Schedule/Scores | Team Roster | Statistics | Game Photos
Past Season Photos | Head Coach
2006-07 Season Highlights
Arcadia Men’s Soccer Duo Trade in Scarlet and Grey for Red, White and Blue
Glenside, PA: 6/5/08 - On August 8th sports enthusiast will once again have their chance to cheer on the United States most elite athletes as they compete and sweat in the their team USA uniforms at the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, CHINA. However, in just a few days, two members of Arcadia University’s Men’s Soccer program will have their own chance to don the red white and blue, only not as Olympiads in Beijing, but as distinguished members of the USA Athletes International team competing in Barbados.
Matt Benner Jeff Kratohwill
Senior Matthew Benner (Souderton Area High School/Telford, PA) a two-time all conference forward and captain on the Knights’ team and starting goal keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen High School/Pennsburg, PA) a junior all-conference player, have been invited to represent their country as members of the 2008 USA Athletes International men’s soccer squad.
The Barbados Football Association has selected USA Athletes International (USAAI) as the sponsoring organization to represent the United States in the 2008 Barbados versus USA Challenge from June 7 through June 13. Established in 1991, USA Athletes International is a non-profit organization dedicated to giving amateur athletes an opportunity to foster international goodwill and friendship among nations, while also promoting the game.
For Benner and Kratohwill, they cannot think of a higher honor than representing their county playing the game they love. “Being part of this team is a tremendous honor and I’m very thankful for such an opportunity,” Benner exclaims. “I’ve always taken pride in the teams I play for and who I represent. I’m really looking forward to building friendships with the players and coaches and experiencing a different culture than my own. I don’t know a whole lot about Barbados, but I’m excited to see all that the country has to offer.” For Kratohwill, the opportunity to play at a higher level is most appealing. “Matt and I will be playing alongside a few well known college players we have competed against at Arcadia but we are also looking forward to the high level of competition and the atmosphere that is established in such an elite level of play,” he adds.
Earlier this year, the US World Cup Team played the same Barbados squad and won 3-0. Playing a three game series in Barbados National Stadium, all three contests will be televised throughout the island. This year’s 18-man squad will be headed by Lycoming College head coach Scott Kennel, the 2007 Commonwealth Conference coach of the year. The Knights, who move from the Freedom to the Commonwealth Conference this fall, will be plenty familiar with Kennel come October 4 when they travel to Lycoming for their Commonwealth Conference opener.
Until then, Benner and Kratohwill will be playing with many of their soon-to-be opponents as the USAAI roster features student-athletes from Elizabethtown and Washington College to name a few. “It will be a lot of fun to share stories and reconnect during the upcoming season,” Benner adds, “but I’ll definitely want to beat them!”
.jpg "MBenner")
When asked about how each will relate this experience to playing for the Knights, both young men see the connection to building their own skills not only as soccer players but leaders. “One distinctive tool that I would like to bring back to the team is a way to build the level of intensity that we will need competing in the Commonwealth Conference against a national powerhouse program such as Messiah,” Kratohwill reveals. “Winning the conference title my freshman year and playing into the second round of NCAA’s (where the Knights lost 3-0 to Messiah, the eventual national champions) was an early taste of success and, aside from it’s academic reputation, definitely justified my decision to attend Arcadia. I want to help my team experience that same success again.”
For Benner, he sees the level of competition in Barbados paying dividends when the regular season rolls around in late August. “Playing for USAAI will give me more confidence in my leadership abilities and I’m eager to see how the coaching staff and my teammates handle the different situations that we will face and then put them into practice with my Arcadia teammates.”
Both young men have been playing soccer since early childhood and have since formed lifetime friendships with their Arcadia teammates. And although this is not their first international experience- both men traveled with the London Preview program for first year Arcadia students while Benner just returned from having studied abroad in Italy during the Spring 2008 semester- Arcadia head coach Derrick Ayers sees the uniqueness in this opportunity. “Most college student-athletes don’t get to experience international play and because Matt and Jeff are very competitive and hard working by nature, and consistently play a high level of Division III soccer, they should fit in well with this team,” states Ayers.
The duo aren’t the first Arcadia student-athletes to be selected to a USA Athletes International squad. During the summer of 2002, Class of 2005 field hockey standouts Michelle Basciani, Jess Zbyszinski and Steph Smolinsky traveled to Barbados where they competed against teams from England, Scotland and the host country. Also, Arcadia Softball student-athletes Maggie Culp and Teresa MaGrann ’02 competed in the Robur ’58 Series in Apledoorn, Holland during their undergraduate careers.
Both players are quick to reveal their passion for soccer and their dedication to the Arcadia program. “I always wanted to play for a top-level college program,” admits Benner, “but it had to be the right fit. I wanted a good education, a good soccer team and the right environment; Arcadia has all of that. It is because of those reasons that I have grown as a better student, a more vocal leader and more confident in my abilities both on and off the field.”
