Goldstars,
I wanted to take a few moments to update the club on the status of the team and highlight our annual award winners!
As of right now, AMSA has not announced any plans for the Spring 2021 season or continuation of the Meanwhile Brewing Champions Cup.
As a quick reminder, prior to play being stopped due to COVID-19, we were sitting in first place in AMSA’s division 5. While unofficial, I’d like to go ahead declare ourselves the D5 Champions! (We finished in 2nd in 2018 and 2019), so congrats!!
Meanwhile Brewing Champions Cup – After a great first round win in the Silver Division we were set to play 512 FC in a Quarter Finals match. Unfortunately with most things in 2020, this game was postponed due to COVID-19 and has yet to be rescheduled. Once AMSA makes an announcement regarding Spring 2021 and or the Cup, we will update the club.
Practices: Thanks to those of you who were able to make it out for the scrimmages against Austin Power. Once our practice fields reopen we will schedule some more practices and scrimmages to keep our legs fresh ;-). Keep an eye on Team Cowboy for details.
Thank you to all club members who have been patient with us as we worked through this most difficult of years!
Club Awards
And finally, the board tallied up our stats, reviewed nominations and have made the following selections for our annual club awards!
Most Valuable Player: Matt Weber
One half of the dynamic defensive duo with Ryan Bares (and now they are married!), it was a tough call between the two, but Matt’s multiple from distance free-kick goals pushed him over the edge and has been named our 2020 MVP!
Most Improved: Daniel Kaufman
The board has been thoroughly impressed with the progress and dedication Daniel has shown since joining the team. He is an integral part of the defense and has shown up big when needed. Hat’s off to Daniel Kaufman, our 2020 Most Improved player!
Rookie of the Year: Luis Torres
Joining a new team isn’t always easy, but Luis fit right in and added a much needed boost to our offensive attack. In the top 5 for the Golden boot race, please give a round of applause to Luis Torres, our 2020 Rookie of the Year!
Golden Glove: Kierre Nicholson
It goes without saying, Kierre has saved more games for the Goldstars than we can count. Including 5 shutouts in the 2019-2020 season! He honestly is one of the best keepers in all of AMSA and as proof, last year tied for a record low number of goals allowed among ALL AMSA divisions for an entire season. The Meryl Streep of this award, and always deserving, Kierre Nicholson, our 2020 Golden Glove Winner!
Golden Boot: Jake Johnson
Jake sets the tone early and often. Bringing a needed physicality to our offense, he had his best performance against Indeed scoring 3 of his 6 goals on the season. Give it up for our 2020 Golden Boot, Jake Johnson!
As always a big shout out to our captains: Jon Gray, Matt Weber and Ryan Bares,
and my fellow board members: Kierre Nicholson, Owen Allsopp and Eddie Franco.
See you all in 2021! Stay safe and Happy New Year!
Chris Laguna
President, Austin Goldstars