Nov. 13, 2000
by student assistant Brandon Kieper
Men's Soccer 2000 Season Recap
The Truman soccer program spent the late 1990's elevating to the level of legitimate national power in the Division II scene. With three consecutive trips to the national tournament under their belt, the Bulldogs looked poised to begin the new century with another run at bringing a national championship to Kirksville. No easy path lay ahead, however, as head coach Alf Bilbao had laid out a schedule that he called the program's "toughest ever," including a bevy of matches against top-notch Central region opponents and a mid-term break trip to Florida to compete against two perennial Division II powerhouse programs.
The season began with six matches on the road. The Bulldogs travelled to St. Louis for the University of Missouri-St. Louis Classic on the season's first weekend. Truman opened in style with a 5-0 whitewash of Northern Kentucky University. The dangerous forward duo of Matt Byers (Moville, Iowa/Woodbury Central) and Ryan Swan (Perth, Scotland/Kemper Military) accounted for four of the five scores, establishing an offensive pattern that would hold for the bulk of the year. The team followed up with a second shutout, this time 4-0 over the host UMSL Rivermen, to claim the tournament. Again it was the forwards doing the offensive damage, as Byers netted three goals and Swan one. Junior goalkeepers TJ Dube (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) and David Wiebenga (Raytown, Mo./Raytown South) each played a half in each of the first two games. After that, however, Dube would assert himself as the team's top netminder for the first half of the season.
The next weekend saw a trip across state lines for the Quincy (Ill.) Soccer Bowl. The 'Dogs would run their record to an early 4-0 with victories over the QU Hawks and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Truman downed QU 4-1 on Saturday and SIUE 2-1 on Sunday. Again it was Byers and Swan leading the way on offense, each with a goal in both contests. After shattering the school season record for goals in '99, Byers now had seven goals in the first four contests of 2000.
More than a mere bump, the Bulldogs hit a pothole on the season's third weekend. On consecutive days, the 'Dogs dropped a 2-1 overtime decision at Lewis (Ill.) University and fell 2-0 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Byers put Truman on the board first in the Lewis game, but the Flyers evened it up midway through the second period, then won it on Carlos Stremi's unassisted tally three minutes into the overtime session. Against UWP, the 'Dogs mustered only seven shots on goal and surrendered both goals in the final five minutes of play.
The road-weary Bulldogs made their first appearance on the home pitch on Sept. 16 & 17, playing host to the Truman Classic. The 'Dogs squared off with NAIA powerhouse Columbia College on Saturday and battled through 120 minutes of scoreless soccer. Dube made seven saves in the draw. After only one goal in three games, the Bulldog offense got back on track Sunday against Mercyhurst College (PA.). A pair of scores from Byers, plus one from Swan, and one from Matthew Gross (Ballwin, Mo./Lafayette), equaled a 4-1 victory for the 'Dogs.
After battling to a 5-2-1 record over a grueling four weeks, Truman's schedule finally calmed down a bit as summer gave way to fall. With only one match on the agenda for the next three weekends, the 'Dogs looked primed to pick up some wins and push for a tournament invite. Perennial rival Rockhurst University put a rude awakening to those plans by stunning Truman 2-0 in Kirksville on Sept. 23. Things got worse the next weekend, as Midwestern State University (Texas) came to town and left with a 3-1 win. Suddenly the Bulldogs were a mediocre 5-4-1 and facing the season's most dangerous stretch.
As Chris Berman might say, no one circles the wagons like the Bulldogs. On Oct. 8, the 'Dogs headed to Fort Wayne, Ind. for a rematch with the Indiana/Purdue University-Ft. Wayne Mastodons, the very team that ended Truman's season the year before with an overtime first-round tournament win. This time it was the 'Dogs getting the OT victory, 2-1. The game remained scoreless through the first 86 minutes of play, then suddenly each team struck for a goal in the span of two minutes. The match looked to be a draw until freshman Ricky Vigil (St. Louis/St. Louis University High) buried the winner for Truman in the 119th minute. Tempering the excitement of the revenge win was an injury to Dube. The 'Dogs top 'keeper was lost for the season with a shoulder injury during the second overtime period.
