Tracy, Hanks Named Hermann Winners

Senior forward Kerri Hanks from the University of Notre Dame and senior
forward Marcus Tracy of Wake Forest University are the winners of the 2008
Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, presented to the top female and
male players in NCAA Division I soccer. The winners were decided by a vote
of NCAA Division I soccer coaches who are current members of the National
Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Hanks (Allen, Texas), who won the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2006, becomes just
the fourth two-time winner joining Mia Hamm (North Carolina, 1992-93), Cindy
Parlow (North Carolina, 1997-98) and Christine Sinclair (Portland, 2004-05).
She is the only player, male or female, to win the award in non-consecutive
years. She finished the 2008 season ranked fifth in the nation in goals
(20), tied for third in assists (15) and tied for second in points (55). The
only Division I player to rank in the top five nationally in goals, assists
and points this past season, she was named a NSCAA/adidas first-team
All-America and the Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

Hanks led the Irish to the College Cup Final, where she set a NCAA
championship record by scoring a goal just 0:16 into the match. Hanks
finishes her collegiate career tied for second on the NCAA career assists
list. She also ranks in the top 20 in seven other NCAA career scoring
categories. Hanks established 63 different Notre Dame school records for
career, single-season and postseason.

The first runner-up was North Carolina junior forward Casey Nogueira
(Raleigh, N.C.) and UCLA senior midfielder Christina DiMartino (Massapequa,
N.Y.) was the next runner-up.

Tracy (Newtown, Conn.) scored 13 goals and added 10 assists for 36 points
during the 2008 season. He was one of only two players in the country to
finish the year with double-digit totals in goals and assists. Tracy
registered at least one point in 16 of Wake Forest's 24 games. He was
honored for his stellar play by being named a first-team All-ACC selection
and a first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America. Tracy becomes the first Wake
Forest player to win the MAC Hermann Trophy.

Tracy led the Demon Deacons to the 2008 College Cup, Wake¹s third
consecutive appearance. In 2007, Tracy was named the Most Outstanding
Offensive Player of the College Cup as he led Wake to the program¹s first
national championship. During his career, Tracy helped Wake Forest to a
74-15-9 record and finished his career ranked in the school's top 10 in
points (83), goals (30) and assists (23).

The top runner-up was Akron sophomore forward Steve Zakuani (London,
England) followed by Wake Forest senior midfielder Sam Cronin
(Winston-Salem, N.C.).

The Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer¹s players of
the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic,
dining and social club. It has a "Platinum Club of America" status, which is
awarded to the top private clubs in the country.

Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest coaches' organization
in the United States. Since its founding in 1941, it has grown to include
more than 28,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport.
In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools,
NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000
individual awards every year. It fulfills its mission of coaching education
through a nationwide program of clinics and week-long courses, teaching more
than 4,000 soccer coaches each year.

An exhibition dedicated to the Missouri Athletic Club¹s Hermann Trophy
featuring all former recipients of both the MAC and Hermann trophies, the
current winners, a replica of the Irish crystal trophy and the original
Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta,
N.Y. Additional information about the National Soccer Hall of Fame can be
found at www.soccerhall.org.

Belmont Abbey Top Preseason Pick In CC

Belmont Abbey women's soccer has been selected the top team going into the 2007 season. Conference Carolina head coaches voted the Crusaders the top team in an annual preseason poll to rank predicted order of finish within the league. The conference was recently renamed to Conference Carolinas from the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference with all competing league teams now in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The Belmont Abbey women's soccer team has won the last two conference championship titles and will look to add a third as it returns all 11 starters from last season's 16-4-1 team that posted a 9-1-1 mark in conference play. The Abbey posted 10 shutouts, including seven of its last ten opponents.

The Abbey returns its top two scorers in the form of senior forward Erin Kolb and senior midfielder Stephanie Leotti. Kolb led the Crusaders with 12 goals, and Leotti added ten and a team-high six assists. Both earned first-team all-conference honors, and Kolb posted first-team all-region honors, while Leotti added second-team all-region honors. The Crusaders also return junior defender Danielle Kubinski and senior goalkeeper Anna Wells, who both earned second-team all-conference honors last season.

Queens University of Charlotte is also excited for the 2007 women's soccer season and finish in a close second-place in the coaches' preseason poll. The team returns many of their starters from last years regular season conference championship team that finished 10-1 in league play and 14-5 overall.

The Royals will be led by all-region player, Jackie Groff; second team all-conference players Kristin Kornacki and Brittany Clark; and all-tournament players, Hayley Pasko, Mary-Ashley Davino, and Kari Byzewski. The Royals have added nine new talented freshmen to the mix to round out the 27 member squad under second year head coach Katie Talbert.

The Pfeiffer University women's soccer team comes in at number three in this year's preseason poll. With great expectation, head coach Sarah Denton has added twelve to an already dynamic squad of experienced returnees. Anchored in the back under the leadership of senior team captain Kristen Brahosky, the Falcons look, through an impressive schedule, to improve upon last year's 16-5 overall record (9-2 conf.).

"There is a great sense of excitement among the team and coaching staff," commented Coach Denton. "We are eager to fulfill our goals." On Thursday, September 23rd, Pfeiffer opens their season on the road in a regional match-up against UNC Pembroke.

Rounding out the poll 4-12 was: Mount Olive, Barton, Limestone, Lees-McRae, Erskine, St. Andrews, Anderson, Coker, and Converse respectively.

CVAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes inParenthesis)

1. Belmont Abbey (6) 113
2. Queens (3) 110
3. Pfeiffer (2) 103
4. Mount Olive 94
5. Barton 73
6. Limestone 71
7. Lees-McRae 53
8. Erskine 51
9. St. Andrews (1) 47
10. Anderson 35
11. Coker 28
12. Converse 14

Four Men Charged In Death Of Soccer Teammate

WEST PEORIA, Ill. (Tuesday, August 14, 2007) -- In the wake of a prank gone bad, three Bradley University soccer players are among four men arrested yesterday for sparking a fire that killed their roommate, BU soccer player Danny Dahlquist.

Nicholas Mentgen, 21, Ryan Johnson, 22, and David Crady, 19 -- Dahlquist's roommates -- were the Bradley players charged, along with Daniel Cox, 20, with two counts of aggravated arson and one count of possession of an explosive. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for the four men September 13 in Peoria County Court.

Dahlquist, 19, a sophomore who, as a red-shirt, practiced, but did not play games for BU last season, died early Sunday morning of smoke inhalation after a fire in his second-story bedroom at an off-campus house he shared with Mentgen, Johnson and Crady. Dahlquist, a local high school star whose both parents work at Bradley, was rushed to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria where he died less than an hour after the fire broke out, according to authorities.

Travis English, also a roommate and BU soccer player, was not charged in the tragedy in which none of the other occupants were injured.

"We are deeply moved by the compassion that we have received from our family, neighbors, and the St Mark, Notre Dame and Bradley communities," read a statement released by the Dahlquist family. "We are truly blessed. Danny was living his dream. We are proud of the person he was. All the wonderful comments have confirmed that others respected him in the same way.

"Though this unspeakable tragedy hurts us tremendously, please keep in mind that there are five families that need your prayers."

The fire is still under investigation. Prosecutors said the four men could have been charged with murder, but the lesser charges were filed because they did not intend to cause harm to Dahlquist. As it is, if convicted, each man faces six-to-30 years in prison on the aggravated arson charge, a felony that doesn't qualify for probation. Each also faces up to 30 years in jail on the explosives charge, which does include the possibility of probation.

Johnson was released from jail Monday night, while Johnson and Crady were released early Tuesday morning after each posted the $500,000 bond requested by Peoria County State's Attorney Kevin Lyons and set by Judge Kevin Galley. Cox, who attends Illinois Central College in nearby East Peoria, remained in jail, according to SI.com.

"I don't want to make five tragedies out of one tragedy, but I also think it is important that we have consequences for our actions," Lyons told the Peoria Journal Star.

Peoria County public defender Thomas Penn Jr. unsuccessfully argued for a lesser bond of $200,000, saying all had ties to the community and weren't flight risks.

An autopsy was scheduled for yesterday. Peoria County coroner Johnna Ingersoll told the Associated Press Dahlquist had alcohol in his system, but was alive when the blaze broke out.

In court, Lyons said the four charged men lit a Roman candle under Dahlquist's bedroom door after a night of drinking early Sunday. They then tried to rescue Dahlquist when they saw a fire had started, but they could not reach him through the intense heat.

"They intended for their friend to run outside in his underwear, going, 'What the hell happened?' " Lyons said. "I'm quite certain that every person I know could put themselves in the shoes of the defendants."

According to the Star, the same prank had been pulled in the house two days earlier.

Bradley was scheduled to begin its 2007 preseason training on Wednesday. The defending Missouri Valley Conference champion cancelled the annual Red-White Scrimmage, set for Saturday. The regular season opens August 31 against Lipscomb as part of a two-day tournament at home.

Both of Dahlquist's parents have worked for years at Bradley. His father Craig is the university's senior associate athletic director for compliance and finance, while his mother Patricia is a member of the school's English Department faculty and once competed in track and field for BU.

Dahlquist helped Peoria's Notre Dame to its first Illinois High School Association Class A state championship as a junior in 2004, then served as captain for the Irish who went 20-2 in his senior season. He played his club soccer with the Central Illinois Soccer Academy.

Enrolled in Bradley's advanced academic exploration program, Dahlquist was named to the athletic director's honor roll in both of his semesters at BU.

Samford Women Favored In OVC

Samford has been picked to win the 2007 Ohio Valley Conference women’s soccer crown as voted on by the league’s head soccer coaches and sports information directors.

The Bulldogs, who won their fourth straight regular-season title in 2006, received 12 of the 20 first-place votes and 155 points. Morehead State picked up two-first place nods and 134 points while the reigning tournament champion Southeast Missouri follows with four first-place votes and 133 points. Eastern Illinois earned the other two first-place picks and 129 points for a fourth-place predicted finish.

Tennessee-Martin is selected to place fifth with 71 points while Austin Peay is a close sixth with 70 points. Jacksonville State and Murray State are picked to finish tied for seventh with 68 points each while Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech round out the poll with 50 and 22 points, respectively.

Samford is coming off its fourth straight OVC regular-season title after going 6-0-3 in Conference action and posting a 11-4-3 overall mark last year.

Todd Yelton enters is sixth season as the head coach of the Bulldogs and welcomes back seven starters among nine letterwinners from a year ago. Sophomore forward Amber Cress and senior forward Rebecca Bohler are among the top returning starters.

Cress, a native of Zionsville, Ind., was named the 2006 OVC Freshman of the year after leading her team with five goals to rank eighth in the Conference. Bohler dished out a league-leading nine assists in 2006 while also tallying two goals.

“This is a great honor for our team,” said Yelton. “I think that it shows the respect that we have earned in the conference and I’m proud of what our players have accomplished. It’s very rewarding to be picked first, but we also know that everyone in our league is going to come out with their best effort against us.”

Morehead State compiled a 8-8-3 overall record while going 5-1-3 in the OVC to finish second in 2006. Entering her third year at the helm of the Eagles, Erin Aubry returns 16 letterwinners from a year ago.

Among the top returnees is junior goalkeeper Leslie King (Park Hills, Ky.). The 2006 OVC Defensive Player of the Year led the Conference with 10 shutouts while also ranking among league leaders in goals-against average (1.30), save percentage (.835) and saves (132). Senior midfielder Rebekah Kendall will also be returning this year. Kendall, a native of Sissonville, W. Va., topped the OVC with 89 shots and nine goals last season.

Southeast Missouri, which won its first OVC Tournament title last year, finished the 2006 season with a 10-8-2 overall record and a 4-3-2 league mark. Heather Nelson enters her ninth year as the head coach of the Redhawks and returns nine starters among 12 letterwinners from last year.

Among the top returnees are sophomore forward Courtney Alexander and senior goalkeeper Lindsay Pickering. A native of Liberty, Mo., Alexander led the OVC with nine goals as a freshman. She also ranked among league leaders in shots (62) and points (21).

Pickering, a St. Charles, Mo. native, recorded nine shutouts to rank second in the OVC last year while also finishing third with a 0.95 goals-against average and fifth with 89 saves.

Conference play begins on Sept. 28 with the 2007 OVC Tournament taking place Nov. 6, 9-11 at the campus of the regular-season champions.

SAC Preseason Poll Topped By Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial University, which advanced to the NCAA Division II men's soccer semifinals last season, is the favorite to win the 2007 South Atlantic Conference championship in a vote of the league coaches.

Lincoln Memorial, a second-year SAC member, received five first-place votes and 61 total points. The Railsplitters were 15-2-3 overall last season, but were not eligible for the conference championship.

LMU returns nine starters off last year's team which made a run at the national title, including five who were named to the preseason All-Conference team, which was also announced. Goalkeeper Brent Cole was named to the first team.

Lenoir-Rhyne College picked up the other three first-place votes and finished second in the poll with 56 points. The Bears went 19-1-1 last year, winning the Food Lion SAC Tournament championship before ending their season in the Appalachian Region finals with a 1-1 tie against Lincoln Memorial. LMU advanced to the quarterfinals by penalty kicks.

The Bears placed five on the preseason All-Conference squad, including forward Luis Carrizosa and midfielder Aaron Wheeler on the first team. Wheeler had nine goals last year for the Bears, while Carrizosa had four goals and four assists.

The Carson-Newman Eagles, who have won the regular season crown for the past three years, were picked to finish third with 49 total points.

The Eagles put four on the preseason All-Conference team, with all making the first team. Forward Omar Cooke was ninth in the league in total scoring last year with eight goals and six assists. Also making the first team for the Eagles are midfielder Carlos Maqueda, and defenders Thomas Ostvold and Everardo Flores.

Catawba College, with 35 points, is picked to finish fourth in the standings.

Catawba placed three on the preseason All-SAC team with midfielder Ryan Villiard landing on the first team. Villiard ranked sixth in the league in assists per match last year.
Wingate University received 28 points for fifth place in the poll.

Tusculum College, which is fielding a men’s soccer team after a one-year hiatus, is picked to finish sixth. The Pioneers received 25 points.

Newberry College is picked to finish seventh after finishing third last season and placed four on the preseason All-Conference team. Forward Debola Ogunseye, who was third in the league in scoring last season with 16 goals, was one of three Indians on the first team. Midfielder Edsel Rudder and defender Jeff Bell also made the preseason first team.

Mars Hill rounds out the preseason coaches poll. Forward Daniel Waymont, a two-time SAC Scholar Athlete, was named to the preseason All-Conference first team.

Spring Break Tragedy!

Sarah Merritt, a Ohio University junior striker, died on Wednesday, March 21, in a tragic spring-break accident on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Merritt, who would have turned 21 on April 14, fell from a fifth-floor balcony at the Comfort Inn & Suites. Beaufort County sheriff's Captain Bob Bromage told Associated Press Merritt was attempting to climb from the balcony of one room to another when she fell approximately 60 feet.

An autopsy was scheduled for tomorrow in Charleston, AP reported.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Merritt family," Ohio director of athetics Kirby Hocutt said in a prepared statement. "The entire Ohio Athletics and Ohio University family is saddened by this sudden and tragic loss. We will make sure everything possible is done to help our student-athletes, particularly Sarah's teammates, coaches and staff during this difficult time."

Merritt played in all 19 matches for the 9-9-1 Bobcats last fall, starting two and recording no goals and two assists. As a sophomore in 2005. Merritt had two goals and three assists, starting four of the 16 matches she played for OU, which went 3-14.

As a freshman, Merritt played in 14 games when the Bobcats went 9-7-3 and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference regular season at 7-2-3.

Merritt scored 28 goals in each her junior and senior seasons and was named a high school All-American during her final year at Tippecanoe High School. She totaled 88 goals and 34 assists over four years for the Red Devils.

The daughter of Tom and Tammy Merritt, she was the president of her high school senior class and the senior homecoming queen, as well as a member of the choir, and track and basketball teams.

Sturgis, McCarty Leave School Early For MLS

Eleven players including Clemson’s Nathan Sturgis and UNC’s Dax McCarty have signed MLS Generation adidas contracts. They are now eligible for the Jan. 20 MLS SuperDraft and will receive college tuition grants to complete their education.

Sturgis (St. Augustine, FL) was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and McCarty (Winter Park, FL) was a key performer for the Tar Heels who reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs last fall. Both are former U.S.Under-17 National Team players.

Defender Blake Wagner (Tampa, FL) and forward Josmer Altifore (Boca Raton, FL), current U17 National Team players, will forgo college to turn professional right away. Both played for the U.S. Under-17s at the U17 World Cup in September.

Other collegiate players from the group of 11 are Patrick Ianni (UCLA), Kei Kamara (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Sacha Kljestan (Seton Hall), Jacob Peterson (Indiana), Willie Simms (Cal State Northridge), Marvell Wynne (UCLA) and Jed Zayner (Indiana).

Also, Jason Garey, the University of Maryland striker who was the nation’s leading goalscorer and 2005 MAC Hermann Trophy winner, has signed a contract with MLS. He is expected to be one of the first players taken in the MLS SuperDraft which will be held in the Philadelphia Convention Center next Friday.

Indiana also lost Brian Polotkin, who also signed with MLS, as well as Santa Clara midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy and Yura Movsisyan, a forward at Pasadena City College.

Sinclair, Garey Claim 2005 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy

Senior forward Christine Sinclair of the University of Portland and senior forward Jason Garey of the University of Maryland are the winners of the 2005 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, presented to the top female and male players in NCAA Division I soccer based on a vote of Division I coaches who are current members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Their selections were announced live to a national television audience on ESPNews.

The winning duo shares a couple of things in common; they each helped their team win the national championship, and they have each been named the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Sinclair (Burnaby, British Columbia) is the winner of college soccer’s top prize for the second consecutive year, joining Mia Hamm (1992 and `93) and Cindy Parlow (1997 and `98) as the only back-to-back winners of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. She scored 39 goals during in 2005, breaking the single-season record of 37 set in 1987 by SMU’s Lisa Cole. Sinclair led the Pilots to an undefeated season and the national championship, Portland’s second in four years, and was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the third time in her career.

Sinclair finishes her career as Portland’s and the WCC’s all-time leader in goals. Her 110 career goals rank second in NCAA Division I history, and her 25 postseason goals is an NCAA record. The high-scoring Sinclair also made her mark in the classroom. Her 3.75 grade point average earned her the NSCAA award and the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. Sinclair already is established as one of Canada’s greatest soccer players ever. A member of the Canadian national team since 2000, she is the second highest goal-scorer in Canadian history. Sinclair played in all six games and tallied three goals at the 2003 Women’s World Cup, helping Canada to a surprise fourth-place finish.

The other two finalists for the women’s award were Notre Dame senior forward Katie Thorlakson (Langley, B.C.) and Penn State senior forward Tiffany Weimer (North Haven, Conn.).

Garey (Gonzales, La.) caps off a tremendous season by winning college soccer’s top honor. In 2005, he helped lead Maryland to the school’s first NCAA championship since 1968. Garey led the nation in scoring with 22 goals and finished his career as the school’s all-time leading goal-scorer with 60.

Fueled by Garey’s offensive fireworks, the University of Maryland entered the 2005 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed. He scored several big goals during the Terrapins march to the national championship. In Maryland’s 4-1 victory over SMU in the semifinal match, Garey scored two goals just 15 seconds apart to establish the record for fastest consecutive goals in NCAA Tournament history.

Sinclair, Thorlakson, Weimer Named Finalists
for 2005 Women's M.A.C. Hermann Trophy

The 2004 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy winner, the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year, and the Big Ten’s Offensive Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the 2005 women’s M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting by Division I women’s soccer coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Portland’s Christine Sinclair, Notre Dame’s Katie Thorlakson and Penn State’s Tiffany Weimer are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 6, for a news conference where the winner of the award will be revealed. The announcement will be carried live on ESPNews (7 p.m. EST). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Sinclair, a senior forward from Burnaby, B.C., was the leading goal scorer in the country with 39 goals. She led the Pilots to the national championship and an undefeated season, earning Most Valuable Player honors at last weekend’s Women’s College Cup. Sinclair was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. She has been a member of the Canadian National Team since 2000. Sinclair received the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and could join Mia Hamm and Cindy Parlow as the only women to receive the award in consecutive years.

Thorlakson, a senior forward from Langley, B.C., led the Fighting Irish with 35 assists and added 18 goals to tie for the team lead with 71 points. She played in all 25 matches for a Notre Dame squad that reached the NCAA quarterfinals. Thorlakson is two-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year and a member of the Canadian National Team. In 2004, she led Notre Dame to the national championship and was named the Women’s College Cup’s Most Valuable Player.

Weimer, a senior forward from North Haven, Conn., led Penn State with 32 goals, establishing the Big Ten Conference single-season record. She owns a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with a goal (17). She helped the Nittany Lions to their eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship. Weimer was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. This is the second year in a row that she is a finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy.

An exhibition featuring the current and past recipients of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Some of the biggest names in soccer like Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna have won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. For a complete list of past M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winners, log on to www.mac-stl.org.

Garey, Plotkin, Rowland are Men's Finalists
for 2005 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy

The ACC Player of the Year, the Big Ten Player of the Year and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Year comprise the three finalists for the men’s Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, the highest individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The finalists were determined in voting of Division I men’s soccer coaches who are members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Maryland’s Jason Garey, Indiana’s Brian Plotkin and New Mexico’s Jeff Rowland are the three finalists for the award. The trio will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 6, for a news conference where the winner of the award will be revealed. The announcement will be carried live on ESPNews (7 p.m. EST). A banquet at the Club that evening will feature the formal presentation of the prestigious crystal soccer ball trophy to the winner.

Garey, a senior forward from Gonzales, La., is Maryland’s career leader in goals. This season, he led the Terrapins in goals and points. Garey was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and led Maryland to the Men’s College Cup. In 2004, he was a semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy.

Plotkin, a senior midfielder from Lisle, Ill., scored eight goals and added 12 assists for the Hoosiers to lead the Big Ten in scoring. He led the Big Ten in game-winning goals (4) and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week three times. Plotkin was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and was the only unanimous all-conference selection.

Rowland, a senior forward from Albuquerque, N.M., started every game for the Lobos. He led the Mountain Pacific Soccer Federation in scoring with 36 points on 16 goals and four assists. Rowland scored the game-winning goal in UNM’s 1-0 overtime victory over California in the NCAA quarterfinals to send the Lobos to the Men’s College Cup for the first time in school history.

An exhibition featuring the current and the past recipients of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Some of the biggest names in soccer like Mia Hamm and Claudio Reyna have won the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. For a complete list of past winners, log on to www.mac-hermann-trophy.org.

Messiah Sweeps Division III Championships

Messiah College completed an unprecedented sweep of the NCAA Division III national championships when Ryan Edwards tallied the match's only goal in the 69th minute as the Falcons defeated Gustavus Adolphus College, 1-0, in the 2005 NCAA Division III Championship match. Bryan Mohney earned the assist on the play.

Earlier in the day the Messiah women won their first national title by completing an undefeated season (22-0-1) with a 1-0 victory over The College of New Jersey on a late second-half goal by Billie Jo Atkins.

"I was able to recognize where I was in relation to the defenders," Edwards said of the build up to his 10th goal of the year. "Once Bryan hot the ball to me it was a pretty easy and short finish."

The title was the Falcon's second straight and fourth in the past six seasons. MC ended the year 24-0 and ran its wining streak to 29 games.

"Every year and each team is different," said Messiah Head Coach Dave Brandt. "This team had great chemistry and leadership which brought out the best in the team."

Gustavus Adolphus ended its Cinderella run at 17-3-5. The Gusties had a number of good scoring chances on counter attacks--especially in the first half--but could not find the net. The Falcons out shot the Gusties 7-6. MC had six corner kicks to two for GAC.

Atkins scored on an assist from Rachel Horning in the 70th minute in the 1-0 win over The College of New Jersey at Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C..

The goal was fitting for a championship match. Atkins headed home a highlight reel throw-in from Horning for the game-winner. Horning did a front hand-spring/somersault which gave the diminutive midfielder the ability to throw the ball 35-yards to the six yard box. The goal for Atkins was her fourth of the season for Messiah.

"I've been doing that throw since I was nine years old," said Horning. "If I just started to try the somersault now, I'd probably break my neck!"