“Coupled with the academic opportunities, the tradition of soccer at Arcadia is unmatched,” Kratohwill discloses, “and with multiple conference championships, NCAA appearances and a highly distinctive home field in the center of campus, my decision to attend Arcadia was pretty easy. I would like to take my soccer career as far as I can after college. I hope that this experience only helps me play at an even higher level.”
While in Barbados the team will have the opportunity to swim with turtles off the coast of Bridgetown in the Caribbean Sea, sail on a catamaran, take a cruise on a pirate ship and snorkel at a shipwreck. And before competition even begins, the squad will help teach a clinic for the children of the island, sharing the game they love with those that aspire to become players some day.
“This trip will do much more than provide a great soccer experience,” Benner says. “We have the opportunity to experience a different culture, make new friends and teach the game we love.” Benner hopes to use his multiple international experiences while a student at Arcadia in his future career as a history teacher, while Kratohwill, who majors in political science, is very appreciative of this experience and sees his hard work and training efforts as catalyst for this once and a lifetime opportunity. With both players taking advantage of international travel as undergraduate students, it is evident that their career as student-athletes will come full circle with this international trip representing Arcadia University and the United States on the soccer field.
The two depart for Barbados on June 4th and return seven days later where they will continue to compete in the sport as members of the Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase Under 23 team, the Phoenix SC. The Arcadia Men’s Soccer season commences August 29 at Misericordia University.
Plunkett, Benner Earn First Team Freedom Nods
Anneville, PA - 11/7/07: Senior back Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ) and junior forward Matt Benner (Souderton/Telford, PA) have been selected to the 2007 First Team All Freedom Conference, announced by the conference office this morning.
This year's first team selections come off the heals of last season First Team All PAC nods for both players. The two combinied for 27 points this season. Benner chimed in with five goals and an assist, including a hat trick in their first Freedom Conference win, 4-1 at Delaware Valley on October 10th. Plunkett added seven goals and two helpers, including scoring Arcadia's final two goals of the season at Wilkes and five goals in their final three games of the season.
.jpg "Andrew Plunkett")
Plunkett '08 Benner '09
Both players started all 16 of Arcadia's games this season and helped in settling in a very youthful squad that included 14 first year players. While Plunkett concludes his collegiate playing career, Benner will return as a senior captain when the teams makes their second conference transition in two years, joining the Commonwealth Conference in 2008.
By the numbers, Plunkett made 77 appearances for Arcadia, scoring 16 goals and adding 7 assists for 39 total career points. Benner has made 56 appearances to date and has notched 16 goals and 12 assists for 44 points.
Colonels Need Extra Minutes to Conclude Knights Season, Plunkett's Career
Wilkes-Barre, PA - 10/28/07: [Results] Courtesy of Wilkes Sports Information - Wilkes University rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-2 overtime win over Arcadia University in a Freedom Conference men’s soccer match on Sunday at Ralston Field.
Arcadia concluded their year with an overall record of 2-14-2 and a conference record of 1-5. The win improved the Colonels to 11-6-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference. Wilkes will carry a five-match winning streak into the post-season. The Colonels, who are the number-two seed, will host third-seeded King’s College on Wednesday at a time to be determined. Arcadia concluded their year with an overall record of 2-14-2 and a conference record of 1-5.
Andrew Plunkett made one last statement in the final game of his collegiate career as he lifted the Knights to a 2-0 lead. The senior put the Knights on top at 21:15 of the first half when he scored off a Joe Clementi assist and also knocked home the second goal for Arcadia, this one coming at 56:15 of the second stanza off a Matt Nowicki assist to make it 2-0.
Wilkes began their comeback with 19:53 remaining when Sean Vona converted a penalty kick following an Arcadia foul in the box.
The Colonels forced overtime when Andy Curry struck net off an assist from Sean Vona with just 3:13 left in regulation.
The game-winning goal came at the 96:10 mark of overtime when Jonathan Kushner took a pass from Curry and delivered a shot into the back of the net to give Wilkes the win.
The Colonels had a 21-7 shots advantage and an 8-3 edge in corner kicks. TJ Baloga finished with three saves in goal for Wilkes. Jeff Kratohwill had two saves and Kevin Gallagher had four stops in net for Arcadia.
FDU Escapes with 2-1 Win Over Knights
Glenside, PA - 10/25/07: [Results] Arcadia Men's Soccer stepped up the tempo in the remaining ten minutes of play but an insurance marker by FDU and goal post prevented the Knights from forcing extra minutes as the Red Devils of FDU-Florham escaped with a 2-1 win in Freedom Conference men's soccer action this afternoon in Glenside.
The win gives the Red Devils (8-6-3/2-1-2) a berth in the conference tournament while Arcadia (2-13-2/1-4) will miss an opportunity at post-season play with on emore game to go at Wilkes this Saturday.
