MASPETH, N.Y. (September 1, 2010) – The Centenary men’s soccer team (0-1) opened its season with a hard-fought 2-0 loss at Baruch, Wednesday at the Met Oval in Maspeth, N.Y. The Bearcats (1-0) scored twice in the first half and held on for the victory.

The Cyclones outshot their opponent, 16-10, including 9-3 in shots on goal, but were unable to put  the ball past Bearcats goalkeeper Michael Murphy, who posted nine saves. CC also led Baruch in corner kicks, 3-1, including a 2-0 edge in the second half. Junior Alex Walters (Sciota, Pa./Pleasant Valley) led the way with four shots, including three on goal, while junior transfer Daniel Berniz (Budd Lake, N.J./Mount Olive) took three shots, two on goal. Junior goalkeeper Tyler DeCraine (Roxbury, N.J./Roxbury) recorded one save in the loss.

CC returns to action on Saturday with a road contest at Moravian at 4:30 p.m., as part of the Moravian/Muhlenberg Tournament. The Cyclones face Muhlenberg on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

Boxscore

Although the 2009 Centenary men’s soccer team earned a berth to the conference tournament, the team was not happy with the way they played. The Cyclones finished a disappointing 6-10-2 overall, including 3-4-1 in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). The team was the sixth-seed in the conference tournament, where they fell to Immaculata, 2-0. But with most of the team returning, as well as an influx of quality newcomers, Centenary looks to get back to its winning ways in 2010.

“Despite the fact that we made the conference tournament for the third time in four years, last year was a disappointment for us,” said head coach Keith O’Connor. “We did not live up to our expectations.”

Centenary scored only 25 goals in 2009, ranking sixth in the conference. O’Connor knows that for the team to be successful, he needs production from his forwards. The team’s leading scorer in 2009, senior Andrew Pinella, tallied five goals. He returns, as does Edgar Escobar-Castro (two goals, two assists). The team also brought in transfer Daniel Berniz, who finished with 37 points on 13 goals and 11 assists in 2007 at the County College of Morris to earn Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region and First Team All-Conference honors.

“Pinella scored five goals last year while dealing with injuries,” said O’Connor. “He is healthy again and looking to improve dramatically on last year’s numbers. Berniz is a serious threat to score and I think we will be solid up front.”

At the midfield position, O’Connor has a good nucleus of players with good experience. Junior Matt Winkler tied for the team lead with two assists and fellow classmate Alex Walters finished with one goal in 2009. Escobar-Castro can play either the midfield or forward position. Centenary also hopes to get good play from senior Mike Burke and freshman Yuri Missenheim, who was a two-time varsity captain at Warren Hills Regional High School.

A pair of returning defenders will lead the players in front of the goal as Dan Charkowski and Patrick Bourland both look to improve on their 2009 numbers. Charkowski finished with four points on one goal and two assists and Bourland tallied two assists from their respective defensive positions.

“Our defense will be the difference between a successful season and a losing season,” said O’Connor. “We have good experience returning with Charkowski and Bourland, but their leadership will be key to the success of the group.”

In front of the net will be returning starter, junior Jason Rogers. He posted 97 saves and shut out four teams in 2009 and will be counted on as the last line of defense.

“Rogers was our MVP last year and he is looking to improve on his outstanding performance from 2009,” said O’Connor. “Brian Almeida, Tyler DeCraine and Harry Walters are all competing for the backup position.”

O’Connor feels that three of his freshmen, Antonio Cabrera, Reid Meeker and Missenheim, have an opportunity to make an immediate impact. Cabrera hails from Pasadena, Texas, where he was a lock-down defender for the Pasadena Memorial High School soccer team and also the placekicker for the football team, where he scored 90 points in his two years with the squad. Meeker was a three-year varsity starter and a two-year varsity captain at Notre Dame Green Pond High School in Easton, Pa. He earned team Defensive MVP and was voted Second Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-Area.

Winkler and Bourland were named captains for the 2010 squad. O’Connor felt that with their playing experience and leadership abilities they would do the best job at providing guidance for the team, especially the younger players.

Centenary was selected to finish seventh in the CSAC after a vote by the league’s coaches. The Cyclones open their season with three straight road contests, including the Moravian/Muhlenberg Tournament on Sept. 4-5. After that, the team hosts the Centenary College Classic as part of a four-game homestand, before three road games end the month of September. CC opens its CSAC slate on Sept. 29 at Marywood. Two conference games open October, including preseason favorite and 2009 champion Cabrini on Oct. 5. After a non-conference contest with Farmingdale State on Oct. 9, Centenary closes the 2010 campaign with six straight CSAC matches before the conference tournament begins on Nov. 2.

