DCTC women and men’s soccer teams look ahead to next season
Four Blue Knights soccer players made Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Region XI First Team All-Region.
Freshmen forwards Heather Neurer from Tartan High School and Katie Lucca from Lakeville Southrepresented the women’s team. Lucca, a graphic design major, led the team in regular-season goals with 17. She also had five assists. Neurer, currently undecided about her major, scored six goals with a team-leading nine assists.
Heather Neurer
Katie Lucca
Head Coach Cam Stoltz noted that Lucca and Neurer play well off each other and cause trouble for opponents that try to focus on one or the other. “Katie knows the game,” he said. “She knows when to take on players and how to change speed. Heather was a pleasant surprise. She came in with a lot of experience and doesn’t miss a step.”
Mosses Kabogoza
Chad Dorrian
Freshman fullback Mosses Kabogoza from Kabojja School in Kampala, Uganda, and freshman center midfielder Chad Dorrian from Prior Lake High School represented the men’s team. Dorrian, a business major, led the team in regular-season assists with nine. Kabogoza, also majoring in business, excelled at defense.
Stoltz reported that Kabogoza quickly became one of the best defenders in the league. “He’s smart, reads opponents well and knows when to risk and when to hold off,” he said.
Stoltz went on to praise Dorrian for stepping up when the team was looking for more offensive firepower. “Chad shifted from defender to midfield when we needed to provide more attack.”
Freshman center midfielder Kelli Anderson from Rosemount High School and sophomore sweeper Kate Vanwatermulen from Eagan High School made ICCAC Region XI Women’s Soccer Second Team All-Region. Colette Montgomery and Ashley Jones received Honorable Mention.
Sophomore forwards Vincent Mbibi from Robbinsdale Cooper High School and Geofrey Kalanzi from Kabojja School in Kampala, Uganda, made ICCAC Region XI Men’s Soccer Second Team All-Region. Oscar Villafan and Arnes Habibovic received honorable mention.
With 11 freshmen on the roster, the Lady Knights finished the 2008–2009 season with a 9–9–0 record. They lost 2–1 to Iowa Central Community College in the semifinals of the NJCAA Region XI Tournament.
“We added team speed, goal scorers and goalkeeping,” Stoltz said. “Overall, we performed very well. We challenged for second place in one of the best leagues in two-year college soccer.”
Stoltz seeks to build on the team’s strengths by adding even more team speed and more overall depth. “We are close,” he said, “and we will get there with hard work.”
The men’s team endured a rough 1–6–1 start in a brutal schedule stoked by some of the top teams in the nation. The Knights eventually came together to go 11–7–1, the team’s best season record to date. They lost a 1–0 heartbreaker in double overtime to Iowa Western Community College in the NJCAA Region XI Tournament semifinals. A penalty kick shootout ended the game and DCTC’s season.
“We struggled to score in September,” Stoltz said. “The players stuck it out day by day and learned how to play at the college level, going 10–2–1 in our last 13 games.”
Stoltz stated that returning players can’t wait for spring soccer to start. “We plan to benefit greatly from our current recruiting effort and next year challenge the ICCAC for our first championship.”
All home games in the 2009–2010 season will be played at the new soccer complex on the grounds of the DCTC Rosemount campus. The complex represents a partnership between the college and the city of Rosemount.
Soccer complex rendering
