Vassar College Athletics

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 5, 2009) – Following an impressive turnaround season for the Vassar College men’s soccer team, the Liberty League coaches recognized the exceptional leadership of head coach Andy Jennings on the sidelines and senior co-captain Brian Bianchetti on the field, honoring Jennings with the Co-Coaching Staff of the Year and Bianchetti as the Player of the Year, a program first. Bianchetti was also named All-Liberty League First Team while freshman Zander Mrlik was honored for his impressive debut season as he was named All-League Honorable Mention.

Andy Jennings, Nate Gibboney, Chuck Wilder
2009 Liberty League Co-Coaching Staff of the Year
With Jennings and assistant coaches Nate Gibboney and Chuck Wilder at the helm, the Brewers turned an 0-2 Liberty League start into the program’s best league record since 2003 and were in the position to earn a playoff bid in the final game of the season, unfortunately coming up short against one-loss, No. 1 seed Rensselear. With exactly half his roster composed of first-years, Jennings coached Vassar to a 9-6-1 overall record, the most wins for the program since 2003. The Brewers went 4-1-1 in their final six games of the season, with an impressive 3-2 upset over Union College on October 10. The Dutchmen came into the game holding the top spot in the league standings after handing RPI its only loss of the season the prior evening. The Vassar coaching staff shared the award with the RPI coaching staff.

Senior Brian Bianchetti
2009 Liberty League Player of the Year, All-Liberty League First Team
Bianchetti concluded his impressive career at Vassar by being named the program’s first Liberty League Player of the Year, complementing his All-League Second Team honors as a sophomore and junior. Bianchetti led Vassar and finished second in the league with 11 goals, the eighth highest single season total in program history. A three-time Liberty League Offensive Player of the Week and the ECAC Division III Upstate Co-Offensive Player of the Week on September 22, Bianchetti led the team in points (22), shots (54) and shots on goal (21) and ranked second in the league in points, shots, and shots per game (3.38).

A talented ball-handler, prolific scorer, and the focal point for opposing defenses, Bianchetti showed poise in clutch situations, with a team and league-leading four game-winners. A consistent threat, the senior midfielder scored at least one goal in eight games and at one point scored in four consecutive games. In a 2-0 Liberty League weekend, Bianchetti scored a goal in both games, a 3-1 win over Skidmore and a 3-2 upset of Union. Bianchetti accounted for the entirety of Vassar's scoring in two consecutive games, a 2-1 win over Manhattanville followed by a 1-0 victory against Mt. St. Mary.

Vassar’s leading scorer the last three seasons, Bianchetti appears in the Vassar record books numerous times, most notably standing fifth in career goals, with 26. He also appears on the all-time career lists for game-winning goals (t-1st/9), points (t-6th/58) , games played (t-3rd/62), games started (t-1st/62), shots (1st/169), and shots on goal (2nd/74).

Freshman Zander Mrlik
All-Liberty League Honorable Mention
An extremely solid presence in the backfield, Mrlik made an immediate impact as a freshman, one of just three players to start in all of Vassar's games. The freshman defender led the league and Vassar with ten assists, breaking the school record for single season assists. A Liberty League Rookie of the Week on October 26, Mrlik's incredibly powerful and long throw-ins caught opposing defenses off guard throughout the season and provided Vassar an incredible weapon every time an opponent kicked the ball out of bounds. In three consecutive league wins for Vassar, Mrlik recorded two assists in a 3-2 upset over Union, had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over St. Lawrence, and notched an assist in a 3-1 win against Clarkson. Mrlik had two assists and a goal in 3-1 win over Bard and began his collegiate career with two assists in a season-opening 3-0 win over FDU-Florham.