"We've scored on that play about four times this year," said Falcon Head Coach Scott Frey. "It's a dangerous and exciting play because she has the ability to put it in front of the goal."

The exciting goal overshadowed a bit the stellar play of freshman defender Kacie Klynstra. She helped an MC defense that did not allow a goal in the semifinals and finals. Additionally, she marked three-time TCNJ All American Brittney Boyd and held her without a shot.

"She was the difference in our team this year," Frey said. "With Kacie in the back we were able to move players forward in the lineup. She does not play like a freshman."

Kylnstra was named most outstanding player for the tournament.

Attendance for the men’s championship match was 1,374. Additionally, more than 1,000 viewers watched the men's and women's finals via streaming video from NCAASports.com. The women’s final drew 1,073, the fifth largest ever for a Division III women’s title game.

Guadarrama Boys Could Always Score Goals

Need a goal? Not a problem for the Guadarrama brothers!

That’s the way it was back at Cedar Park High School in Cedar Park, TX. Willy and Sonny Guadarrama have taken that talent to the next level at Campbell University.
Willy, the older brother, scored 40 goals his senior season in high school, and added 20 assists. Sonny, younger by one year, scored 32 as a senior and finished with 101 goals in his high school career.

In the Camels first 10 games this fall, Willy has 15 goals. That makes him the national goalscoring leader among NCAA Division I players. Add three assists, and his 33 points is also tops nationally.

He tied a school record with five goals in a 7-0 Atlantic Sun victory over Stetson.
Sonny has scored six times, and has had his moments also. He got the game-winner in overtime to beat UNC Wilmington 1-0. He and Willy had a goal and an assist each in a key 3-2 A-Sun victory over Jacksonville.

That game also featured the Dophins’ Tommy Krizanovic, then the conference’s leading scorer, whose 10th goal of the season gave JU a 2-1 second half lead. Willy tied the game 48 seconds later.

Looking at a second straight overtime game, Sonny, who had assisted Julian Fulton’s first half goal, pounced on a loose ball in the 80th minute and jammed in a rebound for his third-game winner of the season.

And who had taken the initial Campbell shot? Why, it was big brother Willy, of course.
“I really felt our guys believed we were going to win the game as I spoke with them during intermission,” said Campbell head coach Doug Hess, talking about the Jacksonville win.

“Both (goals) were second chance efforts after the JU keeper mishandled the initial ball and the Guadarrama brothers each were able to capitalize on his misfortune.”

Actually, of the two, Sonny was probably the more heralded of the two. He was a Parade All-America and a member of the U.S. Under-18 national team. But right now it is Willy who is breaking records in Buies Creek.

The five goals against the Hatters matched the highest scoring effort by a Campbell player since CU joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 1977. David Doyle, who would go on to enjoy an outstanding professional indoor soccer career with the Dallas Sidekicks, set the mark in 1986, when he scored five against Winthrop and Augusta.
His first goal came just 26 seconds into the game.

For the record, the all-time single game record holder for goals scored is Gary Woodward, who had seven in a game against Monmouth College back in 1970 when Campbell was a member of the NAIA.

The win over Stetson left the Camels 6-3-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the A-Sun Conference. The loss was 2-1 against North Florida, which is 2-0 in the A-Sun.

Jacksonville dropped its second conference game when it lost to Florida Atlantic 2-1 in double overtime. Freshman Akeem Priestley scored with one second remaining in regulation to force overtime for JU, but Javier Carrillo would get the game-winner in the second overtime.

One team that has slumped is Gardner-Webb, which opened the season 5-1-2, but has lost five of its last six matches and is 0-4 in conference play.

On the other hand, Mercer, which had a 1-5-0 start, has won four of its last five matches.

A week of rain forced a number of postponements and cancellations. Florida Atlantic was scheduled to play three games, but only got in the one with JU. Mercer’s match with Campbell was cancelled, and North Florida didn’t get in a game for a week because of heavy rain in the Jacksonville Area.

The Ospreys’ 2-0 conference start is their best in league play since starting the 2002 season 4-0-1 in the Division II Peach Belt Conference.

Florida Atlantic (4-0-1) leads the A-Sun women’s standings, followed by Kennesaw State and Campbell at 4-1-0 each. Gardner-Webb, at 3-1-0, also has only one loss.
FAU’s 1-0 win over Campbell broke the Camels’ 17-game conference winning streak.

Kennesaw State split a pair of games with Belmont and Lipscomb. KSU was shocked by the Bruins at home 2-1, but regrouped to beat Lipscomb 7-1 on the road. It was the Owls’ highest goal total of the season and most since nine goals against West Georgia a year ago.

Steadman Discovers Life After Soccer
By Ray Alley

Sometimes soccer is a joyful experience, and sometimes the game can be cruel.
Meet Amy Steadman, a senior economic major from Brevard, N.C, who is experiencing college life away from the soccer field at the University of North Carolina.
Steadman has always loved the game and still would be playing had it not been for a knee injury. Or should we say, four knee injuries.

It is all too common for knee injuries to occur in soccer. Torn anterior cruciate ligaments, torn meniscus, etc. Steadman has experienced both. All to her right knee!
A year ago she started every game at left back for the UNC Tar Heels. She played that season with a lot of pain.

“Last year was hard because my knee hurt after every game,” said Steadman. “It’s hard not to play now, but I’ve met a lot of great people at Carolina and getting to do some things I wouldn’t have done had I still been playing.”

Steadman graduated from Brevard HS a year and a half early to play soccer at UNC. Missing high school soccer wasn’t an issue. She never played high school ball, concentrating instead on club soccer and the Olympic Development Program that was her pathway to the national team player pool.

“Making the Under-21 national team was my bigtime dream goal,” admitted Steadman. Bigger than playing at UNC, as it would possibly be her ticket to the Olympics.

She had already torn her ACL in high school and redshirted as a freshman. She tried to play as a sophomore, getting in 14 games, but out-of-season training with the WUSA Carolina Courage resulted in another lost ACL.

She came back to play last season as a junior, but this past spring her second meniscus injury resulted in yet another surgery, at which time doctors discovered that she no longer had an ACL in her right knee. It was gone, and what was left was bone-on-bone with no hope of repair.

“It was a hard decision (not to continue playing),” said Steadman, “but I talked with my parents and then talked with (UNC coach) Anson (Dorrance). He was very supportive. I decided that soccer was over for me.”

Unfortunately, Steadman’s experience with knee injuries is not uncommon. The number of injuries, and severity was unusual.

Her first knee surgery was done using the most common procedure of splitting the patella tendon and using that to create a new ACL. They used a piece of the hamstring muscle to replace the ACL in the second surgery, and a cadaver graft in the third.
She continues to train, mostly on a treadmill or elliptical exercise machine, and she is getting stronger. But the knee is sore when the weather changes, and she knows that it would not hold up to cutting and running on the soccer field.

Still, she is never far from the game. Her roommates, Lori Calupney and Kacey White, are current standouts on for the Tar Heels. She has gone with friends to see UNC’s home games and the Tar Heels’ games in Duke’s tournament.

“Soccer was my life for a long time, and it is hard just to watch,” said Steadman, who says that the UNC players “are probably the best group of friends here.”
But she is now experiencing college life without sports, and finding out that life can still be good.

“I am lucky that I decided to come to North Carolina,” she said. “I had a chance to go to other schools too, and I could have chosen a place that I would not have enjoyed without soccer.

UNC’s O’Reilly Among Hermann Trophy Candidates

The three women who gathered at the Missouri Athletic Club for the announcement of the winner of the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy will vie for another invitation, as they are among the 25 players that comprise the 2005 Hermann Trophy Watch List.

The list, announced by the Missouri Athletic Club, was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Christine Sinclair (Portland/Burnaby, B.C.), Heather O'Reilly (North Carolina/East Brunswick, N.J.) and Tiffany Weimer (Penn State/North Haven, Conn.) comprised last year's field of finalists when Sinclair claimed the award, the highest individual honor presented in intercollegiate soccer.

Three teams placed three players each on the list, including reigning national champion Notre Dame. The Irish are represented by junior Jen Buczkowski (Elk Grove, Ill.) and seniors Candace Chapman (Ajax, Ontario) and Katie Thorlakson (Langley, B.C.), whose torrid scoring late in the season carried Notre Dame to the Division I title. O'Reilly, a junior, is joined by fellow Tar Heels Lori Chalupny (St. Louis, Mo.) and Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.). In addition to Weimer, Penn State players selected the list include Natalie Jacobs (Centreville, Va.) and Erin McLeod (Vancouver, B.C.).

Three other schools had dual selections: Kansas with junior Holly Gault (Spring Hill, Kan.) and senior Caroline Smith (Edina, Minn.); Ohio State with sophomore Lara Dickenmann (Kriens, Switzerland) and Melissa Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio); and UCLA with seniors Iris Mora (Cancun, Mexico) and Jill Oakes (West Hills, Calif.).

A list of 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced in early November, with the three finalists announced in December. The trio will be invited to St. Louis for a news conference and dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club on Jan. 6, 2006, where the winner of the award will be revealed. The winner is determined through voting of NCAA Division I members of the NSCAA.

Women's 2005 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List
Compiled by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America

Player, Class, School, Hometown
Ronda Brooks, Jr., Auburn, Marietta, Ga.
Jen Buczkowski, Jr., Notre Dame, Elk Grove, Ill.
Lori Chalupny, Sr., North Carolina, St. Louis, Mo.
Candace Chapman, Sr., Notre Dame, Ajax, Ontario
Lara Dickenmann, So., Ohio State, Kriens, Switzerland
Holly Gault, Jr., Kansas, Spring Hill, Kan.
Sarah Huffman, Sr., Virginia , Flower Mound, Texas
Lindsey Huie, Sr., Portland, Mission Viejo, Calif.
Hayley Hunt, Sr., Stanford, San Marino, Calif.
Natalie Jacobs, Sr., Penn State, Centreville, Va.
Diana Matheson, So., Princeton, Oakville, Ontario
Erin McLeod, Sr., Penn State, Vancouver, B.C.
Melissa Miller, Jr., Ohio State, Cincinnati, Ohio
Iris Mora, Sr., UCLA, Cancun, Mexico
Fran Munnelly, Sr., Colorado, Arvada, Colo.
Jill Oakes, Sr., UCLA, West Hills, Calif.
Heather O'Reilly, Jr., North Carolina, East Brunswick, N.J.
Kelly Rowland, Jr., Florida State, Wallingford, Pa.
Christine Sinclair, Sr., Portland, Burnaby, B.C.
Caroline Smith, Sr., Kansas, Edina, Minn.
Kati Jo Spisak, Sr., Texas A&M, Manchester, Mo.
Lindsay Tarpley, Sr., North Carolina, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Katie Thorlakson, Sr., Notre Dame, Langley, B.C.
Brittany Timko, Jr., Nebraska, Coquitlam, B.C.
Tiffany Weimer, Sr., Penn State, North Haven, Conn

ACC Stars Named To Hermann Trophy List

Seniors Blake Camp (Duke), Justin Moose (Wake Forest) and Jason Garey (Maryland) are among the 25 players named to the 2005 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List.

The list, announced by the Missouri Athletic Club, was compiled by a panel of coaches from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Defending Division I men’s national champion Indiana placed three players on the list. Despite losing 2004 Hermann Trophy winner Danny O'Rourke to graduation, the Hoosiers will reload with a solid lineup, led by junior Jacob Peterson (Portage, Mich.), who gained notice for his outstanding play with the U.S. Men's National Team at the U-20 World Championships this summer. Joining Peterson from Indiana were classmate Jed Zayner (Overland Park, Ill.) and senior Brian Plotkin (Lisle, Ill.).

Another U-20 squad member who enjoyed a sterling performance at the world championships also made the list. Sophomore Marvell Wynne (Poway, Calif.) is one of two UCLA players, along with junior Patrick Ianni (Lodi, Calif.). The only others schools with multiple players among the 25 were Connecticut and national semifinalist Duke, with two players each. Senior Mpho Moloi (Soweto, South Africa) and sophomore Julius James (Maloney Gardens, Trinidad) represent the Huskies, while the Blue Devils offer Camp (Danielsville, Ga.) and sophomore Michael Vidiera (Milford, Mass.).

Two players from the 15 semifinalists last season also are on the Watch List: Maryland senior Garey (Gonzales, La.) and St. John's senior Matt Groenwald (Mt. Prospect, Ill.).

A list of 15 semifinalists for the award will be announced in early November, with the three finalists announced in December. The trio will be invited to St. Louis for a news conference and dinner held at the Missouri Athletic Club on Jan. 6, 2006, where the winner of the award will be revealed. The winner is determined through voting of NCAA Division I members of the NSCAA.

Men's 2005 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List
Compiled by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America

Player, Class, School, Hometown
Gerardo Alvarez, Jr., Northwestern, Aurora, Ill.
Medhi Ballouchy, Jr., Santa Clara, Casablanca, Morocco
Blake Camp, Sr., Duke, Danielsville, Ga.
Greg Dalby, Jr., Notre Dame, Poway, Calif.
Leandro de Oliveira, Sr., UAB, Bryan, Texas
John DiRaimondo, Jr., Saint Louis, St. Louis, Mo.
Jason Garey, Sr., Maryland, Gonzales, La.
Matt Groenwald, Sr., St. John's, Mt. Prospect, Ill.
Patrick Ianni, Jr., UCLA, Lodi, Calif.
Julius James, So., Connecticut, Maloney Gardens, Trinidad
Scott Jones, Jr., UNC-Greensboro, Dallas, Texas
Sacha Kljestan, Jr., Seton Hall, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Mpho Moloi, Sr., Connecticut, Soweto, South Africa
Justin Moose, Sr., Wake Forest, Statesville, N.C.
Dayton O'Brien, Sr., Memphis, Memphis, Tenn.
Dominic Oduro, Sr., Virginia Commonwealth, Accra, Ghana
Randi Patterson, Jr., UNC-Greensboro, Hackensack, N.J.
Jacob Peterson, Jr., Indiana, Portage, Mich.
Brian Plotkin, Sr., Indiana, Lisle, Ill.
Tyler Rosenlund, So., UC Santa Barbara, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Jeff Rowland, Sr., New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.
Nathan Sturgis, So., Clemson, St. Augustine, Fla.
Michael Videira, So., Duke, Milford, Mass.
Marvell Wynne, So., UCLA, Poway, Calif.
Jed Zayner, Jr., Indiana, Overland Park, Ill.

George Mason Hires Greg Andrulis

Former Columbus Crew head coach Greg Andrulis has accepted the position of head coach of the men’s soccer team at George Mason and becomes the ninth coach in the 37-year history. He replaces Fran O’Leary, who resigned on August 10.

“Greg was the top candidate we immediately sought when the position opened up. His experience and success at both the collegiate and professional levels were unmatched,” said GMU Athletic Directors Tom O’Connor. “His 24 years experience coaching soccer, along with his achieving the highest award for a coach, earning Coach of the Year honors in the MLS, are impressive to say the least. He is the person who is most qualified to continue the great soccer tradition at Mason. Our student-athletes and our alumni should be thrilled that he will join the list of many great coaches in our school’s history.”

Andrulis comes to Mason with a combined 24 years of collegiate and Major League Soccer coaching experience. He was MLS Coach of the Year in 2004, but recently relieved of his coaching duties on July 12th after spending nine seasons with the Columbus Crew. The team was 49-43-32 in his four plus seasons with the Crew and 2-4-3 in the playoffs, but the team got off to a 4-10-2 start in 2005.

“I am thrilled to be named head coach at George Mason University, a school with a tremendous tradition, both athletically and academically,” said Andrulis. “My sincerest appreciation to the administration for their confidence in me and their support in this process. I look forward to coaching and teaching the student-athletes and building upon that fine tradition that our valued alumni have laid before us.”

Andrulis joined the Crew in MLS's inuagural season in 1996 as an assistant to Tom Fitzgerald and was named interim coach midway though the 2001 season, after Fitzgerald was fired. He was given the job full-time proceeding the season after guiding the Crew to a 12-4-4 record in the remaining games in 2001.

Andrulis earned his first-ever MLS Coach of the Year award in 2004. He guided the Crew to the top of the Eastern Conference standings and garnered the Crew their first ever Supporters Shield in 2004, which is awarded annually to the team with the most points in either conference. The Crew’s 49 points is also the highest regular season point total in team history. The team started the year poorly, but Andrulis took the Crew on a league-record 18-game streak without a loss, and a 12-win season against only five losses. The loss total was the lowest number in the league and team history and the 12 wins also marked the second highest total in the MLS that year behind Kansas City’s 14.

Prior to joining Columbus, he was the head coach of Wright State University from 1985 to 1996. He posted a 12-year record of 134-72-28. His best season came in 1988 when he led the Raiders to a 16-4-2 mark.

The Litchfield, Conn., native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1980 from Eastern Connecticut State University. After spending a year as an assistant coach at his alma mater, he moved to Springfield College in Massachusetts where he coached the junior varsity and freshman teams while earning a master’s degree in counseling. He then spent three years as an assistant coach at Clemson University where he helped the Tigers win the NCAA Championship in 1985.

Maryland Women’s Head Coach Resigns

The University of Maryland Athletics Department has announced that head women’s soccer coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski is stepping down from her position as head coach due to family reasons.

"Shannon is a terrific coach and an even better person," said Maryland
Athletics Director Deborah A. Yow. "We were blessed to have her at Maryland, leading our women’s soccer program for six years. She brought an energy and passion for the game that inspired her players and resulted in many memorable wins. She is a pioneer in women’s soccer and has opened the door for many young women to pursue their dreams."

Higgins-Cirovski compiled a 62-51-10 (.549) record during her six seasons at the helm of the Terrapin women’s soccer program. Under her tutelage Maryland has earned berths into the NCAA tournament five times, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2004.

Said Higgins-Cirovski, “The demands of the profession have risen at the same time as the demands of our home life. I am stepping down for reasons that are consistent with my values of family. No one cares more about Maryland women’s soccer than I. I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past six years and it is difficult for me to leave the players, the staff and this university. I am confident the program is in excellent shape and the administration will find a coach with the values and philosophy consistent with our current program.”

Higgins-Cirovski was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002, becoming just the third woman, and the youngest person ever, to be enshrined. She was a two-time first team All-American as a player at the University of North Carolina, where she helped lead the Tar Heels to four NCAA championships. In 1989 she was awarded the prestigious Hermann Award as the Nation’s top Division I women’s soccer player, as well as the Honda-Broderick Award as the top female athlete in the nation.

She began her college coaching career in 1991 at George Washington
University. During her seven seasons as the Colonials’ head coach she
compiled a 69-59-11 (.536) record and lead her team to the school’s first and only NCAA tournament berth in 1996. She was later inducted into the George Washington University Athletic Hall of Fame in February 2003.

She was named head coach at Maryland on January 13, 1999. During her tenure at Maryland, Higgins-Cirovski was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year and lead her teams to victories over 16 Top 25 teams.

Higgins-Cirovski turned in her finest coaching job in 2004. With a roster
depleted due to various injuries, she guided the Terps to the NCAA
Tournament’s Sweet 16. Of Maryland’s nine victories, three were over Top 10 teams, including a 1-0 upset over No. 2 seed Penn State in State College, Pa., snapping the Nittany Lions’ 39-game home winning streak.

Overall, she compiled a 131-110-21 (.540) record as a head coach.

A national search for Higgins-Cirovski’s successor will begin immediately
with a goal of having the new coach in place by mid-May.

Sinclair, O'Rourke Named Hermann
Trophy Recipients

Junior forward Christine Sinclair of the University of Portland and senior midfielder Danny O’Rourke of Indiana University are the winners of the 2004 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, presented to the top female and male players in NCAA Division I soccer. The winners were decided by a vote of current National Soccer Coaches Association of America members at the NCAA Division I level and were announced live to a national television audience on ESPNEWS.

Sinclair (Burnaby, British Columbia) scored 22 goals, 11 assists and 10 game-winners during the 2004 season en route to winning college soccer’s top prize. She finished fourth nationally in total points and tied for third in goals. Sinclair was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second time in her career and led the Pilots to the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

Sinclair is already established as one of Canada’s greatest soccer players ever. A member of the Canadian national team since 2000, she is the second highest goal-scorer in Canadian history. Sinclair played in all six games and tallied three goals at the 2003 Women’s World Cup, helping Canada to a surprise fourth-place finish.

In just three seasons at Portland, Sinclair is already ranked among Portland’s career leaders in game-winners (1st), points (3rd), goals (3rd), shots (3rd) and assists (12th). In 2002, Sinclair scored both goals in the College Cup finals against Santa Clara in leading Portland to the national championship.

A life science major with a 3.68 cumulative grade-point average, she is the only Portland player in history to garner two CoSIDA Academic All-American selections. Sinclair becomes the 2nd women’s player from the University of Portland to earn college soccer’s top honor. Shannon MacMillan won the M.A.C. and the Hermann awards in 1995.

The other two women's finalists for the 2004 Hermann Trophy were University of North Carolina sophomore forward Heather O’Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.) and Penn State junior forward Tiffany Weimer (North Haven, Conn.).

O’Rourke (Columbus, Ohio) caps off a tremendous season by winning college soccer’s top honor. In 2004, he helped lead Indiana to its second consecutive NCAA championship. The team tri-captain anchored an IU defense that posted 11 shutouts and ranked among the national leaders in goals against (0.63). He was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection and an NSCAA/adidas first team All-America.

In the 2004 College Cup semifinals, O’Rourke assisted on the game-winner in the Hoosiers’ come-from-behind 3-2 double-overtime victory over Maryland, earning selection to the College Cup All-Tournament team.

O’Rourke not only excelled on the field, but in the classroom as well. He was named the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year, becoming just the second player to win both National Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year in the same year.

O’Rourke becomes the sixth player from Indiana to win National Player of the Year honors: Todd Yeagley `94 and Ken Snow `88 & `90 won the M.A.C. Award; Brian Maisonneuve `94, Armando Betancourt `81 and Angelo DiBernardo `78 won the Hermann Trophy.

The other two men's finalists for the 2004 Hermann Trophy were Virginia Commonwealth senior defender Gonzalo Segares (San Jose, Costa Rico) and Tulsa junior forward Ryan Pore (Mansfield, Ohio).

An exhibition dedicated to the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy featuring all former recipients of both the M.A.C. and Hermann trophies, the current winners, a replica of the Irish crystal trophy and the original Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Museum in Oneonta, N.Y. Additional information about the soccer Hall of Fame can be found at www.soccerhall.org.

Notre Dame Edges UCLA In Shootout

Notre Dame goalkeeper Erika Bohn faced her first penalty kick of the season Sunday, and the stakes could not have been higher: Just a few minutes were left in the NCAA women's soccer title game.

Bohn jumped to her left and turned aside Kendal Billingsley's waist-high shot from 12 yards away to preserve a 1-1 tie in regulation.

"It's a pressure situation, but I just went with my gut," Bohn said. "After I saved it, I knew we weren't going to lose."

The tie stood up after 110 minutes of regulation and overtime, and Notre Dame won its second NCAA title when Bohn turned away Lindsay Greco's shot to seal a 4-3 victory on penalty kicks.

Jill Krivacek made the winning shot for the Fighting Irish (24-1-1), who also won the national title in 1995 and joined North Carolina as the only multiple champions.

UCLA (18-6) led 1-0 in the 60th minute on Gudrun Gunnarsdottir's own-goal when her intended back-pass to Bohn went past the charging goalie and into the empty Irish net.

Notre Dame tied it on Katie Thorlakson's penalty kick in the 74th after she was arm-tackled inside the penalty area.

The action was end-to-end throughout, but UCLA coach Jillian Elliss said the game hinged on the late penalty kick save by Bohn, who was honored as the Final Four's most outstanding defensive player.

"Two penalty kicks were called (in regulation), and we didn't put ours away," Elliss said. "You get those chances, you've got to put them away."

The Irish had outscored their five previous tournament opponents 11-1, while the Bruins had nothing but shutouts in outscoring their foes 9-0.

Notre Dame was making its fifth trip to the championship game. The Irish lost in 1994, 1996 and 1999 - each time to North Carolina. UCLA's only previous NCAA women's soccer final came in 2000, when the Bruins lost 2-1 to North Carolina.

