Kankakee Times

Olivet Nazarene soccer player  Blake Van Bruggen's success this season has been an improved ability to finish, his coach said.

The team hopes to mirror that finishing success this season.

Blake Van Bruggen | ONU

Van Bruggen, a sophomore from Tinley Park, led the Tigers in goals through the first 15 games of the season, going at a goal-a-game pace, as ONU shot out to a nine-game streak of no losses in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play, according to ONUTigers.com.

That start put the Tigers in a good position to win an automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament, which would be the program's fourth national tourney bid in the last five seasons.

Van Bruggen will be a big part of the Tigers breaking through in the postseason. After an all-state career at Andrew High School, Van Bruggen came to ONU with strength, speed and “a work ethic that is second to none,” Tigers head coach David Blahnik told the  Kankakee Times.

“He has the ability to create his own scoring opportunities with the ball, as well as use his speed to beat defenders in a foot race when played into space,” Blahnik said.

Last season, Van Bruggen notched four goals in 18 games, but still needed some fine-tuning of his technical ability to finish strong, Blahnik said. Van Bruggen has improved in that area, the coach said, with the proof coming in his scoring output soaring. Van Bruggen had 11 goals in the 11 games he had played at that point, a goal total that was far and away the top total in that category on the team.

A big highlight for Van Bruggen this season came on Oct. 15, when he scored all of ONU's goals in the Tigers' 4-1 win over Calumet College in East Chicago, Indiana. Blahnik said it was the first time one of his players has had a four-goal game in his tenure at ONU.

“It was pretty incredible,” Blahnik said. “Blake generally has many chances in most games, but in soccer, rarely do you see a player convert all of his chances. It was pretty special to see.”

With the Tigers starting the season with eight wins, no losses and one tie in CCAC play, the Tigers were in line for an automatic bid for the national tournament by winning the conference's regular-season title. At that point, the team was turning its gaze toward its own play rather than what the opponent brought to the table.

“We have really shifted our focus to worry more about ourselves and how prepared we are vs. who we are playing,” Blahnik said. “We believe if we our focused, attentive and control what we can control, then we can be successful against any team.”

A national-tourney berth would give ONU another chance to reverse the pattern of tough losses in the tourney. In 2014, ONU lost to eventual national champion Davenport University in a penalty-kick shootout in the first round. The Tigers also lost in shootouts in 2013's first round and 2012's second round.

Blahnik said there are current upperclassmen on the squad who understand what is needed to get to the national tourney, and the team in general is hungry to return with the belief that it can compete with any opponent.

“The key to continued success in sport is never being complacent and being as prepared as possible for every game regardless of who you are playing,” Blahnik said.