FDU sophomore foward Alex Malcom put the Red Devils on the board first at 30:05 into the first half with the assist to senior forward Mike Konopka. The next fifty minutes remained scoreless with much of the offense coming complements of Arcadia as the Knights more than doubled upon shots with 13 to FDU's 6 on the game. But a miscommunication in front of sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill resulted in an FDU score as first year forward Kyle Mecham played a ball across the goalmouth to Malcom who send the ball back across into the far side of the goal for a 2-0 FDU lead.
After an unlucky score attempt from first year Matt Nowicki Arcadia that found the right goal post, he pounced on a rebound from a Matt Benner shot on goal and send the ball back into the twine past FDU keeper Kevin Herbert to put the Knights on the board at 85:38 putting them to within one.
A controversial whistle with under a minute remaining came on an Arcadia scoring chance with the numbers in favor of the Knights as FDU recovered the ball and held possession for the remainder of the period to escape with a 2-1 win.
Kratohwill made 2 saves in the affair while his counterpart Herbert turned aside 5. Benner led the Knight's offense with 4 shot attempts, while Nowicki and Andrew Plunkett put up four apeice.
Plunkett's Goals Not Enough in 4-2 Loss to King's
Glenside, PA - 10/20/07: [Results] Senior Andrew Plunkett opened and closed the scoring but four unaswered goals from King's College proved to be the difference in the Knight's 4-2 Freedom Conference loss this afternoon in Glenside. Arcadia dropped to 2-12-2 overall and 1-3 in league play with the Monarchs improving to 7-7-2/3-1 Freedom.
Plunkett send home a Matt Benner through ball 11:33 into the game, giving the Knights the early 1-0 lead, but the Monarchs needed only two minutes to answer when Ryan Murphy's free kick was deflected home by Cameron Audette for the game tying goal. Grant Parsons knocked in a rebound off the crossbar to give King's the go-ahead at 35:42 before Murphy pushed the ball past Knight keeper Jeff Kratohwill in the 40th minute to give the Monarchs a 3-1 halftime edge.
The second played on with King's holding onto their 3-1 edge until the 85th minute as Murphy took a through ball from Audette on an odd-man rush and found the twine for a 4-1 Monarchs lead. While Plunkett made good on a penalty kick just two miutes later to cut the Monarch's lead to 4-2, the Knights were contained by King's as they tried to generate some last minute scoring opportunities before running out of time.
Arcadia out-shot the Monarchs 16-8 while King's held a slight corner advantage 7-5. Kratohwill made one stop in net while his counterpart John McNicol stopped 6 shots with help from his defenese on 2 team stops. The Knights host FDU next on Oct. 25 at 3:30 PM.
Andrew Plunkett was honored in today’s pre-game ceremonies. To date, the senior captain has totaled 14 goals, including 4 game winners, 7 assists for 35 points. He has missed just 5 games, playing 75 with 73 starts. His single season high came last year with 14 points, including the assist on the game winner with under a minute in regulation helping the Knights to their fourth PAC championship in a 1-0 win over Alvernia. He finished this afternoon's game with two goals, his 4th and 5th of the season.
Plunkett's Career Highlights
2006
D3 Kicks All-Regional Mid-Atlantic 1st Team Selection
NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All Region First Team
1st Team All PAC
Set up game winner with under a minute in regulation to give Knights their 4th PAC Championship in 1-0 win over Alvernia
2005
PAC All Academic Team
2004
All PAC Honorable Mention
PAC Tournament MVP
Scored the game winner with 12 minutes to play in 2-1 win over Wesley for the Knights third PAC Championship
Benner, Plunkett Lead Knights to 3-1 Win over Griffins
Gwynedd Valley, PA - 10/17/07: [Results] Arcadia’s Matt Benner scored twice and Andrew Plunkett added a late penalty shot to help the Knight’s hold off Gwynedd-Mercy, 3-1, Wednesday afternoon in a non-league game.
Benner put the Knights (2-11-2) on the board in the 19th minute with a shot just inside the box to the left corner. First year Matt Nowicki layed the ball off for Benner for the assist. Benner struck again in the 51st minute with a solid strike from about 20 yards out for his team leading fifth goal of the year.
Pat Smith scored for the Griffins (3-9-4) who are now winless in their last five contests.
Gwynedd looked to score again in the 65th minute as they were awarded a penalty kick but first year Joe Chilutti’s shot was just wide left of Knight first year keeper Kevin Gallagher. Gallagher turned aside one Griffin shot in 45 minutes in goal. Sophomore Jeff Kratohwill started the contest for Arcadia, playing the first half.
Arcadia tacked on an insurance goal in the 82nd minute as Andrew Plunkett converted on a penalty shot for his third goal of the season.
For the game, the Griffins outshot the Knights, 14-6.
Arcadia returns to action this weekend as they host Freedom Conference opponent King's College at 3 PM in Glenside.
Benner's Hat Trick in Team's First Win Earns him Knight of the Week Honors
The top returning scorer from 2006 has drawn multiple defenders this season everytime he touches the ball, and while being held quiet for much of this season, Matt Benner (Souderton/Telford, PA) erupted for a hat-trick in the team's long awaited first win of the season last week, a 4-1 win over Freedom Conference opponent Delaware Valley College.
