Concordia Men's Soccer Inks Columbia River's James Gaynor
PORTLAND, Ore.–Columbia River senior James Gaynor has signed to continue his education and play for the Concordia University men’s soccer team, head coach Dan Birkey announced today.
"James is a player that will bring non-stop midfield pace to the program,” Birkey said. “He does many of the workman's duties of the game. He gets behind the ball, puts the strong tackles in and will always put in a full shift. In possession, James has a quality touch, completes his passes and can create opportunities going forward.”
Gaynor was named the Chieftains team MVP as a junior after guiding Columbia River to a league championship in 2008. Coming back after injury during his sophomore season, Gaynor was selected as an all-league player on the field and a first-team all-academic selection in the classroom.
As a freshman, Gaynor was a varsity member of the Columbia River squad which captured a league and district championship before making a run into the Washington state 3A quarterfinals.
“His character is that of a leader. He has always been a captain, always been resilient through injury and has always been respected by coaches and peers,” Birkey said. “He has really impressed me with his sincere desire for the educational aspect of the college environment. James is an intelligent and impressive young man in many ways and I really look forward to working with him."
Under coach Birkey, who is in his 21st season, Concordia finished the 2008 season with a 14-6-2 record en route to winning their eighth straight Cascade Collegiate Conference championship. The Cavaliers earned a berth into the NAIA Championships and advanced to the quarterfinals with a penalty-kick win over No. 9 Concordia (Calif.) in the opening round of the NAIA Tournament. In the round of 16, No. 8 Hastings defeated Concordia 1-0 to end the Cavalier run.