Notre Dame created repeated chances, calmly passing through tight spaces in the midfield and attacking down the flanks.

UCLA goalkeeper Valerie Henderson was forced to confront Irish attackers by charging from her line and hitting the ground to block shots with her body.

The Bruins supplemented their defense by taking advantage of long-range shots. One good chance came about 15 minutes before halftime, when Bristyn Davis - the Bruins' leading scorer with 14 goals and six assists - laced a shot that caromed off the crossbar from 30 yards out.

Thorlakson, who led the country with 70 points this season (including 23 goals), was voted the most outstanding offensive player of the Final Four.

"I'm not a very emotional person on the outside, but as soon as the whistle blew, I just started crying," she said.

Indiana Repeats As Champs On PKs

CARSON, Calif, (Sunday, December 12, 2004) -- So the new era at Indiana began just like the old one ended -- with another NCAA men's soccer championship.

Under first-year coach Mike Freitag, who took over for his legendary mentor Jerry Yeagley, fourth-ranked Indiana defended its Division I championship, defeating No. 2 California-Santa Barbara 3-2 in a penalty-kicks tiebreaker after the two schools played a 1-1 draw before 13,601 at Home Depot Center this afternoon.

After junior forward Mike Ambserley gave IU a 3-2 lead to begin the fifth round of penalty kicks, senior goalkeeper Jay Nolly dove to his left to deny Nate Boyden's attempt, his second consecutive save of the shootout, to give the Hoosiers the crown.

"I never really look at the moves. My focus is really on the ball," Nolly said., "I get a read right away on what I'm going to do and what side I'm going to and then I stick with it. Those last two I felt they were going that way. I went all out for them and the ball was there."

Sophomore striker Jacob Peterson gave Indiana a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. Senior forward Drew McAthy put away a rebound to equalize for UCSB (20-3-1) in the 82nd minute.

Yeagley started the IU program and retired after 31 years at the helm by leading the Hoosiers to their sixth national championship, defeating St. John's 2-01 in the 2003 final. Freitag, who was a standout defender for the Hoosiers for four years (1976-79), went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach (1983-1986) and served as a full-time assistant for 11 years (1993-2003) before replacing Yeagley. During Freitag's time as an assistant, IU took four national titles -- 1983, 1998, 1999 and 2003.

"It feels kind of weird," Freitag said. "As the assistant coach, I'd be running around like crazy. But I'm not overly excited right now. It was meant to be, I think."

UCSB nearly took a lead in the sixth minute when senior striker Neil Jones' hit the right post with a diving header from 10 yards.

Five minutes later, UCSB keeper Dan Kennedy was well-positioned to snag IU junior defender Jordan Chirico's angled shot from the right side of the penalty area. Seven minutes later, Peterson worked into the right side of the box after a give-and-go with Ambersley, but his shot from a sharper angle was easily turned away by Kennedy.

In the 27th minute, Hoosiers sophomore defender Jed Zayner gained control of the ball at the midfield strip and carried into the attacking half before perfectly leading Peterson with a low pass. Peterson, who had separated himself from freshman defender Andy Iro, stretched out his right leg and used his first touch to toe poke the ball past a charging Kennedy into the right corner of the net for his 11th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

"It's all kind of a blur right now," Peterson said. "I think Jed took it up and played a great ball in. The keeper was out so I just tried to go over him. I just saw him coming off his line. The coaches talked to me about how the keeper likes to come out early so I just tried to get it over."

Kennedy said, ""It was my mistake. I got out of position and misjudged the speed of the ball. I got a finger on it, but he got a foot on it. It was my fault."

In the 34th minute, McAthy worked hard in tight quarters to trigger a hard shot from the top of the box, but Nolly dropped quickly to his right to snare the 16-yard effort.

The Hoosiers almost extended their lead in the 60th minute when John Michael Hayden beat a pair of defenders deep into the left side of the box before making a clever back-heel to junior midfielder Brian Plotkin. Plotkin drilled his shot from 12 yards high, directly at Kennedy, who held his ground and parried the ball into the air before cradling it.

Seven minutes later, with UCSB pushing forward hard, IU junior forward Pat Yates was able to get a step on the Gauchos defense as he caught up with a long lead pass. Yates carried for 40 yards, but his shot from 18 yards out was weak and easily scooped up by Kennedy.

UCSB increasingly applied pressure and wasted a prime opportunity in the 75th when McAthy's sent a free kick from a yard above the top right of the box well over the left corner of the net.

Finally, the Gauchos' relentless attack paid off. Nolly went high to punch away a long free kick into his box, but lost his footing as he landed. Iro drilled a low shot into a wall of the defenders with the ball caroming away. McAthy chased down the rolling ball, pivoted and nailed a 12-yard right-footer just inside the left post before Nolly could fully recover. McAthy's 18th goal made it 1-1 with 8:59 left on the clock.

While UCSB was the more dangerous team throughout the 20 minutes of sudden death, neither team produced a particularly dangerous opportunity in extra time.

"Obviously this is a very disappointing loss, but I thought we played well today," UCSB coach Tim Vom Steeg said. "Indiana is a good team, but I thought after that goal we had a good shot. (We are) resilient, we work hard and are committed, and I thought we could wear them down. In the second half, we had good opportunities, and in overtime we kept coming."

The Gauchos brought in reserve keeper Kyle Reynish for the penalty kicks and the sophomore made two saves, including a dive to his left to stop Drew Moor on the shootout's first kick. McAthy then put UCSB ahead 1-0. Hayden beat Reynish on the next attempt for the Hoosiers while Jones missed high and to the left to keep the score at 1-1.

Senior forward Greg Badger made it 2-1 for IU with junior midfielder Ivan Becerra countering for the Gauchos to make it 2-2. Reynish and Nolly each came up with saves in the fourth round, setting up Ambersley's decisive tally and Nolly's winning save.

"We kept fighting until the end and ended up being champions," Freitag said.

(Reprinted from www.soccertimes.com)

Terps, Blue Devils Fall In Semifinals

The Atlantic Coast Conference had two shots at putting a team in the 2004 NCAA College Cup championship game, but both Maryland and Duke fell in the semifinals.

The Terps, losing for the third consecutive year in the semifinal ro9und, were beraten by Indiana in overtime, while Duke was shutout by the #1 ranked Gauchos from the Universeity of California-Santa Barbara.

Indiana Wins

Indiana's John Michael Hayden scored on a header with just 48 seconds remaining in the second overtime to give the Hoosiers a 3-2 win over the Maryland Terrapins Friday night at The Home Depot Center.

The Terps finish the season 17-6-2, while Indiana (18-4-1) advances to the national championship game on Sunday.

Jason Garey gave Maryland the 1-0 lead after Abe Thompson made a great individual effort on the ball. Thompson worked outside the right corner of the box. Thompson then sent a short cross to the front of the goal before he fell to the ground holding off an Indiana defender that Garey was able to redirect into the net.

Garey's goal gave him 22 on the year and 53 points, a new Maryland record.

Goalkeeper Noah Palmer did well to keep Indiana off the board in the first half. Palmer got his finger on a shot by John Hayden that hit the crossbar and was then cleared out of danger. He also made a big save on a Josh Tudela shot in the 22nd minute. Tudela fired from 20 yards and Palmer was forced to make a diving save in the top right corner to keep the score tied at 0-0.

The first half statistics demonstrated how even the game was. Each team had seven shots, Indiana made three saves compared to two for Maryland, and only four fouls were called in the first 45 minutes (three for Indiana, one for Maryland).

After Palmer came off his line to stuff a Brian Plotkin shot, the Hoosiers evened the score early in the 52nd minute on a free kick by Plotkin. Plotkin was on a run before he was fouled by a Maryland Terrapin just outside the box. Plotkin then took the free kick from 18 yards that found its way through the Maryland wall and into the lower right corner of the net.

Mike Ambersley put the Hoosiers ahead at 70:11 after making a move at the top of the box, moving to his right and getting the shot off. The shot was deflected off a Terp defender and went into the back of the net.

Maurice Edu evened things up at 80:38 on a header off a corner kick from Michael Dello-Russo. It was the first time the Terps have scored directly off a corner. Edu was running toward the front post, got above the back line and headed the ball in the upper right 90. It was Edu's first goal since the first game of the season. Dello-Russo notched his

Palmer finished the game with a career-high tying eight saves. The Terps were outshot 24-10 and failed to get a shot off in either overtime period.

Young Blue Devils Fall

One of the most impressive runs of the 2004 season came to an end as Duke fell to UC-Santa Barbara in the NCAA Semifinals by a 5-0 score before 10,647 at the Home Depot Center. The Blue Devils were unable to rebound from a 2-0 halftime deficit as the youthful squad lost to a more experienced Gaucho team.

Duke found itself in an early hole as UCSB's Drew McAthy scored off a corner kick from Tony Lochhead. The shot snuck past Duke goalie Justin Trowbridge and glanced off the foot of Blake Camp into the net. Duke had a few quality chances as the half went on, notably by Tomek Charowski and Spencer Wadsworth, but were unable to convert. In the 35th minute, UCSB added another goal, this one coming from Jonathan Davis. Duke outshot UCSB by an 8-4 margin in the first half but was unable to get on the board.

In the second half, the Gauchos put the game out of reach, scoring three goals in a nine-minute span in the middle of the frame. Duke had a late chance to score when Paul Dudley sent a low cross through the box, but sophomore Chris Loftus could not quite get his foot on it and the Gauchos maintained the shutout. UCSB will face Indiana in the national championship game on Sunday.

"I just want to give credit to Santa Barbara," said Head Coach John Rennie. "They're a wonderful team and I'm sure they'll do well in the final. But I'm also very proud of the team we have. We had a great season and if we continue to get stronger, we could certainly have another great season."

The Blue Devils finish the season with a record of 18-6-0, their best mark since 1999's ACC Championship team. This was Duke's fifth appearance in the College Cup, all under Rennie.

Myers Retires After 29 Years At Navy

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- After compiling a 329-209-69 overall record in 38 years of college coaching, Dr. Greg Myers has announced his retirement as head coach of the Navy men's soccer program. Myers will stay on as an instructor in the physical education department.

"It has been my honor to have been associated with all the athletes
that have played for me," said Myers. "Its meant so much watching them grow into outstanding citizens. I have coached over a thousand athletes over the years and every one of them have been special."

Myers just concluded his 29th season at Navy, finishing with a
232-193-62 record and leading the Mids to 18 winning seasons and seven Patriot League Tournament appearances. He ranks second on the all-time Navy men's soccer victories list, just 11 wins behind legendary Glenn Warner. Myers' career record includes stops at West Virginia, Davis & Elkins, Florida International before arriving in Annapolis in 1976. He entered the 2004 season eighth on the NCAA active coaches victory list.

"Navy is a very special place with very special students," said Myers.
"If our society keeps producing young men like the ones I have worked with the last 29 years, this country will be in great shape. I am very proud to have been a part of the Navy tradition for so long."

Myers, a 1963 graduate of West Virginia University, earned two letters
in soccer. He began his coaching career at Davis & Elkins in 1964 for on
season, before returning to his alma mater for two seasons. He posted a
20-7-1 mark in two seasons with the Mountaineers, before returning to
Davis & Elkins and turning the Senators into an NAIA national power. His teams compiled a stellar 39-2-4 record in three seasons, won NAIA national championships in 1968 and 1970 and finished as runner-up in 1969.

Myers left Davis & Elkins to take over a fledgling program at Florida
International, compiling a 30-8-3 overall mark in four seasons, before
spending one year as acting general manager and head coach of the Miami Toros of the North American Soccer League. After one year in the pros, Myers took the head coaching job at Navy and has been at the helm since.

"Greg, through his distinguished career, has been the beacon for our
coaches and staff who aspire every day to emulate the outstanding qualities, values and success he has delivered to the Academy," said Navy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "Our midshipmen have been blessed with his leadership and benefitted from his wisdom on many fronts within the context of our physical mission. Greg will be missed, and we are all so very grateful for the legacy of excellence he has established for our soccer program."

A national search for Myers' replacement will begin shortly.

Tar Heels Seeded #1 In College Cup

The field of 64 teams, which will compete for the 23rd Division I Women's Soccer Championship, has been announced by the Division I Women's Soccer Committee. The top 16 teams are seeded and conference teams cannot play each other in the first round, however, second round conference match-ups are permissible. The committee is charged with considering geographic proximity when bracketing teams. Therefore 14 of the top 16 seeds will be hosting a first and second round site. Only two seeds will be traveling - 13-seeded University of Arizona and 15-seeded University of Washington.

2004 NCAA Women's Tournament Bracket
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The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, an at-large selection from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed. North Carolina will host Campbell University, Atlantic Sun Conference champion, in a first-round match on Thursday, November 13. This is North Carolina's 23rd tournament appearance.

No. 2 seed Penn State, an at-large selection from the Big 10, will host State University of New York at Binghamton, the America East champion, in its opening-round game. The University of Virginia, the ACC champion, will host Virginia Commonwealth University, the automatic qualifier from the Colonial Athletic Association. The University of Notre Dame, an at-large selection from the Big East and No. 4 seed, will host the University of Wisconsin, Madison in first-round play. North Carolina and the University of Connecticut are the only two teams who have been invited to the tournament every year since its inception in 1982
.
The remaining top twelve seeds are the University of Portland, Ohio State University, Princeton University, the University of Kansas, Texas A&M University, College Station, the University of Florida, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the University of Texas at Austin, Arizona, the University of California, Los Angeles, Washington, and Santa Clara University.

The ACC leads all conferences with eight teams in the tournament. Five teams will represent the Big 12, Big 10 and the Pacific-10; four teams will represent the West Coast Conference.

Twenty-nine conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2004 championship. The remaining 35 teams were selected at-large.

The automatic qualifiers are: America East Conference, Binghamton; Atlantic 10 Conference, University of Dayton; ACC, Virginia; Atlantic Sun, Campbell; Big 12, Texas A&M Big East, Connecticut; Big Sky Conference, Weber State University; Big South, Birmingham-Southern College; Big Ten, Ohio State; Big West Conference, California Polytechnic State University; Colonial Athletic Association, Virginia Commonwealth; Conference USA, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Horizon League, University of Detroit Mercy; Ivy Group, Princeton; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Loyola College (Maryland); Mid-American Conference, Bowling Green State University; Mid-Continent Conference, Oral Roberts University; Missouri Valley Conference, Creighton University; Mountain West Conference, University of Utah; Northeast Conference, Central Connecticut State University; Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern Illinois University; Pac-10, Arizona; Patriot League, Colgate University; Southeastern Conference, University of Florida; Southern Conference, Furman University; Southland Conference, Texas State University-San Marcos; Sun Belt Conference, University of North Texas; West Coast Conference, Santa Clara; and Western Athletic Conference, Southern Methodist University.

First-round matches will be played Friday, November 12, at campus sites, and second-round matches will be played Sunday, November 14, at the same campus sites—except for first- and second-round matches hosted by North Carolina, which will be played November 11 and 13, due to Campbell's institutional policy for no competition on Sunday. Third-round games will be played on campus sites November 19, 20 or 21, as will quarterfinal matches on November 26, 27 or 28. Times will be announced.

The 23rd annual NCAA Division I Women's College Cup will be played December 3 and 5 at SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina. North Carolina State University, the Capitol Area Soccer League and the Town of Cary are hosting the championship for the second consecutive year.

Fourteen teams are making their first appearance in the tournament. They are: Alabama-Birmingham, Arizona, Binghamton, Birmingham-Southern, Bowling Green, Campbell, Detroit, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Rice University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Weber State.

North Carolina has captured the title 17 times. In the 2003 championship game, North Carolina defeated Connecticut, 6-0, finishing with a perfect 27-0 season record.

Women's Collegiate Roundup #5

Heather O'Reilly scored a pair of goals to power the second-ranked North Carolina women¹s soccer team past Virginia Tech 6-1 Sunday afternoon but in the process the Tar Heels suffered a major blow when
consensus 2003 National Player of the Year Lindsay Tarpley suffered a broken right fibula in the process and will be sidelined for an indeterminate
length of time. The victory improved Carolina to 9-0-1 on the season and
2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference while the Hokies fell to 6-3 overall
and 2-1 in the ACC.

Tarpley suffered the injury just over 14 minutes into the match after taking
a shot on goal. The junior forward from Kalamazoo, Mich. collided with
Virginia Tech goalkeeper Mallory Soldner shortly thereafter. Tarpley was replaced in the lineup by Anne Morrell with the score tied 1-1 and the Tar Heels went on to rally against the Hokies, chalking up the final five goals of the match.

UNC opened the scoring in the seventh minute of play as junior midfielder
Lori Chalupny took a pass from the bottom of the box area from Kacey White and finished past Soldner to put Carolina up 1-0. It was Chalupny's third goal of the 2004 season. UNC¹s lead was short-lived, however, as Virginia Tech tied the match in the 13th minute with the Hokies'Heather Hallberg scoring her third goal of the season, taking a pass from Molly McCall and scoring from about 10 yards away.

The Tar Heels took the lead for good on the first of O'Reilly's two goals as the sophomore forward from East Brunswick, N.J. took a pass from freshman forward Jaime Gilbert and finished to the right side at 16:32. UNC scored twice more in the first half to take a 4-1 halftime lead. At the 26:15 mark, Kendall Fletcher, a junior defender, chalked up her third goal of the season, on a header off a cross by sophomore defender Amy Steadman. Then just over a minute later, North Carolina made it 4-1 when senior midfielder Mary McDowell sent a cross from the left side to Kacey White who finished the scoring opportunity for her fourth goal of the season.

Carolina made the count 5-1 less than five minutes into the second half as
Anne Morrell sent a cross from the left side to Heather O'Reilly who scored her second goal of the match and fifth of the season from about 10 yards out. Junior forward Leea Murphy finished the scoring for Carolina at the 80:13 mark as Mary McDowell sent a pass from the left side, leading to Murphy¹s first goal of the 2004 season and her first goal since she was a freshman in 2002.

Auburn Upset #4 Gators

AU goalkeeper Megan Rivera broke the all-time Southeastern Conference record for shutouts as the #28-ranked Tigers (7-2-0, 2-0-0) upset the # 4 Florida Gators (7-2-1, 1-1-0) 1-0 in SEC action at the AU Soccer Complex.

"We were just missing on our offensive sets in the first half. But once we realized that we could get out there and play, we became more aggressive and got our chances," said head coach Karen Hoppa. "Coach Mott did a great job of pumping up our forwards at the half and I know that helped."

Sunday's win over the Gators was Rivera's fourth shutout this season as well as the 30th of her career, surpassing Nicole Williams of Georgia's previous mark of 29.5 set in 2000. Rivera saved four shots on the day, with two coming in each half.

"I am very proud, but I owe this one to my defenders and my
teammates," Rivera commented on earning the record. "They are the
ones that helped me achieve this record. I was pretty nervous on that
shot. I think it even hit the crossbar. Last year we had such a
heartbreaker down there and I am just glad for the win today."

"Megan has been playing very well. She is really coming on
strong of late," Hoppa said. "Today she was cleaning up the balls
behind the backs and did a great job for us. We know that the road to
the SEC title goes through Florida. It is still very early in the
season, but we are thrilled with the win today."

Early in the second half, senior Jenn Walters fired a penalty
shot for AU's only score of the game at the 46:41 mark, just 1:41 into
the second half. Chrissy Culver dribbled the ball down the field,
creating a break-away before getting tripped up just in front of the UF
goal by Ansley Myrick, which caused the penalty.

Duke Downs WFU

The 18th-ranked Duke womens soccer team opened Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action with a 2-0 victory over 19th-ranked Wake Forest at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Blue Devils improve to 8-2 overall and 1-0 in ACC play, while Wake Forest falls to 6-3-1.

Senior Casey McCluskey led the Duke charge once again as the Springfield, Va., product gave Duke a 1-0 advantage at the 13:02 mark in the first half as she dribbled through Demon Deacon defenders and blasted a high shot into the corner of the net past Wake Forest goalkeeper Heather Currie.

The goal for McCluskey marks the fifth straight game she has scored a goal and now has 11 total on the season, which is a new career high for the forward. McCluskey has also registered five straight game-winning goals for the Blue Devils.

Duke wasted no time obtaining a second goal on the evening as in the 28th minute McCluskey found sophomore Rebecca Moros on a perfect cross. Moros, a native of Larchmont, N.Y., nailed a shot that hit the far post and went in the goal from 21 yards out.

Wake Forest came out in the second half and put some very tough pressure on Duke, but the Blue Devils were able to weather the storm by the Demon Deacons.

Georgie State, Troy State Tie

Georgia State's women's soccer team battled Troy to a 0-0 double overtime in the Lady Panthers Atlantic Sun Conference opener at the Lady Trojan Soccer Complex.

Georgia State (3-2-4, 0-0-1 A-Sun) was led by sophomore forward Lauren Chavez and junior forward Brooks Daniel in shots, with three each, two on goal. The Lady Panthers recorded their fourth consecutive overtime game of the season, marking a school record. It also marked the first time since the 2002 season State has opened conference play with an overtime tie. The Lady Panthers tied Samford on Sept. 21 with a 1-1 tie.

Troy (3-4-2, 1-0-1 A-Sun) posted its first tie against Georgia State after losing to the Lady Panthers for two straight years. The Lady Trojans also carried momentum from their conference opener shutout against Mercer, 3-0, on Friday, Sept. 24.

Junior goalkeeper Alexa Pasquarelli collected three saves for Georgia State, who held a 13-6 advantage in shots and a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. Sophomore Laura Longard made seven saves for the Lady Trojans.

Alabama Rallies To Beat USC

Alabama scored four second half goals on its way to a 4-2 victory over the South Carolina women's soccer team. South Carolina's record drops to 6-5 overall and 0-2 in the SEC with Alabama improving to 5-5 and 1-1 in conference play

USC was ahead after the first half of play with a 1-0 lead scoring in the early part of the first period on an own goal, the third own goal of the season for the Gamecocks. Carolina midfielder Kimmy Gillespie fed a pass to Courtney Cobbs, who sprinted pass the Alabama defense down the wing and into the box. From six yards out, Cobbs hit a cross that went and off Alabama defender Chelsea Stang into the goal.

Alabama however would come back with two goals early in the second half within two minutes to take a one-goal lead The first goal came off the set piece as a long serve by Cally Morrill was knocked in the box with Allison DeLisle scoring on a shot to the corner post at 58:33. Less than one minute later, Alabama scored its second goal at 59:07 as Hayley MacDonald's through ball found an open Kylie Body, who knocked shot from inside the box past USC goalkeeper Laura Armstrong.

The Gamecocks would tie the match at 2-2 at 75:40 with Sarah Lentz scoring her fourth goal off the season. Jessi Swaim's corner kick found Lentz in the box, who headed the ball to the far post. The assist for Swaim was her fourth of the season.

Alabama struck back quickly though scoring in the 77th minute and 79th minute to gain a two-goal lead on USC. Jordan O'Banion put the Crimson Tide ahead with a goal off a shot from the top of the box
and to the high left corner of the goal and out of the reach of Armstrong. Allison DeLisle added to the lead scoring with a header off a throw-in from Chelsea Stang.

Methodist Wins Third Straight

The Methodist Lady Monarch women’s soccer team made it three straight victories as the Lady Monarchs blanked Piedmont 4-0 at Piedmont’s Walker Athletic Field. The victory was the third straight for Methodist, which improves to 6-2-1 overall. It was also the Lady Monarchs’ second straight shutout.

Kela Kimi scored twice in the Lady Monarch offensive attack. Her two goals were in the first half to stake Methodist to a 3-0 lead at halftime. Chrystal Bradley recorded the assist on Kimi’s first goal, while Marie Finley had the assist on the second Kimi score. Monica Gerth finished the scoring in the first half with a goal off an assist by Danielle Nourie.

Bulldogs Top Birmingham-Southern

In its second Big South Conference game of the season, the Birmingham-Southern women’s soccer team (3-6-1, 1-1-0) lost, 1-0, to UNC Asheville (3-4-1, 1-0-1) on the road.

What would turn out to be the game-winning goal for UNCA came in the sixth minute of play as freshman Joy Haynes (Asheville, N.C./Asheville) capitalized on an assist from freshman Morgen Priest (San Angelo, Texas/San Angelo Central) for her first goal of the season.