Benner '09
The win marked the team's historic first win as new members of the MASCAC Freedom Conference. Co-captaining the squad, along with last week's Knight of the Week, Andrew Plunkett, Benner leads the youth-filled team in soring with 8 points on the year. In 2006, Benner was tabbed 1st Team All PAC and 1st Team All Regional-Mid Atlantic (D3Kicks).
Valients Quiet Knights 2-0
Purchase, NY: [Results] The Arcadia men's soccer team put the pressure on Manhattanville keeper Jason Torres, but couldn't solve him, as the Valiants notched a 2-0 victory over the Knights Saturday afternoon in Freedom Conference men's soccer action in Purchase, NY.
Junior Matt Benner sent three shots Torres' way, and one each by first year Joe Clementi and senior Andrew Plunkett, but Torres was solid, keeping the Knights off the board for the entire 90 minutes.
The Valiants came at Knight sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill early and often as Manhattanville out shot Arcadia 18-7. Mitchel Ghiggia forced the Knights to play catch up when he gave the Valiants the early lead off a pass from Anthony Ferraro in the 25th minute.
The score remained 1-0 until the 88th minute, when a Valiant rush resulted in few chances, including a shot that was stopped by the Knight defense, but Odinga Andenga recovered a rebound and glided the ball over the goal line to put the game out of reach for Arcadia.
The win was the first Freedom Conference victory in program history for Manhattanville. Arcadia's first came earlier in the week in a 4-1 road win at Delaware Valley. The Valiants improve to 4-8-1, 1-1-0 Freedom while the Knights will look to build upon their 1-11-2, 1-2 Freedom record when they travel to nearby rival Gwynedd-Mercy College in a non-conference battle.
Arcadia will return to conference action with a two game home stand Oct. 20 with King's and Oct. 25 with FDU-Florham before traveling up the turnpike to square off against Wilkes University on Oct. 27.
Benner, Toomey Give Knights First Win
Doylestown, PA - 10/10/07: [Results] Arcadia Men's Soccer notched their long-awaited first win of the season this afternoon, topping Freedom opponent Delaware Valley College 4-1 to pull even in the conference standings at 1-1. The Knights (1-10-2/1-1) got three goals from Matt Benner, his first three of the season, and the game-winner from Jon Toomey just eight minutes in to the second half to hand the Aggies (2-12/0-2) their second conference loss in as many tries.
Benner opened the scoring in the 41st minute with the assist credited to Andrew Plunkett, his first of two helpers on the day. Just two minutes later, the Aggies retaliated with the game-tying mark from Matt Dias to keep the game at a stalemate at the half.
In the 53rd minute the Knights were awarded a corner attempt but needed the second chance to convert on the go-ahead goal as Toomey recovered the ball 20 yards out and send a shot in past Aggies keeper Nick D'Amato, giving the Knights the 2-1 lead. Although it would stand as the eventual game-winner, Plunkett and Benner connected again in the 64th minute with Benner pouncing a through ball from Plunkett that found it's way into the net for the 3-1 lead.
The Knights added an extra insurance marker with just under 10 minutes to play. Benner stepped up for a penalty shot that D'Amato pushed away off the cross bar, but send home the rebound to seal the 4-1 win.
Arcadia outshot the Aggies 14-4 with sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill making 2 stops in his first win of the year. The win pins the Knights in a tie for 4th place in the Freedom standings. They will travel to Mahantanville College this Saturday for their next conference match-up.
Live Stats Available for Saturday's Freedom Conference Match-up with Mahattanville
Link to Live Gametime Stats
Plunkett Earns Knight of the Week Honors
Consistently one of the best players in the Mid Atlantic Region during his career, senior Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ), leads by example and can play practically any position on the field. Each contest this season he is man-marked and often double teamed even when the Knights are without ball possession. His two goals this season came when Arcadia needed them most. His first came off a header that tied the score at 1-1 with Neumann in a game the ended in a 2-2 draw. His second came just over two minutes into the game with Rutgers-Camden to give the Knights the early lead in a 5-3 loss for Arcadia.
Plunkett '08
DeSales Squeaks Past Arcadia in Freedom Opener
Glenside, PA - 10/06/07: [Results] Junior forward German Reyes lofted a ball past Arcadia keeper Jeff Kratohwill with 15 minutes remaining in the game to help lift DeSales University (4-8-1 / 1-0) past the Knights of Arcadia (0-10-2 / 0-1) 1-0 in today's Freedom Conference men's soccer opening match.
The fast-paced, physical game saw both teams make decent offensive efforts but defensive remained tight throughout as the game remained scoreless until Reyes's goal put the Bulldogs on top 1-0.
Arcadia did have an early second half goal called back on an offsides call, that perhaps would have turned the tables around for the Knights.
Bulldog keeper Kevin Lawrence made 3 saves in the pipes for DeSales while Kratohwill stopped 4.
