Two Rockets and Warriors excel in Big East

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School boys’ soccer team landed two players on the Big East Conference second team.

Ozaukee got one member chosen to the second team and another earning honorable mention status.

Rocket senior defender Aaron Veldhorst and senior defender/midfielder/forward Andrew Corgiat received honors.

Veldhorst has been the starting center back for four years and “has developed into the spine of our team’s defensive performances over the last couple of seasons,” coach Elias Garza said.

“Aaron has the natural ability to find the ball in aerial duels whether its offensive or defensive and even scored off of a few set pieces. Aaron also has wonderful slide tackle technique and is known for bailing us out with beautifully timed sliding challenges in the area and has never given up a penalty due to a reckless challenge in the box.”

Comfortable handling the ball, Garza said Veldhorst became the catalyst for offensive attacks several times. He scored three goals and had two assists.

Corgiat was a team captain and a complete player. He played every position and stood out at stopper and striker, Garza said, and the Rockets’ leading scorer with 12 goals and five assists.

“Andrew was a two-footed player who excelled at passing, dribbling and shooting from distance,” he said. “Andrew was composed enough to be our designated penalty kick taker and successfully finished his share of them. He was one of the better players on our team that had the ability to match up with the best the conference had to offer.”

For Ozaukee, senior Ivan Garcia made the second team for the third straight season. He had nine goals and six assists, which was the bulk of  the Warriors’ scoring.

“The guys pretty much relied on him,” coach Ivan Garcia said.

The young Garcia played forward but would often drop back when the situation called for it.

“He knew where to be on the field,”  Garcia said. “He was a well-rounded player.”

In addition, the senior helped his young and inexperienced teammates, his coach said.

Warrior senior sweeper Zach Dieringer earned honorable mention due to his varsatility.

“He would come up a little bit and faded back pretty quickly,” Garcia said. “He was one of our fastest defenders.”

It was Dieringer’s first year as sweeper, and he had to lead a group of young defenders that included three freshmen with little to no soccer experience.

“He did a pretty good job directing them, where to be, where to move, what to do,” Garcia said. “He hustled. He played hard.”

The Rockets finished 3-6-2 in the Big East. The Warriors were 0-10-1. Kohler won the league at 11-0. Howards Grove was 9-1-1, and Oostburg was 9-2.

Kohler had four members on the first team. Oostburg and Howards Grove each had three.

William Rautmann of Howards Grove was the Offensive Player of the Year, and Aaron TenPas of Sheboygan Christian/Lutheran was Defensive Player of the Year.