BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- A trio of Ouachita Baptist Men’s Soccer players earned a spot on the 2010 Preseason Gulf South Conference Men’s Soccer Team in senior defender Alex Tonrey, sophomore midfielder Rizvan Ceka and sophomore forward Sergiu Postolache, conference officials announced on Wednesday.
The Tigers have also been picked to finish fourth overall with 12 points, behind leader West Florida with 25 points, followed by Christian Brothers (21), Alabama-Huntsville (13), Ouachita, Harding (12) and Delta State (7). Incoming transfer J.T. Goodrum (Nacogdoches, Texas; Appalachian State University) was also named to the 2010 Top Newcomers list.
“Last year we took an important step for the program and I can tell my players are ready to continue pushing forward,” Ouachita Head Coach Alex Denning said. “We have a very young team still but they now are full of experience and this will set us up for some great seasons to come. The schedule we have is set up to have tough games all season long and with a deep bench it will be a lot easier to get through that, it is time to get to work as a team and be ready to compete against some very strong GSC teams.”
Tonrey earned a spot on the preseason team for the second straight season and led the defensive front in 2009 for a Tigers team that advanced to the GSC Tournament for the first time in program history. The senior started in all 13 matches, scoring five points for the 6-8-0 Tigers in 2009.
Ceka is the reigning 2009 GSC Freshman of the Year and recently was named to the GSC All-Decade Team as an honorable mention selection, despite only playing one season. Ceka burst onto the scene in 2009 with a First Team All-GSC selection, after a freshman campaign with nine goals and 21 points, one goal shy of the conference leader with 10 last season. The Coppell, Texas native also finished first in goals per game and third in the GSC in points.
Postolache returns to Ouachita after recording eight points for the Tigers. The Heath, Texas product finished first in the GSC in assists per game, second in shots per game, third in points per game, third in assists and fourth in goals per game.
The Tigers return a load of experience in 2010, and will begin the season on Sept. 4 against Texas-Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Texas at 2 p.m.