Arcadia will travel to Delaware Valley College on October 10 for their next Freedom match.
Offensive Spark Highlights 5-3 Men's Soccer loss to Rutgers-Camden University
Glenside, PA -10/03/07: [Results] Arcadia University netted the game's first goal two minutes into the opening half and added two more throughout the contest but Rutgers-Camden forward Andrew Dorsey scored three of his own in a five goal game for the Scarlett Knights who went onto defeat Arcadia 5-3 in non-conference play.
Arcadia's Andrew Plunkett put the Knights up 1-0 early with an unassisted mark at 2:39 but RCU forward Dorsey evened things up at 1-1 with his own unassisted tally at 9:13, the first of his three scores on the day. Play continued with the score tied until 30:54 as Arcadia first year Matt Nowicki beat RCU keeper Brent Grunow to give the Knights the 2-1 lead that stood through halftime and into the final stanza.
RCU opened the offensive game up, scoring three straight goals in an eight minute span, to tie the game and gain a two goal edge with less twenty minutes remaining. With the score 4-2, first years Jeremie Sumpman and George Andriko connected at 78:52 with Andriko's first goal of the season and his collegiate career, putting the Knights within one of the tie but RCU added an insurance tally at 81:59 which stood as the final goal of the game sealing the 5-3 RCU win.
Rutgers-Camden improves to 7-5-1 behind the play of netminder Brent Grunow, who made 3 saves while the Knights fall to 0-9-2. Arcadia keeper Jeff Kratohwill stopped 11 RCU attempts in the loss.
The Knights will open Freedom Conference play this Saturday at home against DeSales University at 3 PM.
Elizabethtown 2-0 Over Knights
Elizabethtown, PA - 9/29/07 Courtesty of Etown Sports Information: [Results] Elizabethtown senior George Severini scored two second-half goals as Elizabethtown College defeated Arcadia University 2-0 in non-conference men's soccer action at Ira R. Herr Field on Saturday night.
Severini, who leads the Blue Jays with nine goals this season, scored both of his goals in a span of four minutes as the Blue Jays (8-2-0 overall) picked up their seventh home victory without a loss this season and extended their overall home winning streak to 10 matches dating to last season. The Knights drop to 0-8-2 overall.
Severini gave Elizabethtown a 1-0 lead with 27:54 remaining as he flicked home a served ball by junior Bryan Holt. Just four minutes later, Severini gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 advantage as he fired home a rebound of a shot by senior Brian Raveling with Holt also earning an assist on the goal with 23:55 to go.
The Blue Jays finished with a 15-6 edge in shots over the Knights and a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Junior Jeff Mullen made two saves in goal for the Blue Jays, including a sensational stop on a shot by Arcadia's Matt Benner with 5:21 remaining in the contest. Jeff Kratohwill made seven saves in goal for the Knights who host Rutgers-Camden at home on Wednesday at 4 PM.
Philadelphia Bible Doubles Up on Men's Soccer
Langhorne, PA - 9/26/07: [Results] Philadelphia Bible's Derek Mosley nothced a natural hat trick to give the Crimson Eagles the 4-2 win over the Knights of Arcadia University Tuesday afternoon in Langhorne. The loss drops the Knights back to 0-7-2 while the Crimson Eagles improve to 5-3-1.
Mosely opened the scoring at 23:35 on a corner kick from Daniel Schlegel to give the Crimson Eagles the early 1-0 advantage, which stood for nearly twenty-five miutes until the two connected again at 48:33. In the 58th minute Mosely sent a Jeremy Dunham pass into the back of the net to give his team the 3-0 lead until Arcadia's Jeremie Sumpman scored from a Chris Lewandowski pass at 60:01, cutting the lead to 3-1.
The home team was awared a penatly kick at 68:27 and Andy Miller made good on it, pushing the Crimson Eagle's lead to 4-1. Joe Clementi added Arcadia's second goal at 75:16, from Matt Benner but the Knights couldn't get any closer as the game ended 4-2 in favor of Philadelphia Bible.
Keeper Jeff Kratohwill made two saves for the Knights, while the team was credited with a defensive save. Andy Ecker made 3 saves for the Crimson Eagles.
Arcadia held the slim advantage in shots 18-16 but the home team led in corner attempts 4-3.
The men are off until this weekend when they visit Elizabethtown College.
Men's Soccer Fall 2-1 at Villa Julie
Stevenson, MD - 9/22/07 (Courtesy of VJC Sports Information): [Results] The Mustangs of Villa Julie College were able to secure a 2-1 victory Saturday over visiting Arcadia University bringing their record to 3-4-0 for the season as the Knights drop to 0-6-2 on the year.
Arcadia first year Jeremie Sumpman scored unassisted in the 27th minute and held a 1-0 lead at halftime but the Mustangs came back with two second half goals.