Back on track, the Bulldogs now turned their attention to a mid-term trip to Florida. In the Sunshine State, Truman faced off with two of the top teams in all of Division II. First up was Barry University, a team ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time. The 'Dogs fell behind by a goal in the first half, but again it was the rookie Vigil finding the back of the net in the time of crisis to send the contest to an extra session. In the OT, Michael Roth (St. Charles, Mo./Desmet) drew a foul inside the box to earn a penalty kick, and Byers sent the ball to its home to earn Truman a win over the Buccaneers. The 'Dogs played overtime again at No. 12-ranked Lynn University. This time it was the opponent netting the golden goal, as Truman fell 2-1. Byers scored the lone goal to push his season total to 14 in 13 matches.
Following their Florida adventures, the 'Dogs returned to Kirksville for a pair of Homecoming weekend meetings with former conference rivals. Truman spanked Missouri Southern State College by a 6-0 margin, with six different players scoring goals in a rare display of offensive diversity. Wiebenga earned his first shutout of the season in goal against the Lions. Again Truman would be unable to sustain the momentum, however, as the team would struggle to a 1-1 draw with the University of Missouri-Rolla the next day. In a wild affair that featured 13 cards and four ejections, senior Heine Andersen (Helsingor, Denmark) scored his first goal of the year.
On October's final weekend, the Bulldogs finished their home season with a powerful offensive display. Truman pummelled St. Joseph's College 6-0 and downed the University of Indianapolis 4-0. Six different 'Dogs scored against SJC, including the first scores of the season for senior captain Jeremy Jackson (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame North) and senior David Green (Papillion, Neb./Creighton Prep). Andersen stole the show against IU, celebrating senior day at the Bulldog Soccer Complex in style by netting three goals in his final home appearance. Fellow senior Swan scored the 'Dogs other goal, his eighth of the year.
The season wrapped up with a trip to Southwest Missouri for a pair of matches. Truman downed Southwest Baptist University 3-0 in Bolivar, then finished the 2000 campaign with a 4-2 loss at the hands of Division I Drury University on Nov. 5. The Bulldogs completed the season with an 11-6-2 mark, a winning percentage of .632.
Despite their strength-of-schedule, the Bulldogs did not earn an invitation to the Division II postseason festivities. The early season losses to Lewis and Wisconsin-Parkside proved to be the difference, as it was those two teams that went on to the tournament.
The 2000 Bulldogs dominated their opponents on average in every statistical category. Over 19 matches, the 'Dogs scored 48 goals and passed out 42 assists for a total of 138 points. Truman opponents scored only 21 goals and recorded 15 assists for a measly 57 points. The 'Dogs kept opposing goaltenders under fire, outshooting opponents 359 to 215.
Forward firepower was the Bulldogs' not-so-secret offensive strategy throughout the season. Byers followed his record-setting 22 goal season in '99 by pumping in 17 scores in 2000. He also dished out eight assists for a team-best 42 points. Byers and Swan combined for over half of Truman's goals, as Swan ripped the back of the net eight times. Andersen and Roth contributed five goals apiece, and Justin Shew (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) rounded out the 'Dogs top five scorers with four goals and 13 points. Dube and Wiebenga split time almost down the middle throughout the season. Dube appeared in 12 games, made 57 saves, allowed 13 goals and posted a goals against average of 1.22. Wiebenga saw time in 11 contests, saved 37 shots, allowed eight goals and put up a stellar GAA of 0.83.
With just three seasons of NCAA eligibility behind him, Byers has already obliterated several of Truman's offensive career records. His 44 goals eclipsed the previous mark of 35, held jointly by Steve Schlichtig and Quinn Ross. Byers is the first Bulldog to pass the century mark in career points, with 117. The old mark was 96, also held by Ross. Byers' 85 shots in 2000 also surpassed his own mark of 71, set last season.
Coach Bilbao will have some serious reloading to do for next season, as eight Bulldogs completed their eligibility with the 2000 campaign. Andersen, Swan, captains Jackson and Mike Enright (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf), sparkplug sub Green, as well as the entire defensive corps of David Salvatierra (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam), Mike Zung (Rolla, Mo./Rolla Senior) and Jake Sirna (Kansas City, Mo./North Kansas City) all appeared in their last game in a Bulldog uniform.
Bilbao has made the 'Dogs his own over his three-year tenure. His squads have compiled a 40-14-5 record, a sterling winning percentage of .721. Over its 22-year history, the Truman soccer program has posted a 220-138-32 mark, for an all-time winning percentage of .606.
All-Central Region (NSCAA)
Matt Byers, 1st team
Ryan Swan, 2nd team
Mike Enright, 2nd team
All-America (NSCAA)
Matt Byers, 3rd team
Men's Soccer Releases | Men's Soccer | Truman Athletics