By RANDY GONZALES

rgonzales@dailynews.net

It was a record-setting season for the Thomas More Prep-Marian boys' soccer team.

The Monarchs won the most games in their five years of existence, going 12-7 this fall. TMP-Marian also won its regional championship game in the Class 4-3-2-1A playoffs and advanced to the state quarterfinals, another first. The Monarchs defeated Wichita-Trinity on its home pitch in the regional title match, the program's first victory over the perennial state power.

"That, for me, was the highlight of the season," Monarch coach Shawn Lawson said after his team's season ended.

TMP-Marian's season to remember was one of the Hays Daily News' top sports stories of 2009.

The Monarchs finished 8-8 in 2008, then the best finish in school history. But TMP-Marian lost eight seniors that needed to be replaced.

Players who had been in reserve roles flourished as starters this fall, and TMP-Marian added a newcomer to the program in junior midfielder Rogelio Gonzalez.

All Gonzalez did was spark a Monarch attack with a team-high 17 goals, including four in the season opener against McPherson-Elyria Christian.

Gonzalez had a knack for finding open teammates with perfectly-placed balls. He worked well with junior striker Teddy Kang, who scored 16 goals despite missing four games with a foot injury. Kang scored a school-record 21 goals in 2008, when he was healthy the entire season.

Lawson noticed from the very beginning how well Gonzalez and Kang worked together. While Gonzalez scored four times, Kang added two goals in the first game of the season.

"They had a little chemistry," Lawson said after the season opener. "It started during practices and scrimmages. I like those two up front."

"Me and Teddy, we play nice together," Gonzalez said after his first game as a Monarch. "We understand very nice.

"When we pass the ball, we start scoring," Gonzalez added.

The Monarchs already were strong in the midfield area with junior Jordan Maska also a scoring threat; when Gonzalez moved to the midfield, the team became even stronger.

TMP-Marian also relied on a flat-back four defense to deny opponents good goal-scoring opportunities.

Sophomore goalkeeper Drew O'Brien finished with a 0.97 goals-against-average and .839 saves percentage as TMP-Marian had nine clean sheets, another record for shutouts in a season. The previous record was five, in 2008.

The Class 3A Monarchs played several 5A and 6A schools close, and defeated Great Bend for the program's first win against a Western Athletic Conference opponent.

Kang and senior center back Nathan Lawson were second team all-region selections in Class 4-3-2-1A and also were honorable mention selections for the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association's 4-3-2-1A all-state team.

Nathan Lawson said this year's side was the best he's played on.

"This is the best team I ever played with in my life," he said after the final game. "We weren't a selfish team; that's what made us quality. Next year, I think they'll be even better."