cale has lead his nationally ranked squad to a 12-win regular season and Saginaw Valley's first ever GLIAC Men's Soccer Championship. Wassermann is a former SVSU standout, having played four years of soccer for the Cardinals and being named First Team All-GLIAC in 2004 and 2005.
Myers started in all 18 matches this season, his third with the SVSU men's soccer program. Myers and the rest of the defense have allowed just 17 goals in 18 games, leading the Cardinal men's soccer program to their first GLIAC Men's Soccer Championship in school history. Myers has tallied two goals and two assists this season on 18 shots, including the game-winner at Ohio Dominican in a big 4-3 win for the Cardinals.
Four other Cardinals joined Myers on All-GLIAC teams. Sophomore forward Zach Walega (Saline, Mich.) was also selected to the First Team, while the trio of Tyler Channell (Troy, Mich./Athens HS), Lachlan Savage (Canton, Mich./Plymouth Salem HS) and Jason Wise (Troy, Mich.) were selected to the Second Team.
Walega is tied for the team lead with 17 points and seven goals scored this season. Channell, a freshman forward, has netted six goals and is also tied for the team lead with 17 points this season. Savage, a sophomore midfielder, has found the back of the net seven times this season and is also tied for the team lead with 17 points this season. Wise, a junior goalkeeper, has lead the Cardinals in goal all season, picking up 12 wins and posting six shutouts in his first season of action.
The Cardinals are currently ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Midwest Soccer Regionals and No. 14 in the nation in the coaches poll. They will host the 2011 GLIAC Men's Soccer Championship on November 3 and 5 at the SVSU Soccer Complex on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University.
