Cedars, December 2018

by Abigail Hintz A rocky start and a premature end were not fitting bookends to the Cedarville men’s soccer season. In between, there was a dominant sea- son that put the Jackets one win away from the No. 1 spot in the G-MAC with strong records of 11-6-2 overall and 10-2-2 in the conference. The Jackets seemed to have good chanc- es heading into the G-MAC tournament with a second seed and a first-round bye but a strong third-seeded Ohio Valley eliminated Cedarville in the semifinals 2-1. A late-game goal by freshman Jonny Stephens off of a Sammy Kilimann corner was not enough to out the Fighting Scots of Ohio Valley, who totaled 10 shots on goal. This forced keeper Carter Selvius to tie both his season and ca- reer high of eight saves. The Jackets struggled as they opened the season. Toward the end of September, Cedarville had only won three of its eight games. From there, however, the team took off on a nine-game unbeaten streak, losing zero games in the span of over a month. “Over the season we just learned how to grind out wins,” senior forward Derek Braak said. “In the middle of the season we found our way, and that comes with the team put- ting in work day in and day out.” Braak had an impressive final season with the Jackets. He notched nine goals, one assist and 17 shots on goal. While strong sta- tistics, many other offensive players around the league showed more impressive stats, leading head coach Brett Faro to assume the league would overlook him when hand- ing out postseason awards. But his presence on the field could not be denied, and he was named the 2018 G-MAC Men’s Soccer Of- fensive Player of the Year. Braak was shocked when he heard the news. “It’s just a testament to our team,” he said. “They put me in the right position to win the award.” “When you look at all the teams, Derek was the most impactful player in the confer- ence, and certainly somebody that, in any game, you had to be very aware of,” Faro said. “I was surprised in the best way.” Also recognized for their performanc- es this season were junior goalkeeper Car- ter Selvius and senior midfielder Conner Hughes. Selvius was named to the all-G- MAC first team after playing all but 32 min- utes in the 2018 season, ranking second in the league with his goals against average, at .77 and in shutouts at seven. Hughes was named to the all-G-MAC second team, a strong achievement for someone who missed his entire junior season. He started in all but one match, scored one goal and was tied for the most assists on his team with five. Junior midfielder Levi Haight was named honorable mention, scoring one goal and starting in all but two games this season. “I could go on and on about who stepped up in different games and different moments and I think that’s what made this team so special,” Faro said. “We didn’t have to rely just on one guy.” Perhaps the most significant award re- cipient this season was Faro, who received the G-MAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year award for the third time in his six years with the team. With Faro as coach, the Jackets are 63-28-12. “For me, that kind of award speaks vol- umes to the team,” Faro said. “Without a quality team I’m not going to get an award like that.” Next season, Faro has high expectations for his team despite losing nine seniors to graduation in the spring. He is confident in the young players that played well this year to show up in big ways next year and fill the holes. “We think we can be a program that is in the conversation to win the conference and go to the national tournament every year,” he said. Regardless, the program will continue to be one where life-change and life-trans- formation can happen and where athletes can grow in Christ. Faro feels blessed to be able to invest in the lives of the guys who come through the program, and he hopes that athletes leave the program feeling that blessing as well. Abigail Hintz is a sophomore journalism major and sports writer for Cedars. She loves sending people GIFs, reading books and watching way more soccer than the average person. Photo by Jillian Strouse Junior midfielder Levi Haight was honorable mention in the G-MAC and one of several Yellow Jackets to be honored by the league. December 2018 17 SPORTS Jackets Awarded for Dominant 2018 Season