The Panthers had several opportunities to get on the board, including scoring a goal that was called off due to the team being offsides. BSC also played without the valuable leadership of junior starter Ashley Welch (Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville), who netted BSC’s first goal against Winthrop but missed Sunday’s match because of illness.

Sophomore goalkeeper Tarra Kohler (Lynn Haven, Fla./A.C. Mosely) started in the net and stayed in for the first period, grabbing one save. Junior keeper Andria Gray (Birmingham, Ala./Huffman) came in for the second half and recorded five saves.

The Panthers recorded five shots, and the Bulldogs tried for 10.

Charlotte Drops Decision To Ohio

The Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team dropped their final non-conference game, 1-0, to Ohio at Transamerica Field.

“We hoped to keep the ball rolling after Friday’s big win,” Charlotte coach Neil Roberts said. “We did not come out ready to play in the first half and Ohio was able to score the game’s only goal. However, our focus is now on Conference USA games.”

Ohio scored the game’s only goal when Lindsey Price scored off assists from Tiffany Horvath and Kendra Hornschemeier in the 39th minute.

The 49ers had a great chance to tie the game in the first half when freshman Laura Crews banged a shot off the post late in the half.

In the second half, Charlotte kept pressing the action with five shots and six corner kicks but they were unable to tie the game.

Charlotte goalkeeper Shannon Huffman came up really big in the game particularly in the first half with several brilliant saves on shots by Ohio’s Natale Grein.

High Point Tops VMI

Gaby McLaughlin scored a goal and added an assist and the Panthers recorded their second shutout in four days in a 5-0 blanking of VMI in women’s soccer action at Albion Millis Stadium.

Jen Evans, Emily Lanham, Lena Svensson and Tanya Wolf scored the other goals for HPU (5-3-0), which remains perfect in Big South play (2-0-0). The Keydets drop to 0-6-0 (0-1-0 in the Big South).

Megan Fielden notched a pair of assists in the victory for the defending Big South-champion Panthers, who out-shot the Keydets by a 33-5 count.

Hannah Nail and Courtney Noel combined for the shutout in goal for HPU. Nail made a pair of saves, while Noel did not face a shot in roughly 27 minutes of relief. Nail kept Longwood scoreless in a 2-0 High Point win on Thursday night.

VMI keeper Jessica Rhienlander collected 14 saves.

McLaughlin got the Panthers on the board with her first-career goal when she beat Rhienlander from five yards off a Fielden free kick in the 20th minute. Less than two minutes later, HPU took a 2-0 lead on Lanham's first goal of the year, a diagonal shot from seven yards away off a McLaughlin assist.

Men's Collegiate Roundup #3

The Duke Blue Devils scored a pair of goals just seven minutes apart in the second half and held off a furious Maryland offensive rally for a 2-1 win at Ludwig Field in front of 4,165 fans.

The Terps (5-2-1, 0-1-1 ACC) held a commanding 24-8 lead on shots, but were unable to convert several good scoring chances. Despite surrendering two goals, the Terp back line played well, allowing just Duke eight shots -- three of which were on goal. The Blue Devils played physically against the Terps, getting whistled for 17 fouls while Maryland was called for just four.

"I thought we played well -- we were aggressive, we created chances, our back line held a quality team to just eight shots," head coach Sasho Cirovski said. "We self-destructed and made two critical mistakes, and Duke took advantage."

Duke (9-0-0, 2-0-0 ACC) got on the scoreboard just six minutes into the second half when Michael Videira sent a ball into the box without a Duke player making a run. However, the Terps failed to clear the ball and it rolled into the net for the score at 50:43.

The Blue Devils tacked on another goal seven minutes later on a cross sent by Spencer Wadsworth. The Terps were unable to time the ball correctly to head it away, and Duke's Danny Kramer blasted the shot into the net for the 2-0 lead.

Maryland continued to attack, pressuring Duke in the final third of the field. The pressure paid off when Stephen King played a ball ahead to Abe Thompson who was holding off Duke's Danny Miller. However, Miller tripped over Thompson's feet in the box and landed on the ball drawing the foul call. Thompson buried the penalty kick in the right-hand corner of the net to cut the Duke lead to 2-1 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the game.

UNC Edges Cavaliers 2-1

Freshman Adam Sloustcher scored off a Tim Merritt header in the 67th minute to lift the North Carolina men’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over #12 Virginia in the Tar Heels’ Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Fetzer Field. Carolina improves to 2-3-2 overall and 1-0-0 in conference play, while UVa drops to 5-2-0 and 1-1-0 in the ACC.

With the match knotted at one midway though the second half, sophomore Ted Odgers served the ball to Merritt just outside the 18-yard box. Merritt then dropped a header over the Cavalier defense to the far post where Sloustcher guided the ball past UVa keeper Ryan Burke for the game-winning score. The goal was the first of Sloustcher’s collegiate career. Both Merritt and Odgers picked up assists on the play.

The Tar Heels also claimed a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute of play when a Virginia defender deflected a Michael Harrington shot into the net. Harrington got credit for the goal, and Marcus Storey tallied his team-best fifth assist of the year on the play. Storey dribbled from midfield a fed a streaking Harrington, who was streaking down the far side and took the shot from just outside the six-yard box. The ball slipped under Burke and off a UVa defender into the net.

The Cavaliers found the equalizer nine minutes later on Adam Christman’s fourth goal of the year. The score came off a 28-yard free kick from Hunter Freeman, who served the ball to the far post where Christman headed it past UNC goalkeeper Justin Hughes, who played all 90 minutes in goal and made one save.

The Tar Heels held a 9-6 advantage in shots for the match and took eight corners to the Cavaliers two.

The win was Carolina’s first at home this season and broke a five-match winless streak at Fetzer Field for the Tar Heels. UNC has now won three of the last five meetings with Virginia and tied the all-time series, 30-30-7.

VCU Shuts Out Richmond

The Richmond men's soccer team attempted just two shots, and did not record a goal, dropping a 5-0 decision to the VCU Rams at Sports Backer's Stadium in Richmond. The loss moves Richmond to 1-5-1 on the season, while VCU improves to 4-2-1 in 2004.

VCU's Brian Morris, who recorded a hat trick for the Rams, began the scoring in the 29th minute as he connected from 20 yards out on an assist by Samuel Asante. Gonzalo Segares netted his second goal of the season in the 45th minute to give VCU a 2-0 lead at halftime.

The Rams scored three times in a six-minute stretch in the second half, highlighted by Dominic Oduro eighth goal of the season in the 63rd minute to make it 3-0. Morris then added two more in the 66th and 69th minutes to push the margin to 5-0.

The Rams outshot the Spiders 26-2, as Richmond recorded its shots in the 25th minute and 68th minute. Neither Spider shot was on goal as VCU held a 14-0 advantage in the category.

Senior P.J. Rohall and sophomore Charlie Bird minded the net for Richmond and combined for eight saves on the night. Junior Steven Wolfe and freshman Kyle Richards accounted for the Spiders two shots.

VCU has now won four straight in the all-time series and holds a 6-0-1 record in the past seven meetings.

Furman Wins Tourney

Furman's Eliot Paschalis posted a hat trick to lead the Furman men's
soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Liberty and win tournament MVP honors at the Wofford/adidas Invitational at Snyder Field on the
Wofford College campus in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Paladins (3-3-1) rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to post their third
straight victory.

"I am very pleased at the way we played today and happy to win the
tournament," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "It was great to see
Eliot score a hat trick as well."

The Flames (4-4-1) scored first on a Darryl Roberts penalty kick at the
23:50 mark. Three of the five goals in the match were scored on penalty
kicks.

Furman evened the game at 1-1 when Shea Salinas fed Paschalis from the left side for his first goal of the afternoon.

Following a 1-1 tie at the intermission, Paschalis gave the Paladins the
lead for good at 58:23 when he scored from inside the 6-yard box off a
cross from Josh Villalobos.

Penalty kicks by Paschalis and Dominic Cianciarulo at 69:15 and 79:39, respectively, provided the final margin.

After being outshot 10-9 in the opening 45 minutes, Furman held a 15-7
edge in the second half for an overall 24-17 margin.

Paladin goalkeeper Alex Maslow had six saves. K.J. Sabotchick registered four saves for the Flames.

Maslow, Josh Villalobos, Jon Leathers and Luke Barbour joined Paschalis on the all-tournament team.

W&M Wins, ODU Upset

William and Mary sophomore Brendan McCurdy (Ponte Vedra, FL) broke a scoreless tie in the 68th minute to lead the Tribe men¹s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over American and a share of the Nike Tribe Soccer Classic Championship this afternoon at Albert-Daly
Field.

The win extends W&M¹s unbeaten streak to seven straight matches, as the Green and Gold improve to 5-1-2 this season. The Eagles drop to 4-4-1 on the year.

American came closest to scoring at the very end of the first half on a
header by Freddy Llerena, that was stopped by W&M redshirt-freshman back Ryan Sells (Manassas, VA). Seconds later Gordon Templeman attempted to score on the rebound, but Tribe sophomore keeper Kris Rake (Flower Mound, TX) was there to prevent the goal.

The Tribe's goal came midway through the second half, beginning with an
American foul at midfield against senior Colin Young (Virginia Beach, VA). On the restart, senior Bryan Hinkle (Fredericksburg, VA) sent a long kick into the box, finding McCurdy, who knocked in his second game-winning goal of the season.

W&M outshot AU, 9-6, in the contest, although the Eagles held a 7-2
advantage in corner kicks. AU goalkeeper Thomas Myers made three saves in the contest. Rake also stopped three shots for the College, as he picked up his third shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.

"We knew that this would be a tough game for us, especially being our third game in five days, with two of them going to overtime" said W&M head coach Chris Norris. "We've been preaching all season that our depth would be valuable and that has proven true this weekend with goals by McCurdy and [redshirt-freshman] John Lee (Midlothian, VA). I¹m very happy with how the team is playing right now."

W&M will return to action next Friday, October 1 with the first Colonial
Athletic Association action of the year. The Tribe will travel to Richmond
to face two-time defending conference champion Virginia Commonwealth, in a game scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM.

Earlier today, Hartwick upset fourth-ranked and previously undefeated Old Dominion, 1-0, in the first game on the final day of the tournament, tying them with W&M as co-champions of the event. Despite being out-shot, 21-12, in the contest, the Hawks scored the only goal of the match, as Edwin Ruiz got behind the Monarchs¹ defense and beat the goalkeeper for his second goal of the tournament.

Georgia State Beats Campbell

Georgia State's men's soccer defeated Campbell, 4-1, in Atlantic Sun
Conference action at the Forsyth Soccer Complex. The Panthers extend their winning streak to three games, posting an A-Sun record of 2-0 and an overall record of 4-2. Campbell drops to 0-5-1 for the season and 0-2 in A-Sun play. State's Albano Franco (Rio de Janerio, Brazil), Aaron Farrelly (Conyers, Ga./Heritage HS), Armin Marquez (San
Cristobal, Venezuela), and Ben Link (Midland, Ga./Brookstone HS)
recorded goals in the contest. Camel midfielder K.K. Lima scored
Campbell's only goal of the match.

South Florida Draws With Saint Louis

A late goal by sophomore Keeron Benito helped the University of South Florida men’s soccer team (5-0-2, 2-0-1 C-USA) tie the Saint Louis Billikens (3-3-1, 1-0-1 C-USA), 2-2, at the USF Soccer Stadium. Trailing for the first time all season, Benito’s score in the 87th minute extended the 16th-ranked Bulls’ unbeaten streak to seven games.

“This was a battle between two programs which really respect each other,” said Head Coach George Kiefer. “Saint Louis is one of the better programs in the country. It’s real deceiving with their record (3-3-1). Easily this team (Saint Louis) could be 5-1-1. They are a great team.”
USF got out to an early lead with a goal in the 23rd minute. Freshman Rodrigo Hidalgo (2g, 3a, 7 pts.) scored his second goal of the season, chipping a shot over Billikens’ goalkeeper Martin Sutton. Receiving a through-pass from Simon Schoendorf (3g, 5a, 11 pts.), Rodrigo took the shot from 16 yards out. Schoendorf was credited with his fourth assist of the season on the goal.

Saint Louis tied the match in the 67th minute with a goal by John DiRaimondo. Teammate Tim Ward sent a pass in the penalty area where DiRaimondo buried from six yards out. The Billikens took a 2-1 lead in the 81st minute with goal by Nick Cicciarelli. On an errant pass by USF defender Blake Sharpe, Cicciarelli beat goalkeeper Dane Brenner in a one-on-one situation in the area. With the score, USF trailed for the first time during the 2004 season.

Benito scored the equalizer in the 87th minute to make the score 2-2. On a square pass from Schoendorf, Benito blasted a shot into the back of the net from the edge of the 18-yard box. The goal was the first of the season for Benito. Schoendorf was credited with his second assist of the night.
Earlier in the day, as part of a doubleheader with the USF/Saint Louis match, the Tampa Bay Rowdies took on the USF alumni in an exhibition match at the USF Soccer Stadium. The Rowdies defeated the Bulls, 5-2.

Women's Collegiate Roundup #4

Junior Kacey White converted a penalty kick at the 107:02 mark of the match to lift second-ranked North Carolina to a 2-1 women¹s soccer victory over Maryland before a crowd of 3,128 fans at Fetzer Field.

Playing at home for the first time in 19 days, UNC dominated the match statistically, outshooting the Terrapins 35-4 and taking 19 corner kicks to zero for Maryland. But Carolina trailed for most of the match and did not cinch the win until sophomore forward Heather O'Reilly was taken down in the penalty area with less than three minutes remaining in the
second overtime period.

Maryland played a well organized defense that forced the Tar Heels to shoot from long distance most of the night and the Tar Heels had trouble placing shots on goal as only 10 of their 35 attempts found the frame of the net.

The Terps, short on numbers, played their starters the entire 110 minutes
and fatigue set in at the end allowing Carolina to control play most of the
final 65 minutes.

The Terps took advantage of a turnover by UNC in its own defensive end in the 17th minute of play and Mallory Mahar jumped on the loose ball to finish with a shot from the top of the box past UNC goalkeeper Aly Winget. The goal, Mahar¹s fifth of the year, gave Maryland a 1-0 lead at the 16:45 mark. Maryland would stubbornly hold the lead until well into the second half despite being outshot 13-3 in the first 45 minutes and 14-1 in the second half.

But less than one minute after UNC head coach Anson Dorrance
reinserted a rested Heather O'Reilly into the lineup in the late stages of
regulation, she delivered with her third goal of the season. UNC sophomore defender Jessica Maxwell won control of the ball in the defensive third and she lofted a pass that cleared the Maryland defense, allowing O'Reilly to use her speed to run onto the ball and finish past Terp goalie Nikki Resnick at the 78:21 mark.

The Terp lead had held up for nearly 62 minutes. UNC had several great opportunities to end the match in regulation, including Anne Felts' shot which sailed just high in the last 15 seconds. Carolina also outshot the Terps 6-0 in the first overtime but again was off with its finishing, forcing Resnick to make only one save in the period.

Maryland appeared to be on its way to achieving no worse than a tie when O'Reilly was tripped up in the penalty area as she advanced the ball at 107:02. White then stepped up and converted the penalty kick to Resnick's right. It was White's third goal of the year, her second on a penalty kick, and her second game-winner of the year.

Charlotte Wiins USA Opener

The Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer team behind goals from Kim Miles and Laura Crews blanked East Carolina, 2-0, in the Conference USA season opener for both teams. With the win, Charlotte improves to 9-1 all-time in Conference USA home openers.

“We have been very close to getting a win over our last couple of games,” Charlotte coach Neil Roberts said. “I have always believed in our team. We finally put it all together tonight. It was a great effort for our team tonight. We got solid goalkeeping from Shannon Huffman.”

Miles scored the game’s first goal when she corralled a beautiful cross from Lindsey Palmiero. She then sent a scoring shot from about 10 yards out past East Carolina goalkeeper Lauren Church in the 38th minute.

Then, Crews scored her first career goal when she headed a Lindsey Beam corner kick into the goal in the 57th minute.

The 49ers dominated the play as they outshot East Carolina 17-4. Miles led the way with four shots. Liz Rucker contributed three shots to the 49ers attack.

Huffman recorded her fifth career shutout and her first since holding the Pirates scoreless in their last meeting the 2003 regular season finale.

Samford Wins OVC Opener

The Samford University soccer team used a crucial second-half goal from sophomore Kim Matthews and then held off a resurgent Jacksonville State Gamecock squad in the second half of play to win Friday's Ohio Valley Conference opener, 1-0, at the JSU Soccer Complex.

"This was a big win for us," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton.
"It's always huge to go on the road and pick up a win, especially
playing against a quality opponent like Jacksonville State. They had a
nice crowd out there today and it was a pretty rough environment. It was
a great win for our kids."

Samford (2-4, 1-0 OVC) earned its second straight victory on Friday and registered its fifth-consecutive OVC regular-season win. Last season,
the Bulldogs completed their run to the conference title with victories
over Austin Peay, 4-0, Tennessee Tech, 2-1, Morehead State, 3-0, and
Jacksonville State, 1-0.

Virginia Trips FSU

For the eighth time in a row, the fifth-ranked FSU soccer team lost by just one goal to Virginia in an ACC game. The third-ranked Cavaliers (9-0-0, 2-0-0) scored just two minutes out of the locker room in the second half and held on to the 1-0 lead sending FSU (7-2-0, 1-1-0) to just its third loss in the last six years at home on a Friday night. The third-largest crowd in program history (1,307) turned out and saw sophomore Ariel Thompson score the game-winning goal for UVa for the second year against the Seminoles.

“Hats off to (Virginia head coach) Steve (Swanson) and his staff, they were just a joy to watch,” said FSU head coach Patrick Baker. “They worked the ball around individually and collectively like nobody we’ve seen in a long time. I have not seen us chase the ball here in a long time and that is a credit to Virginia. We had a great crowd tonight and unfortunately we couldn’t send them home happy but I thank them for their support.”

It only took two minutes for Virginia to jump into the lead in the second half as Thompson capitalized on a Seminole defensive mistake right in the middle of the field. The turnover allowed Thompson to run 60 yards free to goal and beat keeper Joy McKenzie (Houston, TX) scoring her first goal of the season.

The best chance FSU had all night came in the 88th minute with the team playing in a more offensive formation as they pushed for the equalizer. Freshman Armani Rice (Parker, CO) sent fellow rookie Sage Sizemore (Cape Coral, FL) into the Virginia box. Sizemore was all alone as she went endline. She had two Seminoles making back post runs but her service was too close to de Vries and the sophomore goalkeeper gobbled up the cross.

“We had a great chance to equalize,” said Baker. “We needed to make a play and we didn’t. At that point we had four freshmen out there in the heat of the moment and we are playing a system we are not comfortable with. We took some risks and were all over the place in the second half.”

Clemson Shuts Out Wolfpack

Courtney Foster and Lindsay Browne both scored goals in 19th-ranked Clemson's 2-0 win over N.C. State in a women's Atlantic Coast Conference soccer match at Cary, NC.

With the win, Clemson improves to 6-3 overall, and 1-1 in the ACC. N.C. State falls to 6-1-2 overall, and 1-1 in league play.

Foster tallied the evening's first goal at 40:19 on a breakaway and scored from 12 yards out on the right side to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Clemson's Allison Graham started the play just inside the midline and fed a speedy Foster just above the box.

The Lady Tigers put away the insurance goal after a corner taken on the left side. After a scramble for the ball, Browne headed the ball into the net with 9:44 left in the match.

"In what was an overly physical game, I was proud of the class that the Clemson players displayed in the contest. We played extremely attractive soccer tonight, creating several goal-scoring chances. We played solid on the defensive end. Overall, it was a well-rounded performance and a good 2-0 victory on the road in the ACC.

Auburn Tops Gamecocks

The No. 28-ranked Auburn soccer team used a stifling defense, and Sarah Steinmann provided all the offense Auburn would need in its 1-0 win over South Carolina at the AU Soccer Complex.

Auburn improves to 6-2-0, 1-0-0 on the year, while South Carolina falls
to 6-4-0, 0-1-0 in the teams' Southeastern Conference opener.

"A win is a win in this conference and we are happy to have it," said Auburn head coach Karen Hoppa. "South Carolina plays with so many numbers behind the ball. Steinmann did a great job of playing defense and winning that ball and just put it away."

The Tigers got off to a fast start with seven shots in the first half. Steinmann dribbled in from the outside box at the 29:17 mark in
the opening period and knocked the ball past a diving Laura Armstrong to put the Tigers in front of the Gamecocks 1-0. It was Steinmann's
fourth goal of the 2004 season.

"This is a great feeling to beat South Carolina after all of the ties," Steinmann said. "I think we were hungry tonight. Megan (Rivera) just keeps playing better and better and made some big saves tonight. All week we have been focused on Friday night so now is time to
focus on Florida."

South Carolina out-shot Auburn 4-3 in the second half, but AU
goalkeeper Megan Rivera had two strong saves in the second period to
preserve the Tigers' third shutout of the season. Rivera needs just
one more shutout to break the SEC career record, as the record stands at
29.5 and the Auburn goalkeeper has 28 in her career.

"Megan was outstanding tonight," Hoppa said. "If we are going to be successful in the SEC, Megan needs to make great saves like she did tonight."

Auburn's 1-0 win over South Carolina gives the Auburn seniors
their first win over the Gamecocks. AU and USC did not play in 2001, but tied in 2002 and 2003 ( 1-1, 0-0 respectively).

Florida Wins SEC Opener

The #7 University of Florida soccer team (7-1-1, 1-0 SEC) opened Southeastern Conference play with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Alabama (4-5, 0-1 SEC) Friday evening in front of an Alabama Soccer Complex crowd of 543.

Two Gator scoring attempts were saved off the line by Alabama defenders, but Florida finally got one over the line at 85:22. Stephanie Freeman headed in an Ashley Kellgren corner kick to up her season goals total to eight.

“Once again, it was a perfect ball off the corner from Ashley,” Freeman said. “I actually thought that I timed my run poorly. I was there a little bit early, but fortunately I got a tiny piece of it to redirect it to the far post. I thought it was in and then they (Alabama) kicked it out. But the referee signaled a goal, so we knew for sure it was in.”

The two teams were scoreless in the opening half. The Gators had two excellent scoring opportunities within two minutes of the later portion of the first half. Freeman dribbled the ball down the left side and beat the Alabama keeper, but the Tide’s Suzanne Baker saved the shot off the line in the 34th minute. In the next minute, Kellgren looked to score off a cross into the box, but Laura Lowman made the save.

A Tide defender stopped one other Gator scoring attempt in the 56th minute. Melanie Booth crossed the ball into the box, looking for freshman Nikita Waller making the run. Waller’s shot to the far post was saved off the line by Chelsea Stang, who was injured on the play. Stang was examined by the UA Athletic Training staff and eventually returned to the match.

“It is always interesting playing at Alabama,” UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. “We finally got the goal late. It’s a good win. It is tough to come here and win. Every time you play during the SEC season, you are going to get a team’s best shot. It was a great effort by Alabama – they played really hard.”

Spartans Defeat Furman

In a match-up of the top two teams in the Southern Conference Pre-season Coaches’ Poll, UNC Greensboro won its 10th straight home conference game, 2-0, over pre-season favorite Furman at UNCG Soccer Stadium night.

UNCG is now 12-0 all-time in conference openers, including 4-0 in SoCon openers under Eddie Radwanski and 8-0 all-time since joining the SoCon.

Amy Carnell and Nicollette DeLaine provided the offense for UNCG (5-3-0, 1-0-0 SoCon). Carnell scored on UNCG’s first shot, a header off a long throw-in by Karla Davis at the 5:02 mark.

The Spartans got an insurance goal at 65:59 when DeLaine dribbled down the right side and took a shot from 22 yards out. The ball hit off the inside of the right post and went into the goal for a 2-0 UNCG advantage.

The defense did the rest as Jennifer Stillman recorded the shutout. She
recorded five saves in the win.

“It is always good to get a good win over your rival and the first
conference win,” said UNCG coach Eddie Radwanski. “Obviously, we were quite pleased with the way we played. We controlled the tempo, we defended them well and attacked well. It was a good team effort with contribution from everyone.”

Furman (2-7-0, 0-1-0 SoCon) suffered its third straight loss, all by
shutout.