Ryan Payne headed the ball into the back of the net off an assist from Scott Andrzejewski in the 57th minute. Then in the 62nd minute Andrzejewski fed the ball to Kim Myrick who carried the ball upfield and fired a cross to Brent Woolford. Woodford headed the ball past Arcadia goalkeeper Jeff Kratohwill to bring the Mustang's lead to 2-1.
The Knights are left still in search of win number one of the season. They travel to nearby Philadelphia Bible on Tuesday for a 4 PM non-conference match-up.
Knights Blanked 6-0 by No.11 Steven's Tech
Hoboken, N.J. -9/20/07 (Courtes of Steven's Teck Sports Information): [Results] Sophomore forward Terrance Johnson (Slidell, La.) and sophomore midfielder Al Lockhart (Decatur, Ga.) each collected a pair of tallies on Thursday night at the De Baun Athletic Complex as the No. 11 Stevens Institute of Technology men’s soccer team defeated Arcadia University by a count of 6-0. With the win, the Ducks improve to 5-0-2 on the year, while the Knights drop to 0-5-2.
Stevens, who out-shot Arcadia by a 41-2 count on the evening, struck first in the sixth-minute when Johnson put a shot into the back of the net off a turnover on an attempted goal kick by Knights’ goaltender Jeff Kratohwill (Pennsburg, Pa.). Three minutes later, junior midfielder Jeremy Lippel (West Orange, N.J.) gave the Ducks a 2-0 advantage as he scored on a free kick that bounced off a wall of defenders and found its way into the right side of the cage. Soon after, Lockhart added to the lead when he punched a ball from the close right-wing into the left corner of the net.
Then, in the 46th-minute, Lockhart registered his second goal of the game on a rebound attempt. Senior forward Mike Kaiser (Roy, Utah) was credited with the assist. Ten minutes later, Johnson punched home is second score of the contest after Lippel took a shot that struck the crossbar. Stevens capped off the scoring in the 80th-minute when junior forward Harry Papademas (Montville, N.J.) placed a ball into the right side of the net off a cross-pass from junior forward Erick Muse (Candia, N.H.).
Kratohwill and first-year keeper Kevin Gallagher (Haddon Heights, N.J.) accumulated a game-high eight saves for the Knights, while Ducks’ freshman goalies Zach Carr (Carmel, Ind.) and Sam Callari (Bridgewater, N.J.) each recorded time in net to combine for the shutout. Stevens held a 7-0 edge in corner kicks.
Knights Trade Goals, Settle for Draw with Neumann
Glenside, PA- 9/15/07: [Results] Arcadia Men's Soccer fell behind Saturday afternoon to former PAC rival Neumann College, eventually settling for a 2-2 draw after two overtime periods failed to yeild a winner. Arcadia stands at 0-4-2 on the year while Neumann slips to 3-1-2.
Neumann's Daniel Perez put the visitors on the board 38:50 into the game when a through ball from Barey Harvey made it's way to Perez who beat Arcadia keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) to the corner. The Knights answered with a goal of their own at 50:09 when senior co-captain Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ) headed a corner attempt home to knot the game at 1-1.
Neumann went up a goal at 53:14 as Jesse Urguhorf made good on a goal kick 18 yards out that beat Kratohwill to the opposite corner before two first years connected for Arcadia with under four minutes to play to send the game into overtime. George Andriko (Moravian Academy/Bethlehem, PA) send a cross into the goal mouth that found the head of Matt Nowicki (Fallston High/Forest Hills, MD) beating Neumann keeper Zachary Ratliff at 85:41.
Two overtime periods failed to bring about a winner and so Arcadia will look to Thursday's matchup at Stevens Tech for their first win of the season.
Kratohwill Highlights 4-0 Loss to #1 York
YORK, PA - (Courtesy of York Sports Information) [ Results]The #1 seeded team in Division III men's soccer,York College, held Arcadia to 2 shots on goal as they put together a 4-0 win giving Arcadia their fourth loss of the season as York remains a perfect 5-0. Today's win mark York's 45 consecutive games. Arcadia drops to 0-4-1 for 2007.
From the opening whistle it was apparent that Arcadia was set on playing a defensive-minded match. The Knights put ten players on their side of the pitch hoping that sheer numbers would stymie the potent Spartan attack. Even against this set-up York combined well during the opening minutes, but were simply either unable to connect that final pass or thwarted off by Knight sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA).
York did have difficulty in getting quality shots on target until they tallied in the 27th and 30th minutes. Heading into the halftime break, the Spartans held a big margin in shots at 11-1 while also leading in corners 3-1.
Three Spartans combined for the third score in the 54th minute and finished in the 86th off a one-timer that caromed off Kratohwill and right back to York's Mike O'Connell who headed it home sealing the shutout win.
Kratohwill played an exceptional match in net turning away nine Spartan attempts in addition to cutting off numerous crosses and dangerouse chances.
The Knights play at home Saturday, Sept 15 against Neumann College at 1 PM.
