(10/10/07) This afternoon the Centenary men’s soccer team took on visiting John Jay College on Cyclone field.  Senior Justin DeFeo (Hawthorne/Hawthorne) scored two goals for his team to bring them back from a two goal deficit but unfortunately it was not enough to put the Cyclones out in front. 

After a late start, the Bloodhounds were about to get a jump on the Cyclones after a questionable call in the box for a penalty kick.  Hiromi Karahashi stepped up and took the kick and even though Centenary keeper Damien DiBuono (Succasunna/Morris Catholic) made a great first save, Karahashi was able to finish off the rebound and put John Jay up 1-0.  At the end of the half the Cyclones still had to battle back from a one goal shortage. 

Only four minutes into the second period Centenary let another goal in, this time off of a corner by Miguel Rodriguez who found the head of Karahashi for his second goal of the game.  The score remained unchanged until the 68th minute of play when DeFeo received a ball from teammate Damien Gallegos (Rutherford/Queen of Peace) and chipped the Bloodhound’s keeper from outside the box to make the score 2-1.  Twenty minutes later DeFeo found the back of the net again off of a free kick hit by Andrew Clifton (Flanders/Gill St. Bernard).  Clifton sent a long ball sailing into the box and just over the fingertips of John Jay goalie Kemar Brown.  DeFeo was there to put the ball in to knot the game at two.     

The Cyclones continued the assault in almost darkness in the first overtime period but before they could finish the referees called the game. Despite out shooting the Bloodhounds 25-12, the Centenary men could not pull out the victory. 

The draw brings the men’s overall record to 6-7-1 as they look toward this weekend and their next PAC opponent Cabrini College.  The men play the second game in a double header with the women’s team at 3:00pm on October 10th.    Boxscore

(10/8/07)  This afternoon the #12 ranked Red Hawks of Montclair State defeated Centenary Men’s Soccer by the final of 2-0, improving themselves to 12-1 on the year.  The Cyclones fall a game under .500 at 6-7 with the non-conference loss. 

The host Cyclone Men played a very defensive minded first half, taking very few chances at the offensive end of the field.  The result, the opportunity to defend and limit Montclair State chances at their end.  For the half the Centenary strategy worked giving up 11 shots , but zero goals.  The early stages of the second half was more of the same, as neither team was able to crack the net.  Montclair State finally broke through in the 64th minute when a corner from Owen Nichols found the head of John Esposito giving the visitor’s a 1-0 advantage.  After falling behind the Cyclones needed to take a few chances at goal and were able to build up a few opportunities, however MSU goalkeeper Nick Mele was up for the challenge.  The Red Hawks again broke through in the 74th minute when Aytac Malta assisted Tyler Masterson for the team’s  second tally pushing the lead to the eventual 2-0 margin.  Mele preserved the shut-out making two saves in the half, his only two of the game.

Centenary goalie, Damien DiBuono (Succasunna/Morris Catholic) made nine saves despite the loss.

The Cyclones will take the field again on Wednesday afternoon when they host John Jay College at 4:00 pm.  Boxscore

(10/3/07) The Centenary men’s soccer team lost to their third PAC opponent of the season 4-1 this afternoon.  The loss moves the Cyclone’s record to 5-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference. 

The Cyclones controlled the game in the first half and out shot the Crusaders 12 to eight and totaled six corner kicks to Alvernia’s zero.  Junior Chris Hill (Flanders/Gill St. Bernard’s) was able to net his sixth goal of the season in the 28th minute to give the Cyclones a 1-0 lead. Assisting on Hill’s goal was sophomore Chris Guadagno (West Milford/West Milford). The Cyclones remained ahead by one as the whistle blew to end the half.

Unfortunately the tide turned towards Alvernia in the second half and the Cyclones were not able to keep up with the Crusaders Morgan Davidheiser.  Davidheiser would capture a hat trick by the end of the game and teammate Timothy Sweeney would cap off Alvernia’s scoring, making the final score 4-1. 

Cyclones keeper Damien DiBuono (Succasunna/Morris Catholic) and Richard Kessler from Alvernia both made ten saves apiece.    

The Cyclones next PAC match up comes this weekend as both the men’s and women’s soccer teams take on Gwyendd Mercy in a doubleheader this Saturday October 6th at 3:00pm.  Boxscore

(9/22/07) This afternoon the Centenary men’s and women’s soccer teams played a double header at home on Cyclone Field.  In the first game the women were defeated by Richard Stockton 1-0. 

Later in the afternoon, the men took on Hunter and emerged victorious after a vicious battle.  The game remained scoreless throughout the first half but eight minutes into the second period the Cyclones got on the board when Josh Spivack (Budd Lake/Mount Olive) took a corner kick and found the head of Chris Guadagno (West Milford/West Milford) giving the men the lead 1-0.  Ten minutes later the Cyclones made it 2-0 when Ryan Bilello (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) took the ball around a defender and found the back of the net for an unassisted goal. 

