MSOE Soccer Freshman Make an Impact
| Published: 09/20/2012 |
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Apparently, the word is out. The opposition is getting the scouting reports, and no one is being surprised by the exploits of MSOE freshmen soccer standouts Logan Andryk (Hartland, Wis. / Marquette H.S.) and Natalie Gayner (Whitefish, Mont. / Whitefish). In eight games, Andryk has four goals and three assists. In the Aurora match this past Sunday, he was shadowed for the entire match. In fact, Andryk’s marking was so tight that Coach Banks was surprised the Spartan player did not join the Raider bench at halftime. “Logan (Andryk) is drawing attention and deservedly so. Teams will be focusing on him, but this is a positive for our team,” said Coach Banks. “Against Aurora, Jordan Werner (Bolingbrook, Ill. / Montini Catholic) had more space and scored two goals. Logan’s challenge is to adjust his game to that of a marked man.”
Gayner, though diminutive in size, is a giant with her play. Gayner’s gift is a great first gear that does not take long to reach fifth. Opponents are already changing the way they play to deal with her speed. “Natalie (Gayner) is quick and fast,” notes Coach Rolf Zersen, “and that alone keeps defenses honest. It is much harder for the opponents to squeeze the space when Natalie is on the field.” On the season, she has two goals.
While both players show up on the stat sheet, the missing stat on the box score is havoc; as in ‘havoc created.’ Gayner is a buzzing defensive player turning sure passes into take-always, and easy clearances into miss-hits, bloopers and whiffs. Andryk is a wrecking ball on the fritz. His tackles are reminiscent of collisions, or the collisions are reminiscent of tackles. Either way, they often end with something on the ground and something flying through the air. Coach Banks on Andryk’s defending, “I expected Logan to be a threatening player on the offensive side, but I didn’t know how valuable he would be on the defensive side, winning tackles to start the attack.”
Coach Zersen is enthused by Gayner’s start to the season. “Natalie continually raises the bar. She is a ‘gamer.’ Though she is a freshman, I still expected good things from her. She has really turned it on over the past couple of games.” Gayner was less sure of herself when the season began. “I wasn't even sure if I was going to get playing time,” she said.
In Andryk's case, he thought he could help but was more concerned about maintaining his play. “Coming into the season, my main goal was to help the team win as much as possible. I thought I could come in and have some impact on the field to help the team, but I definitely did not expect to be doing as well as I have been. I can only hope to keep this pace up for the rest of the season.”
Both Gayner and Andryk were highly touted youth and high school players. Gayner was a captain of her high school team, offensive most valuable player and first team All-State selection. Andryk was a High School All-State selection, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel First Team All-Area selection, and participated in FC Milwaukee’s United States Soccer Development Academy, ran by the U.S. National Team. Their similarities do not stop there. Both student-athletes are also biomolecular engineering majors who came to MSOE for the total experience. Andryk thought MSOE suited him perfectly. “The main reason I chose to attend MSOE was for its outstanding academic reputation… I really liked the chance to receive a degree in BioMolecular Engineering from MSOE. I also chose MSOE over other schools because of its size. The small size of the school allows me to develop a personal relationship with my teachers, and provides me with an opportunity to really get to know many of my classmates. Being able to play soccer at the collegiate level for a great team and a great coach was an added bonus. I really like Coach Jimmy Banks and the guys on the team, and the soccer experience is fantastic.”
Gayner was more succinct, “I knew I wanted to play soccer in college, but most important was the degree. I ultimately chose MSOE for the education and the BioMolecular Engineering program and the soccer was icing on the cake.”
With the majority of the season remaining for both players, there is a lot more to accomplish. Both Coach Zersen and Coach Banks think their talented freshman can improve. Coach Zersen said, “Natalie will have to continue to work on her shot and driving the ball. As the game progresses, opponents will most likely key in on her. She will have to find other ways to get it done.” Coach Banks said, “Logan can improve his decision making, especially as a marked man.”
With freshman talent like Andryk and Gayner, the MSOE soccer programs continue to maintain the success of past years and for years to come.