Women's Collegiate Roundup #3

Not grabbing defeat out of the jaws of victory for the third straight game, the Methodist Lady Monarchs put it together against visiting Guilford. Spearheaded by a hat trick by Chrystal Bradley, the Lady Monarchs ended a two-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory over Guilford at the Monarch Soccerplex.

Methodist improves to 4-2-1 overall with the non-conference victory, while Guilford falls to 1-7.

Bradley, a freshman, scored two of her goals in the first half as Methodist staked itself to a 2-0 lead at halftime. She scored the first goal just 29 seconds into the game off a lob pass from midfield by Marie Finley. Bradley struck again in the 16th minute, this time on similar play off a lob pass from Sarah Christie.

Despite the lead, the Lady Monarchs dodged some Guilford scoring opportunities as the Quakers had three shots hit either a post or the crossbar.

Guilford got on the board in the 54th minute on a goal by Kimberly Mullen. But Bradley answered with her third goal in the 76th minute.

Montevallo Edges GC&SU

Georgia College & State University couldn’t overcome a sluggish start in a 2-1 loss to the University of Montevallo in women’s soccer action Tuesday night at Bobcat Field. Montevallo (1-2) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks in part to an own goal by GC&SU (4-3), and held off a late Bobcat surge for the victory.

Montevallo’s Kate Gerrard out-raced several Bobcat defenders and pushed the ball past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Michelle Parr in the fourth minute to open the scoring. The Lady Falcons took a 2-0 lead in the 14th minute after a Bobcat defender accidentally headed the ball backward into her own goal.

The Bobcats finally kicked things into gear with a last-minute flurry to end the half, and Mandy Cochran found the back of the net with just six seconds remaining for her first goal of the season to cut the lead down to 2-1.

Indians Blank Erskine

Catawba College, ranked 17th in NCAA II, rolled to a 6-0 win over visiting Erskine in women’s soccer action on Tuesday night at Frock Field. Junior Kyley Thompson (Hagerstown, MD) scored three goals, while sophomore Kelly Fearman (Allison, ONTARIO, CANADA) added three assists as the Lady Indians improve to 7-0 and record their sixth shutout of the season. Erskine falls to 1-4.

Catawba co-scoring leaders Paige Harrington (Albemarle, NC) and McKenzie Burman (Rolesville, NC) each tallied their eighth goal of the season, less than five minute apart, to stake the Lady Indians to a 2-0 lead. Harrington took a break-away pass from Lauren Ebersole (Hagerstown, MD) in the 22nd minute and Kim Crowley (Glendale, AZ) freed Burman on a solo run in the 26th minute.

Freshman Lauren Whitley (Greensboro, NC) scored the final goal of the half following a free kick from Hayley Bollinger (Simpsonville, SC) that was headed to Whitley by Fearman. Thompson scored the first of her three goals in the 83rd minute as Whitley crossed a ball that was knocked down by Fearman to the foot of Thompson. Thompson added goals in the 84th and 88th minutes.

Men's Collegiate Roundup #2

Freshman Matt Smith scored his first collegiate goal in the 79th minute of play to help the # 4 ranked UNC Greensboro men’s soccer team defeat # 13 Wake Forest, 2-1, in front of 1,810 fans at Spry Stadium. The win for the Spartans over the Demon Deacons ended a five game losing streak to Wake Forest and was the first win since the 1989 season. It also marked the third win over an ACC foe this season.

UNCG improves to 5-0-1 on the season, while Wake Forest, who dropped its second straight game at home, falls to 3-2-1.

“It was a great win for us”, said UNCG head coach Michael Parker. “Our team’s effort was outstanding tonight especially our defense. Jay Benfield was excellent for us tonight in goal.”

Smith’s goal came 15 seconds after Wake Forest had tied the game at 1-1. Egill Atlason’s header from 20 yards out found the streaking Smith just inside the box, he controlled the pass, shook off a Demon Deacon defender and scored. Smith, a native from Mebane, NC, entered the game just seconds earlier on a substitution.

UNCG opened the game’s scoring just six minutes into the match when sophomore Scott Jones took a feed from senior James Goodman just outside the box and overpowered past a Wake Forest defender to score from ten yards out. The goal for Jones was his first of the season.

Wake Forest’s lone goal of the evening came at 78:44 when Scott Sealy scored off a give and go from Stephen Keel and Ryan Solle.

ODU Beats UNC 3-2

The #4 Old Dominion men’s soccer team scored two goals in the final five minutes—within two minutes of each other—to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels 3-2 at the ODU Soccer Stadium. Edson Elcock (Brooklyn, NY) had the game-winning goal, off a Kevon Harris (Kingston, Jamaica) assist, with just over 30 seconds left in the game. Kyle Hartley (Virginia Beach, VA/Kempsville) scored two goals for ODU as the Monarchs improve to 5-0-0 for the season and extend their home unbeaten streak to 21 games. North Carolina falls to 1-3-2.

Corey Ashe, a Virginia Beach native and member of the U.S. National Team, scored first for North Carolina, 32:41 into the game, off a Marcus Storey assist. Storey scored a goal for the Tar Heels in the second half, off a Dax McCurty assist to give North Carolina the 2-0 lead at the 67:09 mark of the game.

Kyle Hartley got the Monarchs on the board at the 70 minute mark, scoring an unassisted goal to cut the lead to 2-1. With 2:24 left in the game, Hartley struck again, off an Ian Kaila (Fredricksburg, VA) assist to tie the game at 2-2. Just under two minutes later, with 31 seconds left in regulation, Kevon Harris fed Edson Elcock the ball to put in the
game-winning goal, giving the Monarchs the 3-2 victory. The goal was
Elcock’s first for the season.

For the game, the Monarchs out-shot North Carolina 17-9 and had a 4-3
corner kicks edge. Goalkeeper John Connelly (Rockville, MD) allowed two goals and made a save in the win.

Methodist Ends Losing Streak

A three-game losing streak ended for the Methodist Monarch men’s soccer team as the Monarchs edged Manhattanville 2-1 on the second day of the Valiant Cup at Manhattanville. The victory pushes the Monarchs to 3-4 overall on the 2004 season.

Michael Davis accounted for both Monarch goals. The sophomore forward scored the first in the 37th minute when he received a touch pass from Thomas Bennett and slid it past Valiant goalkeeper Francesco Notaristefano.

After Manhattanville tied the game in the 51st minute on a goal by Bernard Keating, Davis struck again. Senior Brian Eichenberg lofted a pass deep in the Manhattanville zone, where Bennett one-touched to Davis for the game-winning header in the 81st minute.

Catawba Rolls 7-0

Catawba shutout host Salem International 7-0 in men’s soccer action on Sunday afternoon. The Indians, ranked 25th in NCAA II, improve to 5-1 overall.

Catawba got a pair of first half goals, the first from Nathan Brown (Huntersville, NC) in the 25th minute and the second from Zay-Zay Gilewala (Monrovia, LIBERIA) five minutes later. The Indians quickly added to the lead in the opening seconds of the second half on a tally by Tyler Kulp (Ephrata, PA).

The Tribe would continue to add to the lead as Kulp assisted on a Garth McCormack (Charlotte, NC) goal in the 50th minute and Nathan Zuzga (Troy, MI) scored in the 60th. Gareth Turnbull (Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND) would get the final two goals for Catawba. Brian Roe (Clearwater, FL) made five saves in 80 minutes of action and shared the shutout with Dan Fitzgerald (Seaford, DE).

Men's Collegiate Roundup #1

South Carolina Tops W&M

The University of South Carolina men's soccer team opened the 2004 season with a 2-1 victory over William and Mary at home in Stone Stadium. Tonight's win marked the eighth straight in a home season opener for the Gamecocks as they moved to 1-0. The Tribe fell to 0-1 to start the year.

"This is the second straight game (including last week's exhibition tie with Virginia) that we have played a strong opponent and played well," head coach Mark Berson said. "This is a confidence booster for our team. I
thought both results were well-earned. It's a real positive step for us at this point in the season, and I was proud of our team in every aspect tonight."

South Carolina got on the scoreboard in bizarre fashion in the ninth minute of play. Gamecock Josh Alcala played a nice ball to Ayo Akinsete just inside the 18-yard box. A William and Mary defender attempted to
clear the ball from Akinsete's feet and knocked it into the Tribe's goal, putting the Gamecocks on top, 1-0.

The Tribe fought back and tied the score just before halftime. Patrick Scherder scored from just outside the six- yard box on the left and into the bottom right corner of the net at the 42:43 mark

South Carolina quickly regained the lead in the second half. Alcala dribbled the ball into the box from the left side and dumped it off to freshman Sebastian Lindholm in front of the goal. Lindholm scored the game-winner past William and Mary goalkeeper Kris Rake to collect his first collegiate goal.

The Gamecocks out-shot their opponent 17-12 and forced Tribe goalkeeper Kris Rake to make eight saves on the evening. Brad Guzan stopped four shots and earned the win in goal for Carolina.

Birmingham Southern Wins

Jamie Holmes scored three goals to lead Birmingham-Southern to a season-opening 7-0 win over Sewanee at the BSC Soccer Park.

Floreal Pedrazo added a goal and two assists for the Panthers (1-0), who outshot the Tigers 29-8. Kenneth Robinson, Martin Zaluk and Karim Dietz also scored for BSC, while Gino Cozzolino added a pair of assists.

Pedrazo gave the Panthers its first goal of the season in the 24th minute when he successfully converted a penalty kick after being dragged down from behind in the penalty box.

A minute later Pedrazo’s corner kick was on goal, and after it bounced off the chest of a Tiger defender, Holmes blasted in the rebound for a 2-0 lead.

The Panthers put the game away early in the second half with a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes. In the 52nd minute, Pedrazo dribbled along the endline and fed Robinson in front of the net, who flicked it in. Three minutes later, Zaluk gave BSC a 4-0 advantage when he drilled home a free kick from the top of the box.

Davidson Edges Marquett In Season Opener

It really didn¹t matter that it was the start of a brand new season. The Davidson men¹s soccer team picked up pretty much right where
it left off in 2003, recording a 1-0 shutout over Marquette in the season
opener at Richardson Stadium on Wednesday night.

Senior goalkeeper Bart Creasman recorded the 10th shutout of his career after posting a single-season school record eight last year. Sophomore Robbie Reynolds knocked in the game-winning goal with just over 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

³Every win is equally important", said Wildcat head coach Matt Spear. ³This was a very tough, scrappy team that was hard to break down. I think we made it a little more difficult on ourselves by not converting some early opportunities. On the same note, this was another strong defensive
performance for us."

Davidson held a 12-7 shot advantage over the Golden Eagles and had freshman goalkeeper Andy Kroll on his toes early. Wildcat senior defender Ben Kittinger took three early shots, including one from about 25 yards out that Kroll managed to punch over the crossbar and prevent the Wildcat score.

After a scoreless first half, the Cats continued to pound away at the goal.
In the 75th minute, deep in Marquette territory, freshman Tom Lavan crossed the ball to sophomore David Sartorio on the left side of the field. Sartorio found Reynolds in the middle of the box and the forward knocked in what would prove to be the game-winner. For his career, Reynolds now has three goals on four shots.

³Robbie is one of those players who will always try to make the big play,²
Spear commented. He is a game-winning goal kind of player. You can¹t
teach or coach a player those kinds of skills.

Davidson has never lost a season opener under Spear. The Wildcats hold a 26-20-3 all-time record on opening day.

Rhyne's Hat Trick Leads Clemson Win

Senior, forward Steven Rhyne scored three goals in 3:15 in recording his first hat trick of his career in leading Clemson to a 5-0 win over Lipscomb in a men's intercollegiate soccer match at Clemson, SC. This was the quickest hat trick in school history.

This was the season opener for both teams. Rhyne who missed last year because of an injury also had one assist in the match. He is a native of Alpharetta, GA. It was also the first hat trick since the 2001 season when Damelon Westfield scored three goals vs. Davidson on October 21, 2001. Rhyne's hat trick is the 95th in school history.

Freshman Nathan Sturgis scored the first two goals for the Tigers in giving Clemson a 2-0 at the half. Rhyne scored his first goal at the 75:34 mark. In only :56 seconds later, he scored his second goal with assists by Olatomiwa Ogunsola and Landy Mattison. Rhyne scored again at the 79:49 mark with an assist by Hector Quintanar.

"I was pleased with the win and our performance tonight. Our defense continues to play well with Landy Mattison and Justin Moore in the middle. Steven Rhyne played well, and when he started to relax he scored three goals. Lipscomb played well and did a great job for a new Division I program. Overall, I am pleased in the progress we have made, and we are starting to get our players back and off the injured list."

High Point Edges Wofford

Josh Windley, Brindon Hall and Alex Thompson scored goals and High Point held off a furious Wofford rally to claim a 3-2 win in the men's soccer season opener for both teams at Albion Millis Stadium.

Joel Kozak tallied both goals for the visiting Terriers, who fell to the Panthers for the second-straight season.

The Panthers (1-0-0) struck in the opening moments when Patrick Althoff served a pass in the 3rd minute to Luke Lemanski, who then launched a long pass to Windley, resulting in a nice header from close range to beat Wofford keeper Joey Taylor for a 1-0 High Point lead.

Wofford (0-1-0) tied things up in the 31st minute when Kozak scored at close range before Hall put the Panthers back ahead just before intermission. Richard Hanson tallied the assist.

The Panthers added what would prove to be a crucial insurance goal in the 49th minute when Cole Atkins lofted a free kick from the right sideline and onto the forehead of the leaping Thompson, who gently redirected the ball across the goal line for a 3-1 advantage.

Wofford would pull within 3-2 in the 81st minute on Kozak's second goal of the game, which he scored after Brandon Lowery's header bounced off the post just out of reach of HPU goalie Matt Long.

Pembroke Rips Catawba 7-4

The 14th-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves jumped out to a 5-0 lead then held off 16th-ranked Catawba to claim a 7-4 win in men’s soccer action on at Frock Field. UNCP improves to 1-0, while the Indians fall to 1- 1.

Pembroke scored three times in a three minute span starting in the 17th minute to take control. Sascha Gorres (Flensburg, GERMANY) opened the scoring and was followed by Avery Croteau (Raleigh, NC) and Jose Sanches (Catarina Pinula, GUATEMALA) for a 3-0 edge at the 18:59 mark. Graeme Little (Swindon, ENGLAND) closed out the first half scoring with a pair of goals, the first on a penalty kick in the 26th minute and the second just two minutes from the half.

Catawba roared back in the second half with four unanswered goals to cut the margin to 5-4. Tyler Kulp (Ephrata, PA) got the first goal in the 53rd minute, while Nathan Zuzga (Troy, MI) scored off a corner kick in the 61st. Kenny Crowe (Reeders, PA) scored in the 71st and 81st minutes to draw the Tribe within a goal. Pembroke’s Trond Myrland (Molde, NORWAY) had a pair of breakaway goals in the final 10 minutes to secure the win for the Braves.

49ers Open 4-3 over Appalachian

The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team behind Michael Rose’s golden goal about halfway through the first overtime period defeated Appalachian State, 4-3, in the season-opener for both teams. With the win, the 49ers improved to 8-2 in home openers under Coach John Tart. Charlotte has a 23-6 record all-time in season openers.

“I am very happy to start the season with a win,” Tart said. “However, we have some things to work on. It was great scoring four goals but it was not so great allowing three goals particularly two on set pieces. You have to give Appalachian State credit for battling back after being down two goals at halftime. I am very proud of the way our players played tonight.”

Appalachian State scored the game’s first goal when Keon McPherson blasted a shot from about 20 yards out that found the back of the net in the 15th minute.

Adam Ruud, who lead all junior college players in goals last season, scored the 49ers first goal of the season off a Floyd Franks assist in the 18th minute.

Ruud gave Charlotte a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the game in the 24th minute.

“There is a reason why Adam led the nation in scoring last season,” Tart said. “I am looking forward to watching him score plenty of goals for us over the next two years.”

Franks made the halftime score, 3-1, when he scored off Blake Smith’s assist in the 30th minute.

JT LaBruyere cut the Charlotte lead in half when he scored off Tate Parrish’s free kick in the 54th minute.

Then, the Mountaineers Stephen Smith scored the game-tying goal off McPherson’s corner kick that found Doug Edwards who passed to Smith for the goal. Then, Rose scored the game-winner off a Sean Zubick corner kick in the 95th minute.

ODU Opens With Win

The #9 Old Dominion University men’s soccer team won their home opener, defeating the Campbell Fighting Camels 1-0 at the ODU Soccer Stadium. Kevon Harris (Kingston, Jamaica) scored the winning goal late in the first half, off a free kick. The Monarchs improve to 1-0 for the season, while Campbell falls to 0-1.

Toward the end of a very physical first half, where three yellow cards were handed out, Kevon Harris was able to connect on a free kick near the Campbell goal, at the 42:10 mark, for the game’s only goal. The Monarchs held a 14-5 shots edge over Campbell for the game, and also had a 11-5 corner kicks advantage. John Connelly picked up the shutout for the Monarchs, making three saves for the evening.

ODU is now undefeated in their last 17 home games, including NCAA
Tournament contests.

Women's Collegiate Roundup #2

Gilbert Hat Trick Leads UNC Women

Freshman forward Jaime Gilbert racked up a hat trick and
set up the other Tar Heel goal as the #1 ranked North Carolina women¹s
soccer team defeated California 4-2 Sunday afternoon in the first game of a doubleheader at the University of Nebraska¹s adidas Invitational. The game was played at the Abbott Sports Complex as the Tar Heels completed a 2-0 weekend, after beating Nebraska 1-0, and ran their winning streak to 29 matches over the past two seasons.

Carolina broke on top in Sunday¹s match in the ninth minute of play as
Gilbert scored the first of her three goals. On a restart, sophomore
midfielder Elizabeth Guess fed a ball through the middle of the Golden Bear defense that Gilbert ran on to. Gilbert finished off the breakaway with a goal from about 12 yards. Despite outshooting the Golden Bears 10-1 in the first half, that would be Carolina¹s only goal of the half.

Carolina did strike early in the second session, however, as Gilbert scored
in the 49th minute of play. She took a pass from Mary McDowell near the penalty kick mark, pivoted and shot the ball past California goalkeeper Ashley Sulprizio to make it 2-0.

Just over two minutes later the Bears cut the Tar Heel lead to 2-1 on a goal by Caroline Lea, assisted by Stephanie Wieger. Then at 55:45, Gilbert was taken down in the box by the Cal defense and the Tar Heels were awarded a penalty kick. Junior midfielder Kacey White converted the PK to put UNC ahead 3-1.

Gilbert and White both played a role in the final Tar Heel goal as well.
Senior forward Anne Morrell fed the ball to White at the top of the box.
White chipped the ball to an onrushing Gilbert who came down the right side of the pitch an finished the opportunity to give Carolina a 4-1 lead in the 62nd minute.

California finished the scoring in the 83rd minute as Nadia Al-Lami headed in a corner kick by Dania Cabello to make the final score 4-2.

Sikes' Goal Drops VCU

Senior Whitney Sikes (Charlotte, N.C.) scored the game-winning goal to give the University of Richmond women’s soccer team a 2-1 victory over VCU at First Market Stadium. The Spiders improve to 1-1 while the Rams fall to 1-1.

The Rams scored the first goal of the contest, at the 12:27 mark, when sophomore Melanie Simonich took a cross from teammate Solfried Andersen and knocked the ball into the left corner of the net.

The Spiders knotted the score at 1-1 twenty minutes later as senior Meghan Ogilvie (Springfield, Va.) tapped the ball into the empty net after a mishap from VCU goalkeeper Emily Niman.

The game-winner occured in the 59th minute after VCU goalkeeper Lauren Hardison, who entered the contest shortly into the second half, dropped the ball, off a header, directly in front of the goal and Sikes knocked it into the net.

Senior goalkeeper Kelly Kolker (McLean, Va.) made five saves in the net for Richmond. For VCU, Niman played 52:40 minutes with one save and Hardison saw 37:20 minutes of action and also made one save.

Florida Beats FIU 4-1

A 1-1 tie was broken with a seven-minute scoring flurry that produced three goals as the No. 12 Florida soccer team (2-0) defeated Florida International (0-2) 4-1 Sunday afternoon in front of James G. Pressly Stadium crowd of 674.

Senior All-American Stephanie Freeman turned in her first multi-goal match of her collegiate career Sunday, as she turned in Florida's second and fourth goals. Her first came at 69:22 when she hit a six-yard shot over the keeper off the double assist from Christine Johnson and Katie Johnston.

"I was playing left mid (field), which I had never played since I've been here, so it was kind of different. I had the perfect ball from Christine Johnson that split the two defenders. The timing was perfect - it kind of got away from me at first, but I was able to slide it right underneath the keeper," Freeman said.

Freeman ended Florida's scoring run at 76:11 with a 16-yard shot off the assist from freshman Nikita Waller. Waller also turned in her first collegiate goal Sunday at 71:56, hitting a 16-yard shot off the assist from redshirt freshman Daniela Sanchez. She is the second Gator freshman to turn in a goal in the opening weekend of play, as Jasmine Johnson also scored a goal in Florida's season opener Friday in a 3-2 win over Dayton.

"The freshmen have been doing an awesome job and I think the best is yet to come from them," Freeman said. "Jasmine (Johnson) and Nikita already having goals in the first two games is awesome. I think it is great that we have freshmen that are able to contribute and we are going to look to them for the rest of the season to score goals as well."

For the second consecutive match, senior Christine Johnson started the Gator scoring with a first-half goal. She hit a six-yard shot at 13:25 off the assists from Ashley Kellgren and Sanchez. FIU tied the match at 42:09 when Janet Ligouri scored on a 10-yard shot.

For the match, Florida outshot the Golden Panthers 18-2. UF goalkeeper Brittni Goodwin did not record a save Sunday, while FIU's two keepers, Madeline Gannon and Carly Agro, posted three and two saves, respectively.

Auburn Trips UAB 3-1

The #23 ranked Auburn soccer team (2-0) defeated UAB 3-1 here, improving the Tigers’ home unbeaten streak to 23. Auburn held on to the 3-1 first-half lead for its second win of the young season.

“We didn’t start out the way we wanted to,” said Hoppa commenting on UAB’s early goal. “But I really like the way we responded. I think this team has shown its character early in the season. Playing on our home field really adds confidence with the 12th man and the fact that we have a perfect surface to play on.”

The Blazers got on the board first just 2:11 into the contest as Jana Brauer hooked a corner kick directly in front of the goal and Jenny Rynders headed the ball past Auburn goalkeeper Megan Rivera for the early 1-0 lead.

Just less than 10 minutes later, at the 12:03 mark, Auburn’s Sarah Steinmann took a pass from Chrissy Culver, dribbling past a UAB defender and sending the shot to the right side of the goal.

“The shot was at a tough angle, but I came back in and decided to shoot with my right foot and it went in,” Steinmann said. “Chrissy (Culver) had two important goals for us and has been on fire this weekend. This was just a great way to set the tone for us to start the season.”

With the game tied at 1-1, Culver took a feed from Jada Stewart and sent a header past Blazer goalkeeper Katie Forbis, bringing the score to 2-1 at the 30:11 mark in the first. Just 2:11 later, Culver struck again, this time taking a lesson from UAB, scoring on a header off a corner kick from Kristin Stewart at 32:32.

“I scored my goals this weekend because the team put the balls right at my feel,” Culver said, who scored three goals on the weekend. “Sarah Steinmann put together some great goals herself this weekend and sent me some great balls, which really helped me. Our game Friday night, we started out slow, but by the end of this game, we have gotten in our flow and play well together. Our offensive attack is much better this year than it has ever been.”

At the conclusion of the half, Auburn held a 10-3 shot advantage, as well as a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks. Auburn ended the day outshooting UAB 17-9 and had 12 corner kicks to the Blazers’ three.

During the course of the first and second half, the Tigers used its depth by substituting to counteract for the heat.

“It was really hot today and we needed to use our depth,” Hoppa said. “They really raised our level of play today.”

Big Second Half Gives ODU Win

Old Dominion University took a 6-1 decision past visiting Longwood University in women’s soccer Sunday afternoon at the ODU Soccer Stadium. The host Monarchs (1-1) scored all six goals, tying a team record, in the second half for the victory. The Lancers (0-2) will play again this Friday, September 3, at Radford University.

