Michigan Bucks Press Release - www.buckssoccer.com

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Toronto, ON - In a season where the Bucks often needed just one goal to secure their playoff fate, they found plenty in the last game with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Lynx Sunday in Toronto.

As several of the Bucks games this season, the defense gave up an early goal but were able to recover to finish the season with an overall record of 8-5-3 (27 points) but still shy of the PDL playoffs for only the second time in team history.

Bucks team leader this season, Dave Hertel took matters into his own hands Sunday and recorded three goals and one assist to give the Bucks their largest goal output of the season.

“Where were these goals on Friday night,” asked the frustrated Hertel after the game. “We worked so hard this year to achieve several goals that we didn’t accomplish so we decided the least we could do is finish this season on a high note and show the young players on this year’s team what it means to be a part of this team. A lot of teams would have not come to play in the last game of the season when both teams were eliminated from the playoffs. We were not going to let that happen here.”

Rookie striker Moses Aduny started the scoring with his first goal of the season in limited action and then Hertel would begin his run with a goal in the 39th minute to take a 2-1 lead. Then he fed former Michigan State team mate Zac Scaffidi for the game winner in the 52nd minute. Hertel and Kevin Taylor would finish the Bucks scoring on the afternoon with a Lynx goal scored in between. Taylor set up both of Hertel’s second half tallies, which left the Scicluna Award winner as the Bucks leading scorer for the season with eight goals and two assists. Bret Mollon finished his second game of the year in goal, after playing the opening match of the season back in May.

FITZGERALD TIES BURNS AS BUCKS ALL TIME LEADER IN WINS
Lost in the commotion of a very up and down season this year was Bucks head coach Dan Fitzgerald’s run at coaching history. Coming into the season, Fitz needed nine wins to become the winningest coach in Bucks history.

In 1996, the then Mid Michigan Bucks hired Steve Burns to lead the new PDL franchise in their inaugural season. Burns coached the Bucks from 1996-1999, leaving to accept the job as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines new NCAA men’s soccer team. During his four years at the helm, Burns record was 53-25-2, leading the Bucks to the PDL Sizzling Six the first season and back to the PDL Final Four in year number two. Burns also led the Bucks to two US Open Cup tournaments and coached the first ever game against an MLS side in the state of Michigan in 1999, when over 5,000 fans packed White Pine Stadium in Saginaw to watch the Bucks nearly upset World Cup star Carlos Valderamma and the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Fitzgerald joined the Bucks as an assistant coach from 2003- 2005 before being appointed the top man prior to the 2006 season. In his first season, Fitzgerald led the Bucks to their first ever PDL North American Championship and returned to the Championship game a year later only to be turned away on penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw in Laredo, TX. Fitzgerald finished his four year run with the Bucks with an overall record of 53-18-14, leaving him tied with Burns on the all time wins list heading into the 2010 season. Fitzgerald also led the Bucks to the US Open Cup three of his four seasons, playing the Columbus Crew at home in 2006.

Bucks Director of Coaching, Gary Parsons was hoping Fitz would break the record in 2009.

“Danny has been an important part of this club even before he joined as an assistant coach seven years ago. I really wanted him to get the record this season, because it would have been great for him, but it also would have meant we had qualified for the playoffs. It wasn’t meant to be so we will all move on and figure out how to solve the issues that haunted us this year. I can hardly fault my head coach for the lack of goal production this season; I know there are times he wanted to suit up and have a go at goal himself. I guess he will just have to hang around for another season,” laughed Parsons.

For more information, please visit the Bucks web site at www.buckssoccer.com.