Kickers Announce MVP Awards
Published on September 15, 2004 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Richmond Kickers News Release
RICHMOND, VA â (Wednesday, September 15, 2004) â The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the 2004 MVP Awards. The recipient of this year's Supporter's Choice MVP, for the second consecutive year is goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale. Defender Peter Luzak is honored as Player's Choice MVP for the first time.
In his third season as starting goalkeeper, Pascale recorded his lowest goals against average of .98, allowing just 29 goals during the regular season. He is ranked in the A-League top five in six of seven goalkeeper categories including second with 2,662 regular season goalkeeper minutes, first with 17 goalkeeper regular season wins, fifth with eight shutouts, second with 138 saves, tied for first with 28 games played, and fifth for goals against average. Overall, Pascale started and played all but one minute in 33 games for a total of 3,146 minutes, earning an overall record of 20-10-3, including two victories in the 2004 U.S. Open Cup tournament and nine shutouts.
Luzak was one of only two Kickers players to start and play every minute of every game this season, totaling 2,663 minutes during the regular season and 3,147 minutes overall. The University of Richmond graduate earned A-League Team of the Week honors for his assist in the 2-1 win over Atlanta, proving to be dangerous both offensively and defensively. In his fifth year with the Kickers, Luzak was recently named to the 2004 All A-League First Team for the first time and is a finalist for the 2004 A-League Defender of the Year award.
#22 Ronnie Pascale Goalkeeper 5'11" 180lbs Hometown: North Salem, NY
GP/GS: 33/33 Min: 3,146 GAA: 0.98 Shots Faced: 371 Saves: 156 Shutouts: 9
#25 Peter Luzak Defender 6'1" 180lbs Hometown: Media, PA GP/GS: 33/33 Min: 3,147 Fouls: 46 Shots: 14 Goals: 0 Assists: 1 Points: 1
The Supporter's Choice MVP is chosen entirely by the fans and dates back to the 2000 season when veteran defender Kevin Knight took the honors. That year, A-League Defender of the Year Scott Cannon and current San Jose Earthquakes forward Dwayne DeRosario shared the Players Choice Award. In 2001, veteran Kickers forward Kevin Jeffrey secured both honors while ex-Kicker Marco Ferruzzi did the same in 2002. Last season, Jeffrey captured the Player's Choice award again.
Volunteer of the Year Award
For the second consecutive year, Luis, Linda and Joey Crespo are honored as the Kickers 2004 Volunteers of the Year. In addition to front-gate management during home matches, the Crespos oftentimes arrived hours early to facilitate with game-day operations. Nineteen pro games were not enough for the Crespos, as they seldom missed the opportunity to volunteer at the Richmond Kickers Future (PDL) or Richmond Kickers Destiny (W-League) games this season as well as assisting with office administration. Joey is an avid soccer player and competes on the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club U14 South Boys team. The Richmond Kickers would like to thank the Crespo family for generously contributing their time and for their never-ending support of the organization.
USL First Division Stories from September 15, 2004
- DeSantis and Sutton finalists for A-League awards - Montreal Impact
- Gervais finalist for A-League Defender of the Year - Montreal Impact
- Kickers Announce MVP Awards - Richmond Kickers
- Timbers' Howe, Gordon finalists for postseason honors - Portland Timbers
- Dante Washington Named Finalist for 2004 A-League Player of the Year - Virginia Beach Mariners
- 2004 A-League Coach of the Year, MVP Finalists announced - USL-1
- U.S. U-17 88's Men's National Soccer Team returns to Florida after facing Silverbacks - Atlanta Silverbacks
- Battery sets winter schedule - Charleston Battery
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