The two teams battled scoreless through the first 45 minutes before the hosts scored two quick goals in the second-half to lead 2-0 at 62:22. Longwood closed to within 2-1 at 64:22 when freshman Ashley Gray/Richmond (Thomas Dale) tallied her first collegiate goal, unassisted. The Monarchs, however, answered with four-straight goals down the stretch for the convincing home triumph.

ODU took a 21-2 advantage in shots, and had a 6-2 edge in corners. Laura Beeman led the Monarchs with two goals, while keeper Stephanie Miller played the entire match in front of the net with no saves. Longwood sophomore keeper Heather Storrie/Spring Grove, Pa. (Spring Grove) went the distance for the Lancers as well with eight saves.

ETSU Blanks Winthrop 3-0

Despite the unfavorable elements, 158 fans came out to support the East Tennessee State University women's soccer team in their first regular season home game against the Winthrop Eagles at Liberty Bell Field. The Bucs won the game by a score of 3-0 and earned their first shut out of the season.

The first half was scoreless despite the Bucs eight shots on goal, while the Bucs held the Eagles to only three in the first half.

"In the first half we battled through the elements and first game jitters, but as the game went on we gained composure and got back to our system," said head coach Heather Henson.

Junior Erin Ashton (New Bern, N.C.) would put the first tally on the scoreboard as she beat the Winthrop defender and get her shot in on the left back post 5:10 into the second half. Ashton's game-winning goal was unassisted.

The teams battled in the field for possession, but ETSU was able to put pressure on Winthrop in the middle and attacking thirds to add two more goals. Freshman Katie O'Bryan (Hampton, Va.) would score the first of those goals just prior to the 79th minute of play. O'Bryan's first goal of the season and as a Buc, was assisted by Alexandra Schwark (Strongsville, Ohio), who crossed the ball to her in front of the left side of goal, O'Bryan then made the shot for the goal.

Just under five minutes later, at 83:02 into the game, the final goal by Catherine Olsen (Thurmont, Md.) would score from a pass by Ashton in the center of the park.

Christine Parks (Annapolis, Md.) (1-0-0) made her first appearance in goal for the Bucs, posting two saves and earning the win in the shut out, while Vanessa Kreider (0-1-0) made five saves and was dealt the loss for the Eagles.

Women's Collegiate Roundup #1

Ledford leads Clemson Upset of Texas 1-0

Clemson's Paige Ledford scored late in the first half in leading the Lady Tigers to a 1-0 upset win over fourth-ranked Texas in a women's intercollegiate soccer match at Myers Stadium in Austin, TX Friday night.
Ledford scored at the 41:26 mark with an assist by Lindsay Browne. It was the season opener for both teams. Texas is ranked fourth by Soccer America and 13th by the NSCAA.

This was the highest ranked team that Clemson has defeated on the road in the history of the Lady Tiger program. Clemson first started women's soccer back in the 1994 season. Clemson is ranked 12th by the Soccer America poll.

The previous highest ranked opponent that the Lady Tigers defeated on the road was 11th-ranked Virginia on September 13, 1996 as Clemson defeated the Cavaliers 2-1 in Charlottesville, VA. Clemson defeated number-one ranked North Carolina 2-1 on September 13, 2000 at Clemson's Riggs field for the highest ranked opponent defeated by a Lady Tiger team. Clemson has won 10 straight season-opening games dating back to the 1995 season.

"Obviously we are pleased with the result," said Clemson Head Coach Todd Bramble. "Texas has a traditional, nationally ranked team year in and year out. We had a lot of great contributions tonight. We had people coming off the bench that helped make a difference in tonight's win. A good example is Lindsay Browne who came off the bench and set up the winning goal. I can't be more proud of Lindsay. Ashley Phillips made a great debut in goal for Clemson tonight. She showed that she has a great future."

The Lady Tigers play at Texas A&M on Sunday, August 29, at 7:00 p.m. Central time in Clemson's next action. The Aggies are ranked fifth by the NSCAA and 11th by Soccer America.

Clemson 1, Texas 0

Clemson-Paige Ledford (Lindsay Browne) 41:26

Shots: Clemson 17, Texas 19
Corner Kicks: Clemson 2, Texas 5
Saves: Ashley Phillips (CU) 9, Dana Hall (T) 6
Fouls: Clemson 14, Texas 12

Florida Opens With Win

Senior Ashley Kellgren played a part in every Gator goal Friday, as she turned in two assists and the game-winning goal in No. 12 Florida's 3-2 victory over Dayton, held in front of a James G. Pressly Stadium crowd of 1,273.

Kellgren opened the 2004 season with her fourth game-winning goal of Florida's last four wins, dating back to UF's three wins in 2003 NCAA Championship action. With the match tied at 2-2, Kellgren hit a 20-yard shot from the right penalty area that curved into the goal at 86:45.

"I really don't remember my goal that much. I had an open shot at the right place at the right time," Kellgren said.

"I'm really proud of the fact that we got that clutch goal. When you come back from two goals down, it would seem that the momentum was swinging in Dayton's favor. For Ashley, who seems to be Miss. Clutch, that's a big win," UF Head Coach Becky Burleigh said. "We don't overlook the psychological part of coming back from giving up two goals. Dayton played well - they are a good team."

The Gator's first goal came at 16:57 as senior Christine Johnson scored her 16th goal of her career off a pass from Kellgren. The play started as Cherry Pickman fed a pass to Kellgren, who found Johnson open six yards from the goal. Johnson's shot, which hit the left post, rolled behind Dayton keeper Stacey DeLuca to put the Gators up by one.

Another Johnson scored for the Gators at 56:15, as freshman Jasmine Johnson headed in a Kellgren corner kick. She becomes the first Gator since the 2001 season to turn in a goal in her first collegiate match. The last Gator to open her college career with a goal was Christine Johnson, who scored the second goal in UF's 5-2 win over Utah on Aug. 31, 2001.

The Flyers scored twice on set plays to tie the match. Dayton cut the lead to one in the 62nd minute as Katie Lowstuter netted a solo shot from eight yards out. The Flyers struck again in the 77th minute as Courtney Sirmans converted a cross from teammate Jen Simonetti for the equalizer.

"I liked the chances that we generated. I thought we had some really good opportunities." Burleigh said. "Defensively, that was just unacceptable to give up goals on two set plays. That will be a big point of emphasis over the next few days.

For the match, Florida outshot the Flyers 10-4. Both goalkeepers, UF's Brittni Goodwin and UD's Stacy DeLuca, turned in two saves.

Tennessee Trips Duke Women

The 18th-ranked Duke women's soccer team opened the 2004 campaign by losing a heartbreaker on Friday, 4-3, in overtime at 11th-ranked Tennessee (1-0) in Knoxville, Tenn. The Blue Devils (0-1) will next host Elon on Sunday at 7:00 pm in Koskinen Stadium.

Well, we are very frustrated not to have won this game being up 3-1 with six minutes remaining in the match, said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church. But, we played very well early in front of a huge crowd and have some good things to build on for the next match on Sunday.

Duke started off the contest with a bang as the Blue Devils scored a goal just 23 seconds into the match as the dynamic duo of Carolyn Ford and Kate Seibert combined to give the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage. Ford was able to hit Seibert with a header off a free kick 10 yards out, which marks the seventh time over the last two years the duo have combined to score goals for Duke.

The Blue Devils were able to take a 2-0 lead as sophomore Darby Kroyer connected on a goal from seven yards out off an assist from Seibert. Kroyer, a product of San Ramon, Calif., had just arrived in the game three minutes earlier and made her presence felt quickly with a goal.

Tennessee was able to cut into the Duke lead at the 25:47 mark as Genna Gorman found Lindsey Patterson for a header, but the Blue Devils were able to finish off the first half with another goal to take a 3-1 advantage at the 42:46 mark. Ford, a junior co-captain from Bethesda, Md., was able to connect on her third career goal.

In first 40 minutes of the second half, both teams traded shots but no goals were put in the net until the 85:37 mark as Patterson registered her second goal of the evening off a free kick to cut the Blue Devil lead to 3-2. With just under two minutes remaining in the match, the Lady Vols tied the score as Gorman notched her first career goal on a bang-bang play to even the score.

In overtime, Duke came out firing as the Blue Devils had three shots with one being saved and one blocked before the Lady Vols won the match off a header by Keeley Dowling on a corner kick in the 97th minute.

Freshman Allison Lipsher played the entire game in goal for the Blue Devils finishing with seven saves. For the game, Tennessee outshot Duke, 17-14.

We learned tonight that we have a lot more things to work on, but we also have the potential to be very good this season, said Church.

Auburn Blanks Furman Women

The No. 23-ranked Auburn soccer team scored three second half
goals against Furman en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Paladins in the
2004 season opener here Friday in front of 1,206 fans at the AU Soccer
Complex.

"This was a typical first game," Auburn head coach Karen
Hoppa said. "We had a lot of new players on the field, including some
that were hurt last season. I think they did a great job of improving in
the second half. It was wonderful to get Steinmann and Culver scoring in
the second half. That second goal was within five minutes of the first
and that is something that we preach the importance of."

The two teams battled to a scoreless tie in the first half and
shots were 6-3 in favor of the Tigers at the break. Auburn had several
chances at scoring, including a Ronda Brooks header just 6:59 into the
first half.

In the second half, Jada Stewart beat a diving Andie Hinshaw at
the 52:11 (37:49) mark from five yards out to mark AU's first goal of
the 2004 campaign. Less than two minutes later at the 54:03 mark,
Chrissy Culver increased AU's lead to 2-0 with a direct shot from
three yards out off a Sarah Steinmann assist.

"There were a lot of defenders there," Culver said about her
goal, "but Steinmann fought hard and I got a shot off. I think the
first half started off slow, but we were able to pick it up in the
second half and get in the flow. That happens a lot in first games."

With less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Steinmann
capped the scoring for the evening with a left-footed shot from the right side at the 83:38 mark. Junior Courtney Crandell set up the play
dribbling through three defenders down the middle and sending a pass to
Steinmann towards the endline.

Auburn concluded the match out-shooting Furman 21-4 while taking
eight corner kicks, to the Paladins' one.

The Tigers conclude their opening weekend with a home match vs.
in-state rival UAB Sunday, Aug. 29 at the AU Soccer Complex. The match
is set to begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

"UAB is a tremendous team," Hoppa said. "The state
championship isn't just Auburn and Alabama anymore. UAB and other
schools in Alabama have become very competitive so this should be a
great game."

High Point Opens With Win Over The Citadel

Freshman Amy Anzovino scored the first two goals of her collegiate career in the 18th and 29th minutes and Jinene Enders and Wendy Williams added second-half scores to help High Point open the 2004 campaign with a 4-1 win over The Citadel Friday afternoon at WLI Field in Charleston.

The defending Big South-champion Panthers (1-0-0) outshot the homestanding Bulldogs by a 28-9 count.

"We're happy to get our first win of the season in our first game," HPU head coach Tracie Foels said. "We saw a lot of good things and got good play from several faces on the roster."

Shortly after Anzovino's first goal (on which Williams earned an assist), the teams endured a 35-minute lightning delay. Following the stoppage, Anzovino struck again off an assist from Emily Lanham in the 29th minute to give HPU a 2-0 cushion.

The Bulldogs (0-1-0) cut the lead in half seconds before halftime when Miriam Crawford's goal pulled The Citadel within 2-1 in the 45th minute.

The score remained unchanged until the 82nd minute, when Enders gave the Panthers some breathing room when she beat Bulldog keeper Angie Ellenwood for a 3-1 advantage. Less than two minutes later, High Point tacked on a Williams insurance goal to complete the scoring. Anzovino tallied the assist on the play.

Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Nail picked up the win in her first collegiate start in goal, stopping three shots in the process. Ellenwood tallied 13 saves for the Bulldogs.

Hundley Resigns At Davidson

Davidson College has announced Kevin Hundley, the head coach of the
women’s soccer team for the past 13 seasons, will leave his position. The search for the third head coach of the program will begin immediately.

“It’s always difficult when a member of the Davidson College community moves on, but we celebrate the past success that Coach Hundley brought to the women’s soccer program,” said Davidson Athletics
Director Jim Murphy. “We appreciate his years of service to Davidson and wish him great success as his career moves forward.”

Hundley took over the reins of the program in 1991 in just the third year of the team’s existence. During his 13 years at the helm, he posted a record of 118-133-15 (.472), including a spectacular 52-27-5 (.649)
mark in Southern Conference play. In nine of his 13 seasons, Hundley’s team registered a .500 record or better, including the 2000 squad which set a school-record with 14 victories.

The Southern Conference began sponsoring women’s soccer as a championship sport in 1994, and Hundley and his Wildcats reigned as league champion the first three seasons by virtue of winning the
league tournament. In 10 years of conference play, Davidson finished with a record of at least .600 seven times and at least .500 nine times.

Hundley coached two conference players of the year, one conference freshman of the year, 22 first-team all-conference performers and five CoSIDAAcademic All-District performers. His teams have won the
NSCAA Team Academic Award — which is given to teams with a GPA of 3.0 or better — every year since its inception in 1996.

Cicala Out At GMU

Jac Cicala, the George Mason women's coach for the last 12 years, resigned to become a teacher and boys soccer coach at a Centreville, a local high school.

A search for a successor has begun.

Cicala leaves GMU as the all-time leader in women's coaching victories with a career mark of 139-93-22 (.591), surpassing program founder Hank Leung who was 126-58-19 (.667) in 10 seasons. Cicala led the Patriots to the 1993 NCAA Division I championship game and a 6-0 loss to North Carolina in Mia Hamm's senior season.

UNC avenged a loss to GMU in the 1985 title game, the only time the Tar Heels had not won the NCAA championship to that point.

The Patriots made four of their overall 11 NCAA tournament appearances under Cicala, but have not been to the national tourney since 1997. The 2003 team was 9-6-6.

Cicala taught political science and government at Lake Braddock, another area high school for nine years, leading the boys soccer team to Virginia Group AAA state championships in 1982, 1983, 1988 and 1989. While he had been elevated to full-time at George Mason years ago, when he first accepted the job, he was part-time and continued his high school teaching responsibilities. He will teach U.S. government at Centreville.

"My decision to leave George Mason was based on family reasons," Cicala said. "It was a great experience with many positive memories. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to coach Division I soccer at George Mason. I owe so much of my success to the players whom I will truly miss."

A 1975 George Mason graduate who played three years for the men's soccer team, Cicala served as a GMU assistant women's coach in the first three years of the program (1982-84) and again in 1990-91.

"Jac has been an integral part of George Mason soccer, first as a player, then playing a critical role in the development of the women's soccer program to the national level," said O'Connor. "We appreciate his dedication to the program."

From www.soccertimes.com

Albert Retires At W&M

Al Albert has stepped down after more than three decades as coach of William & Mary's men's team.

Chris Norris, a William & Mary defender from 1991-94 and an assistant to Albert since, was named head coach.

As coach of the Tribe for 33 seasons, Albert compiled a 401-187-64 (.664) record, the eighth most victories for a Division I men's coach, the fourth most at one school. W&M had a winning record in the last 29 years of Albert's tenure, the fourth-longest streak in Division I. The Tribe went to the NCAA tournament 12 times under Albert, but did not go last season after compiling a 9-6-4 record.

Albert was appointed to a position as a fundraiser for the Tribe Club, the school's athletics booster organization..

"It is tough to walk away from a job that I have loved for so long, but I am thrilled and energized by the opportunity to continue as part of the William & Mary family," Albert said. "I hope as a member of the Tribe Club staff, I can continue to help not only our men's soccer team, but every other team in the department as well."

Albert was a defender and goalkeeper for W&M during the program's transition from club level to varsity status, and also played lacrosse and freshman baseball for the Tribe. He graduated in 1969 with a degree in sociology, returning as an assistant coach in soccer and lacrosse. Albert was named head soccer coach prior to the 1971 season, concentrating solely on the sport beginning with the 1977 campaign.

"Al Albert was a great coach at this college for a long time," W&M director of athletics Terry Driscoll said. "We're excited about the opportunity to keep him associated with the department. I feel that many of the same attributes that made him such a successful coach will have an equally positive impact on our fundraising efforts."

Albert led the Tribe to one Southern Conference championship, then six Colonial Athletic Association titles and was named CAA "Coach of the Year" four times.

Among the players produced by W&M under Albert are goalkeeper Adin Brown of the New England Revolution, defender Wade Barrett, who played for the San Jose Earthquakes before joining AGF Aarhus of Denmarks' first division, and defender Steve Jolley who was recently traded by the MetroStars to the Dallas Burn. All three have appeared in Major League Soccer All-Star Games.

NSCAA/adidas National Coaches of the Year Announced

Indiana University's Jerry Yeagley closes out his distinguished career with a record sixth NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award, while UNC Chapel Hill head coach Anson Dorrance, who led his team to a 27-0-0 mark and its 18th national championship, was named national women's Division I Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

Yeagley completed his 31st and final season as coach of the Hoosiers by winning his sixth national title in Columbus, Ohio, last month.

Capsule summaries of each recipient follow:

Jerry Yeagley, Indiana University, Division I Men
Jerry Yeagley retired after 31 years as head coach at Indiana University, and his players sent him out in style with his sixth NCAA championship and a record sixth NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award. As he rides off into the sunset, Yeagley’s numbers speak for themselves: six NCAA titles and 16 trips to the College Cup, both second-most in NCAA history; 12 appearances in the championship game, and every Indiana player has competed in at least one College Cup, a claim that no other program can make. Since he guided soccer to varsity status on the Bloomington campus in 1973, no other team has won more NCAA Championships or appeared in more College Cups. The consistency the Indiana program has maintained under Yeagley’s tutelage is unmatched. Yeagley has led the Hoosiers to 27 NCAA tournament berths, the third-most in NCAA history, including one in each of the last 16 seasons. Yeagley has led his Hoosiers to 10 Big Ten tournament championships since they began 13 years ago, and his squads have been on top of the regular-season conference standings the past eight years. Yeagley’s overall career record closes at 544-101-45 (.821) and he posted a winning record in all 31 of his seasons in Bloomington. He is only the second coach in NCAA Division I men’s soccer history to post 500 career wins. His 544 career wins ranks No. 1 among Division I men’s coaches.

Anson Dorrance, University of North Carolina, Division I Women
What’s the best way to cap a season that brought 27 wins, no losses or ties and an NCAA championship? How about a fourth National Coach of the Year award. That sums up 2003 for the University of North Carolina’s Anson Dorrance. Just when observers were thinking that Carolina’s era of dominance had ended, the Tar Heels came roaring back. Powered by two Hermann Trophy finalists, North Carolina roared to an NCAA-record 27-0 mark and claimed its 18 national championship. The last time a Division I women’s team was undefeated all the way to the championship was 1993, when a Mia Hamm-led North Carolina team went 25-0. Dorrance now has 559 wins to his credit, more than any coach at the Division I level, regardless of gender. His selection this year marks a record-tying fourth time he has earned National Coach of the Year honors, but he is the only coach to claim the honor for both men’s and women’s play.

Mike O'Malley, Chico State, Division II Men
With a 21-5-1 record in 2003, Mike O’Malley’s team achieved its potential and delivered O’Malley his first NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award. After completing the regular season with a 17-4-1 mark and an NSCAA/adidas National Ranking of No. 10, the Wildcats stormed through the NCAA tournament to the championship game. There they met Lynn University and surrendered a hard-fought 2-1 decision, with the deciding goal coming in the 80th minute. O’Malley’s team bounced back from a 6-13-1 record in 2002 to finish as the national runner-up and No. 2 in the final NSCAA/adidas National Ranking.

Rob King, Kennesaw State, Division II Women
In just two short seasons, Rob King has gone from starting from scratch to claiming an NCAA championship and moving his Kennesaw State program to Division I status. King and the Owls have had meteoric success since their inaugural season in 2002, when the team had only a long tie to blemish its record in 19 games. Kennesaw State has compiled an astonishing 43-1-1 record under King, including a 25-1-0 record in 2003. The program’s elevation to Division I play ensures two things: that there will be no defense of the title in 2004, and that the Owls will not compete in the College Cup next year, as NCAA rules prohibit them from competing for a championship until 2006.

Lenny Armuth, Drew University, Men’s Division III
Lenny Armuth’s tenth season at Drew was one to remember. He guided his Rangers squad to the title game of the NCAA Division III tournament, the highest post-season finish for any Drew team regardless of sport. Along the way the team posted a 20-2-3 record, including a string of 16 consecutive victories, and its sixth consecutive Freedom Conference championship. In 10 years at Drew, Armuth has compiled a 163-43-12 record, and his .775 winning percentage is tops among men’s coaches at the school.

Tracy Ranieri, Oneonta State, Women’s Division III
After this season, no one could call Tracey Ranieri triskaidekaphobic. (That’s fear of the number 13.) In her thirteenth season as head coach of the Oneonta State women’s program, she led her squad to the NCAA Division III national championship, the first national title in school history. The Red Dragons posted 21 victories, a school record, against only one loss and three ties, defeating two teams from the final NSCAA/adidas National Rankings along the way.

Scott Morrissey, University of Rio Grande, NAIA Men
With 15 years of coaching under his belt, the past two may have been the most rewarding for Scott Morrissey. After earning NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors last season, he becomes only the ninth coach in NSCAA history to win back-to-back national coach of the year honors. This season he led his team to an undefeated season, posting a 24-0-1 record while claiming the NAIA national title. He is the first to claim back-to-back national coach of the year honors in the NAIA men’s category and places his name along such greats as Jerry Yeagley and Chris Petrucelli.

Mike Giuliano, Westmont College, NAIA Women
Mike Giuliano becomes the first coach in NSCAA history to claim three consecutive NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year awards. No coach in intercollegiate soccer has received as many honors as Giuliano has in so short a time. With his fourth NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award in the past five years, he has reached that mark faster than any other coach. He has guided the Westmont program to national prominence, claiming NAIA national championships in four of the last five years while averaging more than 19 wins a season during that span. With its third consecutive NAIA crown in 2003, Westmont is the first NAIA team to win five women's soccer championships. Under Giuliano, the Warriors have appeared in the NAIA National Tournament nine times in the past decade, including a string of eight straight. All this while playing a schedule that features nationally-ranked opponents from NAIA and NCAA Division II and III levels. During his tenure, Warrior players have garnered 27 NAIA All-American honors and claimed NAIA Player of the Year awards in three of the past four years, including twin sisters who have won the past two years.

Dr. Sandy Zensen, NCCAA Division I Men
Leading his Bryan College team to an 18-3 record, Dr. Sandy Zensen earned NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors at the NCCAA Division I level. A string of 15 consecutive wins during the season helped propel Zensen to the award. His squad finished the season as the runner-up in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. He also was recognized as a National Coach of the Year in 1995, before the NCCAA’s association with the NSCAA.

Jim Hunter, NCCAA Division III Men
This past season, in only his fourth year as the coach of the Faith Baptist Bible College team, Jim Hunter put together a squad that was crowned Northwest Region Champions and appeared at the NCCAA Div II National Championship Tournament. The trip to Nationals was the first in school history for Faith, and Hunter was named NCCAA Div II National Coach of the Year by a committee of his peers.

Jonathan Meade, Mount Vernon Nazarene, NCCAA Women
In his fifth season as the first coach of his alma mater’s women’s program, Jonathan Meade claims his first NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award. After guiding the team to a 4-7-1 mark as a club team in the fall of 1999 against mainly varsity competition, Meade led the Lady Cougars to a respectable 59-28-2 record in the program's first four varsity seasons (2000-2003). This year, his squad posted a 20-3-1 record and the NCCAA national title. His teams have never experienced a losing season in the four years Mount Vernon Nazarene has been in intercollegiate competition.

Linda Huddleston, Junior College Women Division I
Under the direction of second-year coach Linda Huddleston, Dixie State College claimed the NJCAA national championship and Huddleston earned Junior College Women’s Division I National Coach of the Year honors. Not bad for a volunteer. Two years ago Shauna Haney stepped down as coach, and budget cuts forced the school to reduce its paid coaching staff. That’s when Huddleston stepped forward as a volunteer to lead a program she had previously guided when it was a club sport. After the program was elevated to intercollegiate status, it enjoyed great success on the national stage. So successful, in fact, that one of its prior coaches, Rob Dahl, claimed NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors in 2000. In her first season back at the helm, Huddleston led the Rebels to a 20-3 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA tournament. This year the record slipped to 17-4-1, but the final result was far more satisfying as her team claimed the NJCAA crown.