Knights Drop 1-0 Non-Conference Match to Washington College
Chestertown, MD – 9/8/07: [Results] The Shoreman of Washington College (MD) held onto a 1-0 lead and shutdown the Arcadia offense for the final 12:19 of the game to secure the 1-0 win over the visiting Knights in non-conference men’s soccer action Saturday evening.
Shoreman senior Gabe Dopazo scored the game's only goal as Washington College evened their record at 2-2, while the Knights slipped to 0-3-1.
Dopazo put the Shoremen on the board when he scored off a cross from senior midfielder Frank Borelli at 26:00.
Each team got off five shots in the opening half as the Shoremen took a 1-0 lead into the break.
Arcadia held a 6-4 edge in shots in the second half, but did not get off a shot for the final 12:19 of the game. In the closing seconds of the game, Arcadia senior Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ) sent a pass from midfield deep into the box, but Washington senior goalkeeper Marc Petrucci came out to pluck the ball out of the air before an Arcadia player could get to it for a final shot.
Petrucci tallied six saves in the shutout win, raising his save percentage on the year to .946. Sophomore Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) made four saves for the Knights in the loss.
The Knights will visit undefeated and #1 ranked (D3Kicks) York College on Wednesday, September 12.
Knights Home Opener Ends in Scoreless Tie
Glenside, PA - 9/5/07: [Results] Arcadia Men's Soccer battled non-conference opponent Swarthmore College to a 0-0 double overtime draw this afternoon in Glenside.
While the visiting Garnet outshot the Knights 25-9, junior Matt Benner (Souderton/Telford, PA) nearly ended the second sudden death period as he dribbled in on Garnet keeper Ryan Sutcliffe and drilled a shot that made it's way into the rushing keeper's mid-section. Benner's five shots led the Knights who saw six first year players in the starting line-up for the home opener.
Sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) made 15 saves in goal and saw his GAA improve to 1.35.
Arcadia travels to Washington College this Saturday.
Knights Open Season with Two Losses on the Road
Carlisle, PA - 9/2/07: [Results-FDU / Results-DC] Arcadia University Men's Soccer opened the 2007 campaign 0-2 following two tough weekend losses at the Dickinson College Invitational this weekend in Carlisle. The Knights dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the opening game against Franklin & Marshall College where the game's only goal came at 56:50 off a counter-attack from FDU's Ryan McGonigle.
On Sunday, the Knights battled host Dickinson College where they failed to post a goal, allowing two Dickinson goals in both the first and second halves for the 4-0 loss.
The Knights were outshot 24-10 on the weekend, with four shots on goal coming from senior co-captain Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ). Sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) played 155:46 minutes in goal, allowing four goals while making 18 stops. First year keeper Kevin Gallagher (Haddon Heights/Haddon Heights, NJ) debuted with 24:14 minutes in goal, allowing one past with one save.
Arcadia (0-2) hosts non-conference Swarthmore College this Wednesday at 4 PM in Glenside where they will look for their first win of the season.
Arcadia University Men's Soccer 2007 Season Preview
Glenside, PA - 8/30/07: With a number of seasoned players lost to graduation, the 2006 PAC Men's Soccer Champions head into the their first year of Freedom Conference play with over a dozen new players and some key returnees with the same goal in mind – a conference championship and trip to the NCAA tournament.
The 2006 version of the Knights claimed their fourth PAC title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament where they dropped a 3-0 loss to the eventual DIII champion Messiah College. The season was highlighted by a first round overtime win against Franklin & Marshall, the all-time assists record broken by Matt Abate '07, 8 players that saturated the All Conference teams and three named All Regional.
“I think the biggest challenge will be getting used to having so many new players on the field, “reveals second year head coach Derrick Ayers.” We have some very talented guys, and it will be interesting to see how they mesh through the course of the season. The sooner things start to click for them the more successful we will be.”
With the success of the Men’s Soccer program over the past few years, there is no doubt that the returning players and new players are here to compete for a conference championship. “If we work hard and have some good luck then hopefully we can put ourselves into a position to compete for the Freedom title,” Ayers states.
The incoming class is quite talented and several of the freshmen will be expected to make a significant contribution right away. With 16 new players the team has considerably more depth than last year when they had to rely on using very few subs each game. This year the Knights should be able to bring in fresh players off the bench without a real drop off in the level of play.
Senior defender Andrew Plunkett (Brick Memorial/Brick, NJ) and junior Matt Benner (Souderton/Telford, PA) return as D3Kicks All Regional team selections, and the pair, combined with sophomore keeper Jeff Kratohwill (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) received All PAC honors as well in 2006. “I expect Plunkett, Benner and Kratohwill to lead the way for the younger guys this year. They have all played in some very big games in their careers and haven given very good performances. I’m also hoping that Cianni, Sypolt, Coller and Toomey can build on where they were last year.” Sophomores Greg Cianni (Upper Perkiomen/Barto, PA) and Jon Toomey (Upper Perkiomen/Pennsburg, PA) and juniors Dan Sypolt (Hershey High School/Hershey, PA) and Shawn Coller (Cinnaminson/Cinnaminson, NJ) combined for 12 points in 2006 and will be expected to help hold down the midfield and back field in front of Kratohwill this season.
