Bryan College Triangle

By Kat Frazier
Staff Reporter 

As the weather grows cooler and Christmas Break rounds the corner Bryan’s soccer field remains calm, void of crazy fans and game-winning goals.

The varsity men’s season ended after an upsetting 4-1 loss to Tennessee Wesleyan (Athens, Tenn.) in the AAC Tournament Semifinals. The Lions finished the season with an overall record of 12-4-2 and a 6-1-1 record in conference play. They ranked #2 in the AAC and #30 in the NAIA at season’s end.

Coach Joey Johnson was named Coach of the Year. Junior Rasheed Malcolm, Senior Johannes Müller, Freshman Josh Oldroyd, and Sophomore Gustavo Angel Tamayo were named to the All-Conference First Team. All-Conference Second Team honors went to Senior Nate Adams and Junior Jorge Gonzalez Giron. Scotland natives Senior Jordan Devlin and Senior Richard Kirk were named to the All-Conference Third Team, and Jordan Devlin, RasheedMalcolm, Sophomore Alan da Costa, Senior Tom Hemmings, Benedikt Müller, and Johannes Müller were named to the Academic All-Conference Team. At the end of the AAC Tournament Nate Adams and Johannes Müller were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Tom Hemmings was selected as a 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete. Hemmings, along with Jordan Devlin, Rasheed Malcolm, and Johannes Müller were selected for the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District® Men’s Soccer Team (District 4 College Division’s 1st Team).

The varsity women’s season ended after a 1-0 loss to St. Andrews (Laurinburg, N.C.) in the opening round of the AAC Tournament. The Lady Lions closed the season with an overall record of 3-14-1 and a conference record of 2-6-1. They ranked #9 in the AAC after the season ended 

The Lady Lions earned 12 AAC Awards. Junior Goalkeeper Stephanie Gagnon was named All-Conference First Team, while Senior Lauren Bowling and Freshman Kristin Bryant were named All-Conference Second Team and All-Conference Third Team respectfully. The honor of Academic All-Conference Team goes to Lauren Bowling, Senior Hannah Griggs, Junior Dorie Fleming, Junior Lauren Gocke, Sophomore Ashley Jordan, Junior Alex Lewis, Senior Yuri Lopez, Junior Faithe Stout, and Sophomore Morgan Thompson.

Hannah Griggs, Faithe Stout, and Junior Jenna Rajala were named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athletes.

By Josiah Newport
Staff Reporter

This past week was a busy one for the Bryan Lion’s men and women’s soccer teams.

Last Tuesday, the Lady Lions traveled to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Lady Trojans of Trevecca Nazarene University. They lost 3-0, falling to 1-5 on the season. Junior keeper Stephanie Gagnon recorded eight saves for the Lady Lions.

That same day, the men’s team traveled up the road to Cleveland, Tenn., where they had their annual battle against the #18 ranked Flames of Lee University. Last year, the Flames downed the Lions 3-0 at Bryan, but the Lions had a different agenda for this season.

The game started slow, but in the 28th minute Senior Johannes Müller finished a through ball from fellow Senior Tom Hemmings to put the Lions in front. Goals from Seniors Tom Hemmings and Nate Adams, Junior Gustavo Angel Tamayo, and Freshman Miles Christian secured the Lions a 5-0 victory over the #18 Flames. The Lions recorded 13 shots, with 8 on goal, while the Flames also recorded 13 shots, 6 on goal. Sophomore keeper Josh Oldroyd was a force between the sticks for the Lions, recording 5 saves for his second shutout of the year.

On Saturday, Point University, from Atlanta, Ga., traveled to Bryan for match-ups between the men and women’s teams.

The men’s teams kicked off in the 5 p.m. game. The Lions started strong, with Junior Jorge Gonzalez finishing a loose ball in the box in the 6th minute.

However, they failed to put the game out of reach until midway through the second half. Adams and fellow Senior Andrew Knighten both scored to give the Lions a 3-0 victory. Oldroyd recorded his third shutout.

The Lions’ shot count was 36, with 21 on goal. The Skyhawks managed just 7 shots, with only 4 on goal.

In the night game, Lady Lions squared off against the Lady Skyhawks

Ashley Johnson found the net from the penalty spot just before halftime to give the Lady Lions the lead. However, the Skyhawks managed to tie the game midway through the second half. At full time, the game remained at 1-1. Towards the end of the game, a questionable no-call robbed the Lady Lions of a penalty to win the game. Two periods of overtime were played and still no score was reached, leaving the game tied.

Both the men and women’s teams played on the road at Union College this Wednesday.

In the most recent (September 18) NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, the men’s team is ranked 23rd in the nation, with a record of 4-1-0.

Sherwood, Bardales, Angel, Hays, Devlin to play for newly formed team this summer

Five Bryan Lions will play for a semi-pro team in West Virginia this summer, including rising senior Jordan Devlin / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Editor

Bryan College’s soccer program profiles itself as a talent pool for (semi-)professional soccer, as three former and two current Lions’ players made the roster of the Premier Development League Southern West Virginia King’s Warriors (Beckley, W. Va.) for its inaugural season.

“I can’t wait to play at the next level after college,” said senior Harry Sherwood. “I have extremely high expectations for this summer.”

The Southern West Virginia King’s Warriors are a sports ministry of The Nehemiah Group, Inc., a Christian non-profit organization based in Forest Hill, W. Va. The King’s Warriors will compete in the South-Atlantic Division of the PDL, the top developmental men’s league in North America. Read full story »

Players from both Montreat and Bryan react to a corner kick at Saturday night's championship game / Photo courtesy of Dave Houghton

Catherine Rogers
Editor-In-Chief

Appearing at the final round of the AAC conference tournament (Milligan, Tenn.) for the third year in a row, Bryan men’s soccer ended their season on Saturday night, losing a game, 4-2, that was the last many players on the team would play as Bryan Lions.

Competing against the Cavaliers of Montreat College (N.C.), who faced the Lions in the final round of the 2009 conference championship, the Lions played valiantly, willing a win.

“We out-played and out-possessed them,” said senior Garrett Lemons, who has been an avid Lions spectator all his four years at Bryan. “Montreat was completely out-classed by our boys, we just couldn’t finish.” Read full story »

Players on Saturday prepare for a corner kick on Union College's goal / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Dan Jackson
Online Assistant Editor

“These are the games that the players remember,” said Michael Palmer, professor of communications, who was watching Saturday’s battle from the sidelines.

In the first round of the AAC-playoffs, Bryan College men’s soccer team hosted Union College (Barbourville, Ky.). After a shaky start ending in a 2-2 tie at the end of the first half, the Lions roared forward, eventually ending the game 8-3. Read full story »