Mauricio Ingrassia, Long Beach City College, Junior College Women’s Division III
Mauricio Ingrassia completed his ninth season at Long Beach City College with a record of 22-0 to finish in the No. 1 spot in the NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for the second consecutive year. The team also claimed its fourth consecutive California Community College title, a record fifth league championship for the program. Ingrassia’s career mark now stands at 184-24-8, an .870 winning percentage.

Stephen Peck Jr., Junior College Men Division I
In 2003, Peck led East Central College to the Central District championship. With a record of 15-3-2, his team claimed its third consecutive Region 16 title. Peck has a career record of 53-27-7 in seven seasons has a head coach and has a string of three Region 16 Coach of the Year awards.

Sean Worley, Junior College Men Division III
In his fifth year at the helm, Sean Worley guided Richland to its second NJCAA national title in as many seasons, posting a record of 18-6-0 in 2003. Tonight, he becomes only the seventh person, regardless of gender, to win back-to-back national junior college coach of the year honors in the 30-year history of the award.

Bill Holleman, Shiloh (Ga.) HS, High School Boys Division I
By the time you’re two years removed from receiving the NSCAA Honor Award, most people would expect you to have been retired from coaching and enjoying a simpler lifestyle. Not so for Bill Holleman. After winning the Honor Award in 2002, Bill just kept right on coaching, and last spring achieved a milestone: his 500th career victory. Along the way, his Shiloh boys team earned the Georgia state 5-A championship with a record of 18-3-1. It was Holleman’s fifth Georgia state title, to go with two he earned earlier in North Carolina. He now serves as soccer coach and athletics director at Peachtree High School in Gwinnett County, Ga.

Charles Engle, Mount Markham Central HS, High School Boys Division II
The New York State Coach of the Year, Chuck Engle completed his 37th season at Mount Markham Central High School with a 20-0-1and the Section III Class C title. His team allowed no goals from the field in its last 19 games. He now stands at 508 career victories, only one win away from the state career victory record.

Paul Rose, Sacramento Jesuit HS, High School Boys Private/Parochial
When the first poll of the 2003 NSCAA/adidas high school national rankings was released on September 15, Sacramento Jesuit High School stood at No. 1 with a record of 7-0-1. Nine weeks and 22 wins later, coach Paul Rose’s squad completed their run of the table, posting a 29-0-1 record and holding the No. 1 spot from wire to wire. By hanging on to the No. 1 ranking throughout the season, they joined an exclusive club that includes the Carmel, Indiana, girls team, which achieved the feat in 2002.

Tony Pesznecker, Wayzata (Minn.) HS, High School Girls Division I
Playing the role of defending state champions is a challenging one, since every team wants to make its mark by knocking you off the top of the mountain. Tony Pesznecker’s 2003 squad played the role perfectly throughout the regular season and through the state playoffs, reeling off 23 consecutive victories going into the state title match. Unfortunately, there the curtain rang down on the season and Wayzata had to settle for the runner-up trophy. Still, the team can be proud of being ranked as high as 15th in the NSCAA/adidas National High School Rankings and earning their coach his first NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year award.

Vicky King, Land O’ Lakes (Fla.) HS, High School Girls Division II
When it comes to winning coach of the year awards, Vicky King has had lots of practice. In her 16 years as a high school coach, she has received a total of 15 coach of the year awards, including five from each of the two Tampa Bay area newspapers. This year her team broke through to win the Florida state 2A championship with a record of 26-3, boosting her career record to 233-106-28 and earning her NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors. In addition to her coaching duties, Vicky is in charge of the Adaptive Physical Education Program and Special Olympics within her community.

Dave Prutting, St. Anthony’s HS, South Huntington, N.Y., High School Boys Private/Parochial
In 15 years coaching high school soccer, Dave Prutting has built a record of 246-28-7. Last season his team was undefeated in 19 matches, claiming a New York state championship. It marked his program’s 13th state title in his 15 years at the helm. A seven-time New York State Coach of the Year, he has claimed NSCAA/adidas Regional Coach of the Year honors six times and now earns his first National Coach of the Year award.

Kendall Walkes, Coatesville, Pa., Boys Youth National Coach of the Year
Walkes has served as an Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Coach for 19 years. His enthusiasm for the game is contagious. As the coach of EPYSA’s U-13 Olympic Development Program, he is in charge of not only identifying the top talent in the state, but also creating a fun and competitive environment that facilitates the development and identification of elite players. He has successfully identified many players who have moved on to regional and youth national teams. He also is a former coach of the Trinidad and Tobago U-23 National Youth Team.

Jerry Garlick, Simbury, Conn., Girls Youth National Coach of the Year
A member of the Simsbury Soccer Club, Garlick is a veteran of coaching at the recreational level and has coached travel teams for the past 11 years. He started a TopSoccer program for challenged players in his community. He enjoys the respect of his players, parents, referees and fellow coaches and inspires his players to do the best they can. One of his players describes him as "the definition of respect and sportsmanship, both on and off the field."

Reddick, Wingert Claim M.A.C.'s Hermann Trophy

Senior defenders Catherine Reddick of the University of North Carolina and Chris WingertChris Wingert of St. John’s University are the winners of the 2003 Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, presented to the top male and female players in NCAA Division I soccer. The winners were decided by a vote of current National Soccer Coaches Association of America members at the NCAA Division I level.

Reddick (Birmingham, Ala.) spent part of the collegiate season with the U.S. Women’s National Team, where she was a starting defender in the 2003 Women’s World Cup. She returned to UNC following the World Cup to score six goals and dish out five assists for 17 points in 13 matches. The senior defender was a key part of Carolina’s historic season in which the Tar Heels went 27-0, the best record ever in women’s college soccer.

Reddick keyed a dominant UNC defense that did not allow a goal in post-season play, earning NCAA Tournament Defensive MVP honors. North Carolina posted a 6-0 shutout over Connecticut in the finals to capture the school’s 18th national championship.

With Reddick‘s selection, the Tar Heels have had the sixth players earn college soccer’s top honor a total of eight times: Shannon Higgins, 1989 (Hermann); Kristine Lilly, 1991 (both the M.A.C. and Hermann awards); Mia Hamm, 1992 and 1993 (both each year); Tisha Venturini, 1994 (both); and Cindy Parlow, 1997 and 1998 (both each year).

The two other finalists for the award were University of North Carolina sophomore forward Lindsay Tarpley (Kalamazoo, Mich.) and Penn State senior forward Joanna Lohman (Silver Spring, Md.), a two-time NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Wingert (Babylon, N.Y.) caps off a tremendous season by winning college soccer’s top individual honor. In 2003, he helped lead St. John’s to the NCAA title game, where the Red Storm lost 2-1 to Indiana. St. John’s finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the final NSCAA/adidas National Rankings.

Wingert scored five goals and added five assists during the 2003 season and earned several honors. For the second consecutive season he was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and NSCAA/adidas All-America first-team honors. He is a member of the United States Men’s U-23 National Team.

Wingert not only has excelled on the field, but in the classroom as well. He won the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year, becoming the first player to win both National Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year in the same season. Wingert also becomes the first player from St. John’s to win National Player of the Year honors.

The other two men’s finalists were University of Maryland senior midfielder Sumed Ibrahim(Tamale, Ghana) and Coastal Carolina senior forward Joseph Ngwenya (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe), the 2002 NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year.

An exhibition dedicated to the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy featuring all former recipients of both the M.A.C. and Hermann trophies, the current winners, a replica of the Irish crystal trophy and the original Hermann Trophy is on display at the National Soccer Museum in Oneonta, N.Y. Additional information about the soccer Hall of Fame can be found at www.soccerhall.org.

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Yeagley Closes Career With National Title

It couldn't have happened any better if Hollywood had written the script. Indiana head coach Jerry Yeagley coached his Hoosiers to the NCAA Division I men's championship in the last game of a storied coaching career.

Indiana scored twice in four minutes to beat St. John's 2-1 in Columbus, OH, giving Yeagley his sixth national championship game. Yeagley had announced his retirement earlier in the year.

"I've been trying not to think about me. This is about this team. Maybe in a few days I'll collect myself," Yeagley said.

On a cold December afternoon with snow blowing throughout the second half, Ned Grabavoy scored Indiana's first goal on a free kick in the 16th minute, and Jacob Peterson made it 2-0 in the 20th for the eighth-seeded Hoosiers.

"To get on the board first in a championship game is very huge for our team to get our confidence going," Grabavoy said. Grabavoy arrived 12 hours before kickoff after playing for the U.S. in the FIFA Under-20 Youth World Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Teammate Drew Moor arrived only two hours before kickoff. Both played the entire game.

Yeagley begain Indiana's soccer program in 1973, and he leaves with more victories (544) and a higher winning percentage than any other men's college soccer coach. He led the Hoosiers to 16 appearances in the College Cup.

In the closing minutes of the game, Yeagley sat on the near-empty bench, wearing a serene smile on his weathered face. As time expired, he calmly shook hands with St. John's coach Dave Masur before walking on the field and being engulfed by a mob of his exultant players.

"I did have the strangest feeling after the game was over ...It was almost like a surreal type experience," Yeagley said.

St. John's, playing in its first NCAA final since winning the 1996 title, scored with 12 minutes left. Tim O'Neill sent a pass across the penalty box to Chris Corcoran, who volleyed the ball toward the goal. Ashley Kozicki knocked it in from six yards.

Trying to send the game into overtime, St. John's took a variety of desperation shots in the last 10 minutes on a field covered by an icy, white blanket.

"I was getting a little nervous because everything was starting to get wet and they were just starting to pump balls into the box," Indiana goalkeeper Jay Nolly said.

The steady snow made a soggy field even more slick, causing players to slip and fall throughout the game.

Before kickoff, a tractor and dozens of people, including Crew Stadium general manager Mark McCullers and Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew general manager Jim Smith, used rakes and shovels to clear away the three inches of snow that fell overnight. Three-foot snowbanks lined one side of the field.

The final NCAA title was extra special for Yeagley, whose team's 2-3-4 start was the worst in his 31 years. But the Hoosiers caught fire with a team that featured five freshman.

In Yeagley's final seven seasons, Indiana (17-3-5) reached the final four six times and won three titles.

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Maryland Beaten In Semifinals

Sophomore striker Sebastian Alvarado-Ralph netted a penalty kick late in the first half, allowing # 6 St. John's defeat second-ranked Maryland 1-0 in an NCAA Division I Men's College Cup semifinal before 3,468 at Crew Stadium.

St. John's (17-5-3) will face # 7 Indiana (16-3-5) in Sunday's 2 p.m. (ET) championship match which will be televised on ESPN2. The Hoosiers edged 11th-ranked Santa Clara 1-0 on midfielder Pat Yates' goal in a second period of sudden death.

Hoosier's head coach Jerry Yeagley's coaching career will come to and end when Indiana plays St. John's for its sixth NCAA championship.

Sophomore midfielder Pat Yates scored his second straight game-winner, this one in a second sudden-death period, lifting # 7 Indiana to a 1-0 decision over 11th-ranked Santa Clara in the other men's College Cup semifinal.

"We knew we had a stiff challenge in front of us," St. John's coach Dave Masur said. "Maryland is a tough team, with many skilled players who can attack you. We got the goal in the first half and our guys made it stick, but we've got to be ready for Sunday now."

Maryland lost for the second straight year in the national semifinals. A penalty kick also accounted for the winning goal when eventual champion UCLA eliminated the Terrapins 2-1 in 2002.

"We made two mistakes in the first half and got punished on one of them, severely," Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski said. "That sometimes happens. I just told my team that I just had two of the best years of my coaching life with this terrific group of people who are champions in every aspect."

Maryland outshot St. John's 24-9, but was stymied by nine saves by Red Storm senior goalkeeper Bill Gaudette who made nine saves.

Maryland (20-3-1), which was 40-8-1 over the last two seasons, controlled play in the opening minutes of the game, unleashing a flurry of shots, including four on goal. Junior strikers Abe Thompson and Jason Garey each recorded two shots on goal, but Gaudette made a pair of diving stops to keep the game scoreless. The Terrapins defense contained St. John's attackers preventing the Red Storm from moving into the offensive third.

When St. John's got a break, it capitalized. Alvarado-Ralph won a 50-50 ball and flicked it to senior forward Simone Salinno who lofted a ball to the top left of the penalty area. Freshman striker Ashley Kozicki got to it first and flicked it on with his head. Maryland goalkeeper Noah Palmer, going for the ball, instead knocked over Kozicki and a penalty kick was awarded.

On the penalty, Palmer guessed to his right and Alvarado-Ralph knocked a low shot behind him, down the middle for his fifth goal and a 1-0 lead on the Red Storm's first shot on goal with 34:18 elapsed.

"We started out the way you want to start out," Cirovski said. "The defending was good, we were creating chances and getting shots off, getting close chances and you think one of them is going to go in the back of the net. There's no explanation for it. Soccer can change in an instant and today it did. We still felt very confident and I think these guys showed a lot of poise all year. They just kept pushing. There was no panic. There were chances right in the last 30 seconds of the game."

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Women's D-1 Semifinals Set

The University of North Carolina and the University of Connecticutt are the only two schools to advance to all 22 NCAA Division I women's postseason tournaments. The Tar Heels have won the national championship 16 times. UCONN has never won it.

Both have advanced to the 2003 Division I College Cup semifinals, set for Friday, Dec. 5, at SAS Stadium in Cary, NC. The Huskies will take on Florida State, the #2 team from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the opening game at noon, followed by the Tar Heels matchup with UCLA at 2:30.

North Carolina (25-0) moved to the Women's College Cup semifinals for an astounding 22nd straight year.

Freshman striker Heather O'Reilly and senior defender Catherine Reddick scored in the closing 13 minutes of the first halfin the quarterfinals, lifting #1 North Carolina to a 3-0 decision over third-ranked Santa Clara before 1,618 at frigid Fetzer Field.

Santa Clara had defeated the Tar Heels in the last three meetings, including bouncing the Tar Heels from the 2001 and 2002 NCAA tournaments.

"Obviously, we're ecstatic to be back in the final four," UNC coach Anson Dorrance told the Raleigh News-Observer. "The quarterfinal game for me every year is always the most nerve-wracking. It's not just because you're starting to play better and better opponents, it's that you want to get back to the final party so badly."

Santa Clara (14-4-6), the 2001 NCAA champion and 2002 runnerup, failed to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2000 and only the second time since 1995. "Like Carolina, we have high expectations," SCU coach Jerry Smith said. "We have expectations to be playing in the final week of the year and we're not this year. . . That's a very tough pill for us to swallow, to be honest with you."

Converted freshman midfielder Nikki Cross scored one goal and assisted two others in an eight-minute span of the first-half, powering #18 Connecticut to a 3-1 triumph over Brigham Young in an NCAA tournament quarterfinal before 1,335 at chilly Morrone Stadium in Storrs, CT.

UCONN advanced to the Final Four for the seventh time, but first since 1997.

In one of its most dominating performances in its four NCAA Tournament trips, the #11 seeded Florida State (17-7-1) downed # 3 seed Florida 2-1 in Gainesville to send the Tribe to the school's first-ever College Cup. It was the second time in less than a week that FSU has gone on the road and upset a higher seed in the NCAA tournament.

UCLA, the 2001 national champion, earned its berth in the national semifinals with an impressive 4-0 victory over Penn State.

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Coastal Carolina, FIU, VCU Lose…..
Maryland Advances

Defender Jason Pan tied the game by netting a free kick with less than four minutes remaining, setting up striker Will Weatherly's winner in overtime, lifting #11 Santa Clara to a 3-2 victory over 12th-ranked Coastal Carolina in an NCAA tournament third-round meeting this afternoon before 691 at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Santa Clara (15-3-4), which is 11-0-2 in its last 13 home games, will host Michigan (14-6-1) Saturday night in a quarterfinal. The visiting Wolverines shocked # 3 Notre Dame 4-3 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.

The Broncos advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1999.
The Chanticleers had a 13-game winning streak snapped.

"It was a game that could have gone either way very easily," SCU coach Cameron Rast said. "Our guys really hung in there and played hard through the overtime period as they have all year. They just found a way to win which has been somewhat of a motto for us this year."

Forward Matt Upton's left-side throw-in skipped through the penalty area and deflected off a defender to Weatherly who used his first touch to deposit the ball in the left corner of the net for the dramatic 3-2 final with 4:51 elapsed in sudden death.

"A long throw came and it bounced," Weatherly said. "One of their players tried to clear it out and it just skipped off his head and it just came down to my feet as I was making a little cutting run into the box. I hit it first time and then I saw it hit the back of the net and pretty much just booked it over to the fans. I wanted to give them a little love because they were great all day for us."

Pan powered a free kick from just above the penalty area into the right corner of the net to pull the Broncos even at 2-2 with at 86:03.

"The ball kind of took a big bounce off a rough area on the field, taking a little higher of a kick than I thought it would," Pan said. "Their keeper got a hand on it I think, but luckily for us it was already by him at that point."

Coastal (20-3) took an early 1-0 lead when striker Josheph Ngwenya headed home a corner kick from midfielder Randy Owen at 2:24.

"Their offensive firepower -- we haven't played too many teams that had players who could create their own chances up front and they had three guys who could do that for them," Pan said. "Especially at the end of the game, they started to combine better and were very dangerous."

Santa Clara answered when midfielder Audren Cashman sent a ball to his left for Weatherly to cross into the six-yard box. Reserve midfielder Tannen Wels tucked a shot to the right of keeper Andrew Paxton to make it 1-1 after 36:50.

Ngwenya added his 21st goal of the season in the 72nd minute for a 2-1 lead when he beat two defenders to a long ball and knocked it over advancing keeper Kent Harkness.

"I thought it was a good college game, a very physical match," CCU coach Shaun Docking said. "I think (Santa Clara) did a very good job, showing a lot of discipline and were a very hard working team. They capitalized on some good chances when it mattered."

Despite being beaten twice, Harkness made three critical second-half saves to keep the match close. Paxton made five saves on the day, three in the first half.

For the first time this season, CCU was outshot with Santa Clara holding a 13-12 edge.

Maryland Advances

The # 2 Maryland men's soccer advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over # 15 Akron at Ludwig Field on Sunday afternoon.

Neither team could find a rhythm in the first half, trading possessions mostly in the midfield. The Terps usually potent offense was slowed, firing just four shots in the first half, with just one of those on goal. Akron wasn't able to get much going either, with their lone shot on goal coming on a run by Alex Odwell.

The Terps (19-2-1) got on track in the second half, though, possessing the ball better and creating numerous opportunities. Maryland threatened in the 53rd minute as Kenny Bertz and Chris each hit the post on successive shots before the ball being cleared away

The persistence paid off as Jason Garey scored his second goal in as many games when he finished a give-and-go from Marcantonio. The play was set up by Sumed Ibrahim who stepped in front of the ball in the Terps end and raced the length of the field before dishing to Marcantonio. The goal came at 60:43.

After scoring the goal, Maryland continued to apply pressure, which limited the chances for the Zips. Maryland held a 16-4 advantage in shots. The Terps have not been outshot in a game all season.

Without forwards Abe Thompson and Erwin Diaz available for today's game, Garey again proved to be capable to shoulder the offensive burden. Garey's 12th goal of the season leads Maryland.

Goalkeeper Noah Palmer made just one save to record his 25th career shutout and his fifth in NCAA Tournament play.

Maryland will host the quarterfinal game next Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m., at Ludwig Field. The Terps will face Saint Louis, who defeated Washington 3-2 in overtime.

UCLA 2, FIU 0
Fourteenth ranked Florida International University lost to top-seeded and defending national champions UCLA, 2-0, Sunday afternoon in the third round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championships at Drake Stadium.

After a scoreless first half, UCLA's sophomore forward Evan Corey came off the bench to score both Bruin goals at 45:51 and 84:41.

FIU's Roy Rosenberg made three saves in goal for the Golden Panthers while his counterpart, Zach Wells, also made three saves en route to his 11th shutout of the season.

The Golden Panthers, who out-shot the Bruins 10-8 in the match, finish their season with a record of 14-5-3.

UCLA (20-1-1) will host eighth-seeded Indiana in quarterfinal action this Saturday.

Indiana 5, VCU 0
Sophomore Brian Plotkin was successful on a penalty kick
in the 63rd minute to snap a scoreless tie and ignite eighth-seeded Indiana
to a 5-0 victory over ninth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in front of 1,751 fans at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.

The Rams (17-5) played the final 35 minutes a man down as senior forward McColm Cephas (Monrovia, Liberia/Monrovia) received a red card and was ejected at the 54:57 mark. Plotkin's penalty kick opened the floodgates for the Hoosiers (14-3-5), who added four goals in the final 17 minutes of the match.

Each team had just three shots in the first half. Indiana outshot VCU 13-7
in the second period.

Junior goalkeeper Jay Nolly had three saves for the Hoosiers, as the Rams were shutout for the first time this season. Junior keeper Saul Montero (San Jose, Costa Rica/Universidad Tidelidas) also had three saves for VCU.

VCU had its school-record nine-game winning streak snapped. The Rams
finished the season with 17 victories, also a school record.

VCU 0 0 0
Indiana 0 5 5

Scoring Summary: 1. IU-Brian Plotkin (penalty kick), 62:09; 2. IU-Josh
Tudela (Jed Zayner), 73:01; 3. IU-Jacob Peterson (Pat Yates, Plotkin),
79:36; IU-Yates, 85:07; IU-Jordan Chirico (Chris Pomeroy), 89:44.

Shots: VCU-10, Indiana-16
Saves: VCU-3, Indiana-3
Corner Kicks: VCU-4, Indiana-3
Fouls: VCU-19, Indiana-19

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Davidson Knocks Off Duke 2-0

The Davidson men's soccer team posted yet another shutout, knocking off the Duke Blue Devils, 2-0, at Richardson Stadium on Wednesday evening. The victory marked Davidson's first over Duke since the 1990 season when the Wildcats topped the Blue Devils, 3-2. The Wildcats improve to 6-2-2 overall while Duke falls to 2-7-1 this season.

"Anytime we beat an ACC team, it is a big step forward for our program," said head coach Matt Spear. "We mixed up the starting lineup a bit tonight and the new players brought new energy to the field."

The Wildcat freshmen got the job done once again for the Davidson offense, both goals coming off the feet of rookie attackers. Freshmen Robbie Reynolds and Mac Wilkie scored their first and second goals of the season, respectively. Freshmen have scored five of Davidson¹s 15 goals this season.

After a quiet first half of play by both teams, Davidson came out of the halftime break and took an early 1-0 advantage. Sophomore back Nahum Navas sent a long ball upfield to the top of the goalie box where Reynolds used his speed to beat his defender and drill the ball past the keeper for the score at the 51:40 mark.

"The game started choppy and Duke took advantage of crosses and set pieces to be dangerous at times in the first half," said Spear. "But as the game wore on, we were able to grab control and create opportunities. For Robbie to step up as tonight's hero and score the game winner displays his talent and composure - and shows our depth. Each game provides the opportunity for new players to make an impact. Robbie made a huge impact, and I am proud that his training habits paid off with such a huge goal."

The momentum shifted the 'Cats way and the Davidson defense allowed little to the Blue Devils. Duke put together only two shots in the second half, compared to the Wildcats' five. Late in the contest, Davidson added an insurance goal with less than ten minutes to play when Wilkie took a long shot that snuck past the Duke goalkeeper. Sophomore Jeff Davis was credited with the assist.

Davidson keeper Bart Creasman was credited with three saves in his third shutout of the season.

"As usual, Bart took care of business in the back, displaying composure and confidence," Spear said. "Joey Bass had a great game in the back, and Jeff McKinney was a big help too. To shut out an aggressive, creative Duke team is always a good sign. After giving up some goals this weekend, it was good to get our defense back on track."

Davidson gets back into conference action on Saturday, October 4. It is homecoming weekend for the Wildcats as they battle the Wofford Terriers at 4 p.m. on the Varsity Soccer Field.

