Josten gives GU extra kick

Few outside the soccer community have heard of the Hermann Trophy, but it’s collegiate soccer’s biggest honor – the equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy.

That’s the accolade that Gonzaga senior forward George Josten could win at the end of this season if he continues the record-breaking performance that he’s become known for in his three seasons as the Bulldogs’ offensive star.

Josten is one of 29 players nationwide who have been selected for the Men’s 2007 Hermann Trophy Watch List, which is released by the National Soccer Coaches Association every preseason.

Josten, a two-time All-West Coast Conference first-team selection, has led the conference in scoring for two consecutive seasons. Josten’s 29 career goals place him fourth in Gonzaga’s record book, and he’s on pace to challenge Jason McAllister for the record (45). Josten is also eighth on the GU career assists list and fourth in points.

Not bad for a guy who walked on to the team without any scholarship money when he came to the Bulldogs out of Idaho Falls High School in 2004.

“Yes, it is kind of a nice little success story for him, isn’t it?” asked Gonzaga coach Einar Thorarinsson. “But we bring in a lot of walk-on players in most situations because we’re not a fully funded program. We have 11 players on the field but don’t have 11 scholarships.

“Still, he’s done it all himself. He’s just worked very hard and deserves everything that’s coming his way.”

Now on a full scholarship, Josten is the first Bulldog named to the Hermann list.

He’s taking it all in his stride, as part of his master plan to revive the Gonzaga soccer program and vault the Bulldogs into the national spotlight.

“The legacy that I want to leave is rebuilding this program,” Josten said. “Because in my first year, we won two games in conference, and I think we’ve come a long way since then. And making the tournament this year, I think that would be a great mark to leave in my last season.”

Josten spent two weeks this summer training with Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo. That gave him a taste of what might await him at the end of his Gonzaga career.

“I definitely want to try and play professionally in the MLS,” Josten said. “Just seeing the level of play (in the MLS) this summer and talking to the guys about the experiences helped me a lot. The game is so much faster at that level.”

Josten and the Bulldogs finished last season with a 9-8-2 overall record and placed third in the competitive West Coast Conference.

Gonzaga had a slow start at the beginning, going 0-3 in conference play before it managed to find a rhythm and won six games in a row.

“We are definitely hoping to avoid that this year,” Thorarinsson said of the slow start. “And we’ve got a pretty tough non-conference schedule this year that will help prepare the team for the conference matchups later on.”

The Bulldogs open the season with an exhibition match against Trinity Western on Sunday.

“We were a bubble team for the national tournament last year,” Thorarinsson said. “This year the bubble needs to burst.”