Sophomore keeper Damien DiBuono (Succusunna/Morris Catholic) grabbed four saves in the win.  The men take to the road for their next match when they visit Mount Saint Mary on Wednesday, September 26th for a night game at 7:00pm.  Boxscore    

(9/20/07) This afternoon the Centenary Men’s Soccer team took on their first Pennsylvania Athletic Conference opponent at Cyclone Field.  Despite taking an early lead, the Cyclones were not able to come away with a victory as they fell 4-1 to Eastern University. 

Eighteen minutes into the first half Centenary was able to get out in front of the Eagles when sophomore Ryan Bilello (West Hempstead, NY/West Hempstead) took a long throw in and found the head of classmate Damien Gallegos (Rutherford/Queen of Peace) who hit the back of the net.  Although Eastern tallied 13 shots in the first half, they were not able to find the back of the net and as the halftime whistle blow the score remained 1-0 in favor of the Cyclones.

Keeper Damien DiBuono (Succasunna/Morris Catholic) made a number of great saves but it was not enough to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.  After knocking at Centenary’s door a number of times, Eastern’s Taylor VanBrackle was finally able to capitalize off of a cross in the 56th minute of play.  The Eagles took the lead almost 20 minutes later when Aaron Tritch hit the back of the net off a free kick from Scott Patrick.  The Cyclones, now down 2-1 could not match the Eagles energy as they were scored upon two more times before the end of the game.  

DiBuono totaled 11 saves and Eastern keeper Noah Bartelt grabbed four.  Centenary was out shot by the Eagles 30-8.    

The Cyclones are now 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the PAC Conference as they look towards this weekend's game against Hunter College at home at 3:00pm.  This game is the second game in a double header with the women’s team.  Boxscore
 

(9/1/07)  The Cyclones opened their 2007 season on Saturday evening versus Richard Stockton at the Drew Fall Festival.  Unfortunately for the Men they ended up on the losing end of the opener, dropping a 4-0 decison to the Ospreys.

Centenary returns to action at the Festival on Sunday, when they take on host Drew University at 4:00 pm.  The Rangers were a 2-0 winner over New Paltz in Saturday's first game.   Boxscore

Home Games in BOLD
# - Games part of Drew University Fall Festival
^ - Games part of Rutgers University - Newark Tournament
% - Pennsylvania Athletic Conference Game

The 2007 Centenary Men’s Soccer program begins its fourth season under the direction of Head Coach Keith O’Connor.  The Cyclones enter the fall season looking to regain some of the momentum that last year ended with, as Centenary made its first post-season appearance in six years.  Centenary finished the regular season with an 11-8 mark, good enough for the 3rd seed in the Skyline Conference playoffs.  Following a loss in the semi-finals, the team also made an appearance in the ECAC Metro Region Tournament.  With a core group of 12 returning letter winners and a talented recruiting class, Coach O’Connor and the Cyclones are certainly looking for a chance at the PAC Championship, their first season in the conference.

FORWARDS
Centenary returns their leading goal scorer to the front line this fall.  Chris Hill tallied 12 goals last year in route to being chosen as a 1st Team All-Skyline and 3rd Team ECAC All-Metro Region selection.  Joining Hill up front will be sophomore Damien Gallegos, who notched two goals a year ago, and newcomer Jeff Schachtel.  Splitting time between the forward and midfield positions this fall will be junior Josh Spivack and freshman Michael Burke.  Spivack had a successful first year with Cyclones scoring two goals and recording two assists, while creating depth to both positions.

MIDFIELD
The Cyclones return three members to their midfield from a year ago.  Senior Justin DeFeo along with junior Brian Esposito and sophomore Chris Guadagno give the Cyclones great strength in a very important part of the field.  Guadagno was the team’s third leading scorer last fall, while DeFeo and Esposito combined for a pair of goals and an assist.  Junior Patrick Trivino will also see time in the midfield this fall, as will freshmen Daniel Charkowski.  These two players give Coach O’Connor some versatility in his line-up as they both can play in the backfield as well.

DEFENSE
The men also have experience returning in the defensive half of the field, as seniors Scott Bosma and Andrew Clifton and sophomores Ryan Bilello and Andrew Eitel are all back this fall.  Following one season at William Paterson, transfer Sean Chirico adds composure and experience to the back line.  Bilello started in all 21 games last year for Coach O’Connor, while adding speed and distribution skills to the defense.  Bosma and Eitel will both see time off the bench this fall and are well prepared following a season in the program. 

GOALKEEPERS
Sophomore Damien Di Buono, who played in 20 games last fall, brings a freshman year full of experience to net this season.  Di Buono made 90 saves in his first year and recorded a season long GAA of 2.23.  His aggressive style of play is again going to be a difference maker in the Centenary back line.