Goal Scoring:
51:40 - (DAV) Robbie Reynolds (Navas)
82:08 - (DAV) Mac Wilkie (Davis)

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Tar Heels Score Four Early To Top Duke

Top-ranked North Carolina scored all four of its goals in the first 14:53 of action, three of them by sophomore forward Lindsay Tarpley, to lead the Tar Heels to a 4-0 women's soccer victory over arch-rival Duke before 3,100 fans at Koskinen Stadium.

For Tarpley, it was the third hat trick of her collegiate career. She had
one as a freshman a year ago against Florida International and a second one n the season opener this year against Washington State. The Kalamazoo, Mich. native leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in goals this year with 10. Carolina improved to 12-0 on the season with the win and won its ACC opener. Duke, ranked betweeen 10th and 20th in the four national polls, is now 7-3-1 and 0-1 in the ACC.

The win gives Carolina one point in the 2003-04 Carlyle Cup competition, the all-sports trophy sponsored by Carlyle and Company and Rolex which puts UNC against Duke in 23 sports. UNC leads this year¹s
competition, two points to zero.

UNC got on the board at 4:13 of the match as Tarpley scored the first of her three goals. After a failed Duke clearing pass, midfielder Lori Chalupny served the ball back into the box where Tarpley chipped it over Duke goalkeeper Thora Helgadottir from eight yards out. Just 56 seconds later Tarpley made the score 2-0 as Tarpley headed in a corner kick by senior striker Alyssa Ramsey. It was the first of three assists for Ramsey on the night.

At 12:07, Carolina made it 3-0 on another goal off a corner kick. Ramsey's corner kick was flicked on by the head of freshman forward Heather O'Reilly who sent the ball to the far post where Kendall Fletcher tapped it in for her second goal of the season. The Tar Heels finished off the scoring at 14:53 of the match. O'Reilly won the ball in the midfield and fed Ramsey who carried the ball deep into the right corner. Ramsey crossed to Tarpley who ran onto the ball and finished from 12 yards out.

Carolina has now posted 10 shutout wins in 12 matches this year. This was Aly Winget's ninth solo shutout performance of the season and her fourth solo shutout in a row.

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Confer Joins FSU As Assistant

Tallahassee, FL - The Florida State Seminole soccer team completed its staff for the 2003 season when head coach Patrick Baker announced the hiring of Robin Confer.

The former National Player of the Year and three-time national champion at North Carolina takes over the assistant coach position that was filled by Samantha Andersch the last two years. Confer brings five years of coaching experience with her to Florida State including the last year as an assistant at Mississippi State. She also returns to her home state as she grew up in Clearwater, FL and played at Central Catholic High School.

"I am very excited to have Robin joining our Florida State soccer staff and
we feel we have landed one of the brightest young female coaches in the
country at this time," said Baker. "She had one of the best youth and
college careers a player could hope for. Robin has played and coached at
the highest levels - she will bring new dimensions to our program. We feel
very fortunate to have attracted someone of her qualities and abilities to
Florida State University and are looking for her to increase our level of
excellence."

Confer was the first assistant at Mississippi State in 2002 under head coach Neil McGuire. While with the Bulldogs, she not only coached and trained players but she served as recruiting coordinator, which put her in position to scout and evaluate players. The Clearwater, FL native also assisted in game strategies, overall team planning and arranged team travel.

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Cary's SAS Stadium Gets
2005 Men's College Cup

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 27) -- The NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee selected Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles to host the 2004 Men's College Cup, and Cary, N.C., and North Carolina State University as host of the 2005 Men's College Cup. The NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet recently approved the sites.

"We are extremely excited with both sites," said Donna DeMarco, chair of the Division I Men's Soccer Committee. "They are state-of-the-art soccer-only facilities and should showcase our event on the highest level."

The 2004 Men's College Cup, which includes two national semifinal matches and the championship game, will be played Dec. 10 and 12 at the brand-new Home Depot Center Soccer Stadium, which is scheduled to open June 1. The Home Depot Center will be the new home of the Los Angeles Galaxy from Major League Soccer. In addition, the College Cup will be the first NCAA championship held at that facility.

The 2004 championship originally was scheduled to be played at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. However, Ford Stadium will be scheduled to support several athletic events during the fall 2004, which will make it difficult to guarantee field conditions suitable to host the Men's College Cup. There also is the possibility that Southern Methodist will be installing a new artificial in-fill surface at Ford Stadium that would require the inlay of yard lines and logos.

The 2005 Men's College Cup, which will be played Dec. 9 and 11, will be held at the SAS Soccer Stadium, currently the home of the Women's United Soccer Association's Carolina Courage. This will also be the site of the 2003 and 2004 Women's College Cup. In addition to North Carolina State, the Capital Area Soccer League and Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau will co-host the event.

Tickets for the 2003 Men's College Cup, which will be held at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 12 and 14, currently are on sale at the Crew Stadium Ticket Office. For information, call the Crew ticket office at 614-447-2739 or toll-free at 877-273-9326.

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Marshall Hires Georgia Assistant

Marshall University has hired Chris Kane, former assistant coach at the University of Georgia, as its new head women's soccer coach.

"We are very excited to have Chris lead the program," associate athletic director/chief of staff Jeff O'Malley said. "He is an energetic and focused individual. We are confident he will do a great job."

Kane replaces Teresa Patterson, who resigned in November. The Marshall women's soccer program finished the 2002 season with a record of 6-9-2 overall and went 3-7-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The program has posted a 35-49-8 record in its five years of existence.

Kane brings an impressive resume to the Thundering Herd including stints at Georgia and Rutgers University. During his three years at Georgia, Kane helped coach the Bulldogs to a 32-26-4 overall record and a 15-11-1 record in the tough Southeastern Conference. He also helped UGA land one of the top rated recruiting classes in the country and post a 13-6-1 record in 2001.

Before his stint at Georgia, Kane was responsible for the day-to-day training activities of the goalkeepers at Rutgers during the 1999 season. Prior to that, Kane was an assistant at his alma mater, LaSalle University, where he took on similar duties.

A native of Philadelphia, Pa., Kane is a 1995 graduate of LaSalle University where he majored in Secondary Education/Social Studies and History. He served as LaSalle's starting goalkeeper from 1990-92.

Kane and his wife Janet welcomed their first child, Brendan, into the world in July.

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NSCAA/adidas National
Coaches of the Year Announced

Two coaching veterans who earned their first NCAA Division I national championships have been named NSCAA/adidas National Coaches of the Year.

Veteran mentor Clive Charles, who has led the University of Portland to the national championship game six times before breaking through this season claimed the women's honor, while UCLA's Tom Fitzgerald, in his first year at the Bruins helm, won the men's award. The honors were announced at the NSCAA Awards Banquet, held in conjunction with the 2003 NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

Peter Fuller, who led the Univesity of Mobile to the NAIA men's national championship, was named NAIA National Coach of the Year.

North Carolina's Rob Wilcher, who led T.C. Roberson to a #1 national prep boys ranking in Division II schools, was a high school national coach of the year. Jack Pickard, girls coach at the Westminster School in Atlanta, GA, was the Division II high school girls Coach of the Year.

Howard Thompson of Durham, N.C. received the girls youth national Coach of the Year award.

The complete list of winners, with information on their 2002 season, follows.
NCAA Division I Men: Tom Fitzgerald, UCLA
In his first year as head coach at UCLA, Fitzgerald became only the third coach in history to claim NCAA national championships in both Division I and Division II. Returning to the college ranks after a stint as head coach of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, he led the Bruins to a record of 18-3-3 and their first Pac-10 Conference championship. A three-time NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year while at the University of Tampa, he earned his first national title in 1994, leading Tampa to a 15-2-1 record. You could say his team was a model of consistency: it faced Stanford three times, including the NCAA championship game. Each time, the Bruins won by a score of 1-0, with all three winning goals coming either late in the match or in overtime.

NCAA Division I Women: Clive Charles, University of Portland
After being so close for so long, Charles and the Portland Pilots finally won their first national championship this year. After a slow start that found them with two losses to open the season, Charles righted the ship and sent his team on a string of 13 games without a loss. Overcoming a loss and a tie in the last two games of the regular season, Portland went on a roll in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 13 goals and shutting out the opponents in the first five games of the tournament. In the championship game, the Pilots faced the team that had last defeated them, Santa Clara, in the last match of their home season. In a hard-fought affair that extended into overtime, sophomore Christine Sinclair notched home the game-winner to touch off the celebration of Portland's long-awaited championship. Clive is unable to be with us this evening - accepting the award on his behalf is his assistant, Garrett Smith.

NCAA Division II Men: Marcus Ziemer Sonoma State College
This year proved to be a breakout one for Ziemer. In his 11 previous years as coach at Sonoma State, he hadn't seen his season victory total surpass 18, and that was in his first season. In 2002, he hit the 20-win mark in grand fashion, claiming the NCAA Division II national championship. His 160 career wins ranks him among the top 20 among all-time Division II coaches. A Sonoma State graduate, this marks the first time he has earned NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors.

NCAA Division II Women: Don Klosterman, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Klosterman has guided a meteoric rise for the Nebraska-Omaha program, taking it to the NCAA championship game in only its fourth season of competition. The No. 2 team in the final NSCAA/adidas national ranking, his Maverick team closed out the 2002 season with a 22-1-0 record, the only blemish coming in a 2-1 loss to Christian Brothers in the championship match. In four years at the UNO helm, he has built a remarkable 68-16 record.

NCAA Division III Men: Dave Brandt Messiah College
In his sixth season at Messiah, Brandt guided his team to its third consecutive NCAA Division III championship game and second title in three years. On the way to a 23-2-1 mark and the No. 1 ranking in the NSCAA/adidas national poll, Brandt's team tied an NCAA record with 18 shutouts. A four-time NSCAA/adidas Regional Coach of the Year, Brandt also won national honors in 2000.

NCAA Division III Women: Bob Barnes, Ohio Wesleyan University
In 2002, Barnes led his team to an unblemished 24-0 record and its second consecutive NCAA Division III title to claim his second consecutive national Coach of the Year award. His team played stifling defense, recording 20 shutouts in the 24 victories, while extending their unbeaten streak to 45 games. In seven seasons at Ohio Wesleyan, he has fashioned a record of 110 wins, 17 losses and one tie while winning the last four North Coast Athletic Conference titles and the last three Great Lakes regional championships.

NAIA Men: Peter Fuller, University of Mobile
Fuller is the only coach to garner NAIA National Coach of the Year honors at two different institutions; first in 1992 with Belhaven College and now twice at the University of Mobile after his previous honor in 1999. With a season record of 16-4-1, he led his team to the national title, just as he did 10 years before at Belhaven. He now holds a career record of 241-72-20 and is certain to see the list of former athletes now playing professionally to grow from its current total of 35.

NAIA Women: Mike Giuliano, Westmont College
Winning national championships is turning into a habit for Giuliano. His team has claimed the NAIA women's title three of the last four years, including the last two. Each time his team has earned the championship, Giuliano has earned NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors. With this year's selection, he joins only seven other coaches in NSCAA history to win three or more National Coach of the Year honors. The others on the list are some of the greats in the game today: Jerry Yeagley, Ray Reid, Anson Dorrance, Brian McManus, Aliceann Wilbur, Michael Russo and Mike Pantalione. None have done it in so short a time. This season Giuliano's team was 20-1-3 despite a schedule that was loaded with nationally-ranked NAIA teams, as well as opponents from all three NCAA levels of competition. His 172 wins in 10 seasons makes him Westmont's all-time career wins leader.

NCCAA Division I Men: Steve Burke, Judson College
Since taking the reigns of Judson's men's soccer program in 1984, Burke has led the Eagles to five NCCAA National Championships (1991, 1992, 1995, 1997 and 2002), 11 NCCAA District/Regional Championships, nine Conference Championships and an NAIA District, Regional and Area Championship. In the 29-year history of the NCCAA Tournament, Judson is the only team to win the title five times. The Eagles have appeared in the NCCAA National Tournament 12 times in Burke's 19-year stint, including nine consecutive appearances from 1991-1999. He has 343 career victories, ranking him third all-time in NAIA play.

NCCAA Division II Men: Josh Beers, Northland Baptist Bible College
Beers led his Northland Baptist Bible College team to its third national championship in his four years as coach and the program's fifth title in six years. The Pioneers posted a record of 18-4, boosting Beers' career mark at Northland Baptist to 56-21-2. Beers is a 1994 graduate of Northland Baptist, he was a two-time All-America in soccer and helped the team to the 1993 national championship. He also was an honorable mention All-America in basketball for the Pioneers.

NCCAA Women: Marty Ziesemer, Western Baptist College
In his seventh season directing Western's women's soccer program, Ziesemer guided his team to the championship game of the NCCAA Tournament, where his Warriors fell to Malone in overtime to end the season with a record of 19-7-1. It marked the third consecutive year that Western has been the NCCAA runner-up. Under his direction, Western Baptist has advanced to the NAIA regional tournament in three of the last four seasons and have fallen just short of cracking the NAIA top 25. Although this is the first time the NSCAA has recognized an NCCAA National Coach of the Year, Ziesemer previously won the honor in 2000.

Junior College Division I Men: Mike Pantalione, Yavapai College
This year Pantalione won his fourth NJCAA national championship, ending the season with a record of 22-2-1 and the No. 1 ranking in the final NSCAA/adidas national poll. The Roughriders never slipped below No. 7 in the nation this year. In the 14 years since he started the school's program, he has built a record of 301 wins, 22 losses and nine ties and has taken this team to the national semifinals 12 times, advancing to the championship game nine times. Mike also was NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1997 and received the NISOA National Merit Honor Award in 1995. He is one of only eight coaches to win NSCAA/adidas National Coach of the Year honors three or more times.

Junior College Division III Men: Sean Worley, Richland College
Worley guided his team to a record of 20-2-0 this season on the way to the junior college Division III national title. Named Coach of the Tournament, he had four players selected to the All-Tournament team. In his seventh season at Richland, he has guided his team to the Region 5 championship each year and earned district runner-up honors three times. He also works with the Dallas Inter Soccer Club and is active in the North Texas ODP program.

Junior College Women: Dennis Grassini, Community College of Rhode Island
Grassini has won NSCAA/adidas Regional Coach of the Year honors three of the four years he as been head coach at CCRI. This year, he earned his first national award by leading his team to a 22-0 record, scoring 125 goals while allowing only 15. The Lady Knights ended the season tied with Long Beach City College for No. 1 in the final NSCAA/adidas national rankings.

High School Girls Private/Parochial: Maureen McVey, St. Joseph's Academy, St. Louis, Mo.
McVey has been coaching St. Joseph's Academy girl's soccer team for 17 years. In that time she has compiled a record of 319-80-31. A five-time Missouri Coach of the Year, she has won NSCAA/adidas Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors five times, including four in the last five years. She also has been recognized as the National Federation High School Coach of the Year and Women's Sports Foundation Coach of the Year. Last spring her team won its fourth Missouri state championship, ending the season with a record of 28-0-1 and the No. 1 spot in the final NSCAA/adidas spring national ranking.

High School Boys Division I: Brian Gibney, Shawnee High School, Medford, N.J.
Gibney's team fell just short of claiming its second consecutive state championship this year, but the results of the season still were impressive. Entering the fall with a unbeaten string of 19 games, the Indians extended that streak to 42 before falling in the state championship game. Along the way, they recorded 21 consecutive wins, posted 12 shutouts and outscored their opponents 77-15 while scoring three or more goals in 15 games and allowing only two multiple-goal games to their opponents.

High School Boys Division II: Rob Wilcher, T.C. Roberson High School, Asheville, N.C.
Wilcher guided his Rams team to an unblemished 28-0 mark last fall, claiming the North Carolina Class 3-A state title and ending the season as the No. 1 team in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings. The Rams outscored their opponents this season by a margin of 170-15. After eight years as the coach at Roberson, Wilcher has built a record of 172-29-8. He has a career coaching record of 300-75-16 in 16 years as a high school coach.

High School Boys Private/Parochial: Mike Davis, Catlin-Gable School, Portland, Ore.
This season Catlin-Gable High School won the first-ever Boys Oregon State Championship for 2A/1A Division schools. Competing against schools in the same division, Davis's team posted a 15-0-0 record, scoring 105 goals and conceding only nine. Against larger 3-A division schools, his team was 1-1-1, scoring four goals and allowing four. The team was undefeated in 10 conference games, outscoring opponents 84-5. Davis was named conference co-coach of the year Oregon 2A/1A coach of the year.

High School Girls Division I: Frank Dixon, Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.
Dixon has been the girls coach at Carmel for 12 years. In that time he has compiled a record of 250-6-14, becoming the winningest soccer coach in Indiana history. A seven-time Indiana Coach of the Year, he has led his teams to eight state championship matches, winning the title seven times. He coached the 2000 NSCAA/adidas High School Girls National Player of the Year in Jamie Fabrizio. This fall, the Greyhounds were undefeated in 25 matches, winning their third consecutive state championship. They held the No. 1 spot in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings from wire to wire, and also won a NSCAA Team Academic Award. Dixon is active in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association, Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association and he serves as a region chairman for two NSCAA committees.

High School Girls Division II: Jack L. Pickard, Westminster School, Atlanta, Ga.
Pickard has been coaching The Westminster School girls soccer team for 22 years. In that time he has compiled a record of 276-68-11, establishing him as the winningest girls' soccer coach in Georgia history. Last spring his team posted a 20-2-2 record and finished ninth in the NSCAA/adidas national rankings. With 14 regional titles and five state championships to his credit, Pickard's teams also have won NSCAA/adidas Team Academic Awards and an NSCAA/adidas All-America selection. He also is involved in his community, working with Soccer in the Streets to help promote the sport among inner-city youth. He also hosts a tournament that has raised more than $2,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

Youth Boys: Chris Apple, Rochester, N.Y.
The coach of the Rochester Jr. Rhinos of the USL's Super-Y League, Apple put together a boys U-15 team that proved to be unstoppable. His boys brought home championships from the Jefferson Cup and the Delco Cup. They represented Region I in the 2002 Snickers US Youth Soccer National Championships and outscored their opponents 11-5 on the way to a 4-0 mark and the U-15 national crown. Apple also serves as the men's coach at his alma mater, the University of Rochester, where he guided his team to a record of 14-4-2 last fall. In six years as a college coach, he has a career record of 46-36-6.

Youth Girls: Howie Thompson, Durham, N.C.
A two-time NSCAA/adidas South Region Coach of the Year, Thompson serves as the administrative director of the Strikers Soccer Club and coaches its '88 Elite girls team. He also is the girls coach at Wakefield Middle School in Raleigh and the boys and girls coach at Southern High School in Durham. Recipient of the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association Sportsmanship Award in 2001, he has been an NSCAA member since 1995 and referees youth and high school matches.

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Six ACC Undergraduates Go Pro

The Atlantic Coast Conference will lose six players who are leaving early to begin professional soccer careers. All six have signed Project-40 contracts, and have made themselves available for the Major League Soccer draft on January 17 in Kansas City, MO.

University of Virginia sophomore junior Alecko Eskandarian, the winner of the collegiate MAC Hermann Trophy, leads a class of 12 players, who have added their names to MLS' Project 40

Virginia and University of North Carolina were the hardest hit schools with each losing two standouts with remaining eligibility. In addition to Eskandarian, U.Va. also lost junior forward\midfielder Jacob LeBlanc

North Carolina said farewell to sophomore defender Logan Pause and junior defender David Stokes, while Wake Forest junior striker Brian Carroll and Clemson junior defender Eric (Ricky) Lewis also departed the college ranks.

D.C. United coach Ray Hudson, with the first pick in next week's draft, has said Eskandarian is too great a talent not to take with the top selection, but United officials are said to have at least continued to entertain offers to trade that pick.

Eskandarian, who scored 25 goals in his junior season, signed with MLS yesterday.

Project-40 players offer not only bright futures, but an additional benefit -- their salaries do not count against the league's $1.7 million per team payroll cap.

Eastern Illinois junior forward Jason Thompson and Furman sophomore Ricardo Clark, a defensive midfielder and the United States under-20 national-team member, also jumped from campus to the professional ranks.

From the U.S. Soccer Federation's under-17 residence program come midfielders Eddie Gaven and Guillermo (Memo) Gonzalez, who turned 16 less than three months ago to become the youngest player ever to sign with MLS. Rounding out the class are U.S. under-20 midfielder Mike Magee and U-18 forward Arturo Alvarez.

Additionally, MLS increased each of its 10 teams' developmental rosters from four to six. These players also do not count against the salary cap and brings each club's active roster to 24 with the senior roster remaining at 18.

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Gregg Repeats As D-II Player of the Year

Missy Gregg, the Christian Brothers Univeresity (TN) scoring machine who refused to let knee injuries slow her productivity, is the first player to earn back-to-back NSCAA/adidas National Player of the Year honors.

Gregg closed her career at CBU with NCAA single-season and career
records for goals scored and points. She is among the seven players
announced as winners of the college awards for NCAA and junior
college play. The NAIA Players of the Year will be announced next
week.

After posting NCAA single-season records for goals (73) and points (156) as a junior, she faced the challenge of coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She responded by ringing up 62 more goals and 131 more points as she carried Christian Brothers to the Division II national title, despite of suffering a partially torn posterior cruciate
ligament in the second round of the post-season.

A two-time Honda Woman of the Year nominee, she recently was named the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. Including her first two years of collegiate play at the University of Dayton, Gregg concludes her career with a total of 180 goals and 394 points, both
NCAA records.

The honorees join Alecko Eskandarian of the University of
Virginia and Aly Wagner of Santa Clara University, the NCAA Division
I Players of the Year who were announced last month as recipients of
the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy.

Joining Gregg as an NCAA Division II honorees from men's play was
Mounir Tajiou, a forward from Southern New Hampshire University.

In NCAA Division III, honors went to Hayden Woodworth, a midfielder from Messiah College, and Leah Cornwell, a goalkeeper from William Smith College.

Selected from the junior college ranks were Jordan McKee, a
defender from Yavapai College for men's Division I; Eric Zegle, a
forward from Dutchess Community College for men's Division III; and
Kim Jents, a forward from Long Beach Community College for women's
play.

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Furman's Clark Goes Project-40

Furman men's soccer standout Ricardo Clark has announced that he will forego his final two seasons of eligibility at Furman University and enter the Major League Soccer Draft.

Clark signed a contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) as
part of MLS' Project-40 program. The MLS SuperDraft will be held on
January 17, at the Kansas City Convention Center beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET as part of the annual NSCAA Convention.

Clark, from Jonesboro, Ga., anchored Furman's midfield over the past two seasons as he scored three goals and recorded four assists for ten points in his career. He was selected to the NSCAA and College Soccer News First Team All-America squads in 2002 and was a first team All-Southern Conference selection and a first team NSCAA All-South region choice as a sophomore.

"I really enjoyed my experience at Furman over the past two seasons,"
said Clark from his home in Jonesboro, Ga. "I feel like I really
developed as a player and I had an opportunity to be a part of two great
teams, especially this year's team that advanced to the Sweet 16. I just
felt like it was time to move on, even though I really enjoyed everything
Furman had to offer, both as a soccer player and as a student."

"I am looking forward to making a career out of soccer," added Clark.
"Hopefully I can prove myself and display my talent on the field. I
think that going to MLS will further my development as a player."

Clark is also a starter on the United States Under-20 National team and
has been in the national team program for a number of years. In addition
to making a splash on the professional soccer scene, Clark also hopes to
further his international playing experience.

He will join with his Under-20 National Team teammates in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., on January 11-14 as part of the adidas MLS Player
Combine. The top 40 seniors in the country have been split into three
teams (East, Central, and West) and those three teams along with the
Under-20's will compete in the three day combine.

"Ricardo has meant a lot to this program over the past two years," said
Furman head coach Doug Allison. "We are obviously going to miss him, but we wish him the best as he continues his soccer career at the next level." The combine will be the final chance for players to compete in front of MLS coaches and scouts.

Clark, who did have some options overseas, chose to stay in the United
States to compete with MLS and its Project-40 program.

Members of the Project-40 team train together and travel overseas
together to compete and train. It's members are each on a respective
Major League Soccer team's roster and are full members of those teams.
Another benefit of the Project-40 program, geared towards underclassmen who turn pro before graduation and high school seniors who elect not to go to college, is that MLS will pay tuition costs for those players who desire to complete their college education.

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