The NBA and NHL playoffs are winding down. Baseball is in full swing, while Tiger Woods remains unstoppable on the green terrain. Tennis is beginning its second grand slam, and football is commencing its minicamps. New blockbuster movies are hitting the screens. This could only mark one thing … school’s almost over.
As the days of sun and relaxation are nearing for UCSD students, for some, this is a bittersweet end.
Seniors Brady Bernard and Tyler Korman will graduate with the class of 2001 in June, and wherever their lives may lead them, they can always say they were members of the UCSD men’s soccer team. They were Tritons in the trenches.
Bernard starred as a midfielder while being second on the team in shots and goals this season. For good measure, he was also first on the team in assists with five. He was second in total points behind junior Bobby Saadati. Korman was also a midfielder and player eight games for the Tritons this season, tallying seven shots and one assist to round out his career.
“”Brady has been outstanding in all four years and was captain for two of them. He was an outstanding forward who scored many game-winning goals”” said Derek Armstrong, who has seen players come and go after 19 years as head coach.
“”Tyler has been a good squad member who works very hard to maintain his status on the team. His character and enthusiasm was important to team morale.””
In the 1998 season, Bernard and Korman were among the top point-leaders on the team. During the 1999 season, Brady led the team in every statistical category, including games played and total points. Korman continued his steady pace, competing in six games for the team. That season the Tritons were 12-4-3, losing to Trinity University of Texas in the NCAA Regionals.
The team will surely miss the presence of these great players, yet incoming freshmen, along with six new seniors, should keep the Tritons in the hunt for the Division II title next year.
“”Both were positive influences on the team,”” Armstrong said. “”Both players were influential in developing the incoming players over the past few seasons, as well as making sure everything off the field was intact.””
Bernard hails from Santa Fe, Calif., while Korman comes from San Jose. Korman will be off to the East Coast to pursue a career in biochemistry, while Bernard will stay down in Southern California to work full time for a bioengineering company.
These individuals have achieved both academic and athletic prowess during their time at UCSD.
“”I am sure that they have learned to deal with adversity somewhere in the last four years,”” Armstrong said. “”I think they are equipped to cope with most things that life can throw at them.””
Armstrong ended with a few words of advice for his departing seniors: “”Do something you enjoy, and do it well.””