|
QUICK NOTES
2006 Overall Record: 12-4-5 *NCAA 2nd Round
2006 PAC Record: 7-0-2 *PAC Champions
2006 Freedom Conference Champions: DeSales University
Head Coach: Derrick Ayers
Assistant Coach: Billy Cress
Home Field: Kuch Center Field, Glenside, PA
Affiliations: MASCAC – Freedom, NCAA Division III
|
“Our schedule is very tough,” reveals Ayers. “We play five teams that were in the NCAA tournament last year, starting with Franklin & Marshall on September 1. We also face York, Steven’s Tech, Elizabethtown, out of conference and on the road, and defending Freedom Conference champions DeSales in conference play at home. In addition to those teams we play Rutgers-Camden and Swarthmore who were both ranked highly in their respective regions last year. I hope that our early schedule will prepare us for conference play, and then if we earn a trip to the NCAA tournament, our early season games will prepare for those tournament games.”
The team opens up the 2007 season this weekend with an away tournament at Dickinson where they will face Franklin & Marshall on Saturday and the host school on Sunday. Home play opens on September 5th against non-conference Swarthmore College with Freedom Conference play starts at home on October 6th with defending Freedom Conference champions DeSales University visiting Glenside.
Knights Selected Third in Freedom Conference Pre-Season Coaches Poll
Annville, PA – 8/20/07 Coutesy of the MASCAC: The Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference - Freedom Conference announced the 2008 Pre-Season Coaches Poll, pinning first year member Arcadia University, third behind 2007 Freedom Conference champions DeSales University and 2007 semi-finalist Wilkes University. DeSales has been named as the favorite to win the Freedom Conference championship for a third straight time in a pre-season poll of conference coaches. DeSales received six first place votes and a total of 43 points.
The Bulldogs finished 13-5-3 (5-2) in 2006. Winning the Freedom Conference tournament last season, DeSales went on to lose to eventual national champion Messiah in the NCAA Tournament.
Looking to continue their success, the Bulldogs are led by First Team All Freedom selections Rusty Riedmiller (senior, goalkeeper, 0.94 goals against average, 117 saves) and Tony Aufiero (sophomore, defense). Conference assist leader German Reyes (junior, forward, 9 goals, 12 assists Second Team) and Junior David Ackley (midfield, Second Team) will also be major components of DeSales success this season.
Wilkes was second in the poll with 34 total points. The Colonels went 12-6-1 (5-1-1) in 2006, earning them a second seed in the Freedom Tournament where they lost to DeSales in the semifinals. The key for Wilkes to return to the playoffs are last year’s First Team All Freedom players Andy Curry (senior, midfield, 9 goals) and Jimmy Thomas (senior, Defense).
Arcadia placed third in the poll with 33 total points and 1 first place vote. Entering their first year in the Freedom Conference, the Knights were last year’s Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Champions. They advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Messiah. Despite losing nine seniors from last year’s squad, coach Derrick Ayers and the Knights hope to contend for their first Freedom title. First team All Region defender senior Andrew Plunkett and third team All Region defender junior Matt Benner are expected to lead the way.
Junior Matt Benner (#2) back
as the top returning scorer
Senior Andrew Plunkett (#15) head the ball past Wesley Keeper
in 2-1 PAC Semi-Finals Win
King’s received 27 points in the poll placing them fourth. Following their sixth place regular season finish and 6-13 (2-5) record in 2006, the Monarchs hope to make a strong run this year. Under second year coach Mark Bassett, junior forward Cameron Audette (6 assists) is expected to be the driving force behind the King’s attack. Senior goalkeeper John McMichael will help to solidify the defense.
Manhattanville was selected fifth with 25 total points. The Valiants come off a 5-10-2 record in the Skyline Conference.
Third year coach Didier Orellana returns a solid defensive unit led by junior goalkeeper and captain Jerry Tellier. The attack up front will be led by sophomore forward Akwasi Owusu.
FDU-Florham (5-11-1 (1-5-1)) came in sixth in this year’s poll with 20 points. After last year’s seventh place finish the Devils look to make some noise in the conference. Second Team All Conference forward Alex Malcolm (sophomore, 11 goals), junior midfielder Daniel Cardagra (5 assists) and goalkeeper Jared Drucker (senior, 80 saves) will provide leadership this season.
Delaware Valley (0-18 (0-7)) was seventh with 14 points. Looking to improve on last year’s eighth place finish the Aggies hope to stir up a few upsets in 2007 under new head coach Brian Kammersgaard.
Freedom Conference Pre-season Men’s Soccer Poll
1. DeSales 43 pts. (6)
2. Wilkes 34 pts.
3. Arcadia 33 pts. (1)
4. King’s 27 pts.
5. Manhattanville 25 pts.
6. FDU-Florham 20 pts.
7. Delaware Valley 14 pts.
