The Advance

Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: News

Nykollet Leyva on senior night against Tabor. -Photo by Chanelle Sheets

Art Guizar looks to play in the midfield. -Photo by Anna Flores

When Kansas Wesleyans soccer teams entered conference play with a combined five wins and eleven losses, the only people who didn't seem to worry were the Coyotes themselves.

After starting off their seasons struggling to get into the win column, both the men and women's soccer teams have emerged as one of the elite programs in the KCAC and back into the national spotlight with the women holding strong to the No. 23 national ranking and the men on the bubble and receiving votes.

The women started their season off with a 3-5-1 record entering conference play, after scoring 14 goals in their next two games; the women would come up big again in overtime against a tough McPherson squad, who finished third in the KCAC.
The women would continue their winning streak and eventually extend it to nine games, none bigger than the win against Southwestern College which secured the women their third straight KCAC conference championship and 27 straight victories against KCAC opponents.

Due to their success, the women placed seven players on the All-KCAC team. Heather Muilenburg received her second straight KCAC offensive player of the year award and Marisa Brownell received her second straight KCAC defensive player of the year award.
Five KWU players were named to the All-KCAC First Team including Heather Muilenburg, Marisa Brownell, Eliana Parada, Holly Fulton and Kat Benton.

Stacey Lastra earned Second Team All-KCAC honors and Hannah Kern was selected to the Honorable Mention team.

The men opened their season a little differently than the women, winning only two of their first nine games and going to overtime three out of five games.

Although they opened their season with a 2-6-1 record, the men caught fire in the KCAC, rolling through the competition. The coyotes scored 47 goals during their nine game winning streak and only allowed one.
Led by the superb play of Jose Garay, Robert Carrillo, and Juan Mundo, the men secured their second straight KCAC conference title after defeating Tabor College 4-0 back on October 28th.

Garay finished the season on top of the KCAC leader board in goals with 17 and 5th in assists with six. His consistent offensive barrage earned Garay the KCAC offensive player of the year award.

Mundo was the sweeper for this tough Kansas Wesleyan defense which only conceded one goal in KCAC play, allowing Mundo to earn the KCAC defensive player of the year award.
Leading the KCAC with a .12 goals against average, Carrillo earned the KCAC goalkeeper of the year award for his 28 saves and impressive performance in the net in which he recorded five shutouts.

Carrillo, Mundo, Derek Dodrill and Garay were all First Team All-KCAC selections. Jonathan McCormick and Mario Rodriguez earned Second Team All-KCAC honors; while Daniel Hill was selected Honorable Mention.
Head Coach Mike Dibbini earned the KCAC coach of the year award for both the men and women.

The two teams will continue their run at a national championship Friday November 14, the women at noon and the men at five.

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