May 5, 2003
Notre Dame, Ind. – Senior forward Erich Braun (Frankfurt, Germany) and senior Alan Lyskawa (Novi, Mich.) received the two top awards at the recent Notre Dame men’s soccer banquet. Braun was honored as the Notre Dame National Monogram Club MVP, while Lyskawa was named the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete award winner.
In addition the annual Spirt Award was presented to two seniors – midfielder Paul Rodriguez (San Antonio, Texas) and goalkeeper Greg Tait (Fayetteville, N.Y.).
Notre Dame finished the 2002 campaign with a 12-6-3 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for just the second time in schoo history. The Irish completed the BIG EAST regular season with a 6-3-1 mark and were fourth in the final standings.
Braun served as a trii-captain this past season and became the first two-time first team all-BIG EAST selection in the history of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program. He led the Irish in scoring with 11 goals and one assist (23 points). Braun concluded his four-year career with 36 goals and 13 assists for 85 points and finished sixth all-time on the Irish’s career scoring list and ninth in career points while starting 71 of 73 contests.
Braun led Notre Dame in scoring in three of his four seasons. He registered two multiple-goal game in ’02 and finsihed with seven during his career. Braun was selected MVP as was named to the all-tournament team at the Diadora Challenge in Omaha, Neb. He will graduate this month from the College of Arts and Letters with a double major in economics and computer applications.
Lyskawa played in 47 games during his career and finished with two goals and four assists (eight points). He started all 20 games he played in during his freshman year in 1999. Lyskawa was hampered by injuries last season and played in just five games. A seven-time Dean’s List honoree, he owns a 3.778 grade index and is currently enrolled as an engineering major in the College of Engineering. Lyskawa also is pursuing an MBA in the Mendoza College of Business.
Tait played in seven games and earned five starts in those contests while posting a 4-2 record. His five starts came during a critical stretch of the season when starting goalkeeper Chris Sawyer (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) went down with an injury. Tait was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week in October after he registered four saves in the Irish’s 1-0 overtime victory over Boston College. He played 527 minutes during the season and registered a 0.85 goals against average and .815 save percentage. During his four-year career he made 21 starts in 28 appearances on the field. He will receive his degree in marketing from the Mendoza College of Business later this month.
Rodriguez played in 19 games during his career and made six starts, all during his freshman season in ’99. His lone career goal came during that season as well. This past season, Rodriguez played in five contests. He will graduate from Notre Dame with a degree in American Studies from the College of Arts and Letters.