O’Connor knows that if the team plays to its potential, the mix of returning players and newcomers will push the Cyclones to a winning season. The squad’s goals are to improve on their performance from 2009 and compete for a CSAC Championship and possibly an NCAA Tournament berth.

“We are looking to improve on last year’s disappointment,” said O’Connor. “We have a large number of players returning and some quality newcomers, and I expect that everyone will work hard to make sure that last year is a thing of the past.”

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (August 24, 2010) - The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) men’s soccer preseason poll was released on Tuesday and Centenary was voted to place seventh. The Cyclones received 42 points, three behind sixth-place Rosemont College. Cabrini College (93 points, six first-place votes) was voted to finish first, slightly edging out Neumann University (90 points, three first-place votes).

Last season, the Cyclones finished 6-10-2 overall with a 3-4-2 record in Conference. After a slow start, the young Centenary squad closed out the season strong and reached the CSAC playoffs as the sixth seed, where they fell to Immaculata 2-0.

Centenary begins its season on Saturday, Sept. 4 at Muhlenberg. The Cyclones first game in conference is also on the road at Marywood University on Wednesday, Sept. 29.

CSAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll Results

Despite the fact that the Centenary College men’s soccer team finished the 2009 campaign with a final record of 6-10-2, head coach Keith O'Connor has reason to be excited for the future. The Cyclones played well in Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) action, going 3-4-2 and reaching the conference tournament as the sixth-seed. Although Centenary fell to Immaculata, 2-0, the experience the young team received will be key to their success in 2010.

After starting the year 0-3, the Cyclones picked up their first victory of the season against PSU-Brandywine on Sept. 13, 3-0. The team dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 contest in double-overtime to Mount Saint Mary on Sept. 16 before picking up consecutive victories, 3-0 over Brooklyn and 6-1 against Purchase.

CC opened its conference schedule with a tough 3-2 loss at Philadelphia Biblical on Oct. 1. The Cyclones recorded their first CSAC win in an exciting 1-0 match over Marywood on Oct. 7, followed by close losses to Cabrini (2-0) and Immaculata (2-1).

But the young Centenary squad rebounded to go undefeated in its final four games to clinch a CSAC Tournament berth. The streak included a 3-0 win over Keystone and a 2-1 victory against Rosemont. In their other two games, the Cyclones tied Baptist Bible, 2-2, and Gwynedd-Mercy, 1-1.

Centenary was led by Andrew Pinnella’s five goals in 11 games. Senior Chris Guadagno finished the year with three goals and two assists. Freshman defender Patrick Bourland was named to the All-CSAC Second Team while Guadagno and sophomore Matt Winkler received Honorable Mention All-CSAC honors.

The Cyclones also achieved success off the field, as 12 players were named to the CSAC All-Academic team and seniors Andrew Eitel and Damien Gallegos received National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Honorable Mention All-East-Region Scholar-Athlete accolades. Jimmy Corey was named Centenary’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (March 30, 2010) – The Centenary men’s soccer program has added Craig Wilkinson to its coaching staff, head coach Keith O’Connor announced.

Wilkinson joins the Cyclones after two years as the associate head coach at Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y. His duties at DC included scouting, recruiting, fitness and assisting practices. During his time with the Chargers, the team posted a 24-7-4 record and was twice ranked in the top 10 in the nation. In 2008, the team lost in the Central Atlantic College Conference (CACC) tournament championship game and in 2009 DC participated in the NCAA Tournament, falling in the first round.

In 2007, Wilkinson served as an assistant coach at Suffolk County Community College. The team finished that season with a 14-2-1 record and was ranked No. 2 in the nation. Prior to that, Wilkinson worked as an assistant at Dominican, as the team went 12-4-3, was CACC regular season and tournament champions, competed in the NCAA Tournament and was ranked No. 25 in the Division II final poll.

Since 2009, Wilkinson has been a club trainer for the European Soccer Academy, working with the U-18 and U-14 boys and girls teams. He also has served as a club trainer for a girls U-10 team with the North Rockland Soccer Association and is the head coach for a boys U-10 squad.

Wilkinson graduated in 2006 from Nyack College in Nyack, N.Y., with a B.A. in Psychology. He played four years of intercollegiate soccer, first at Greenville College in Greenville, Ill., before transferring to Nyack. He is currently working towards a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Diploma.

ASTON, Pa. (February 3, 2010) – The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) announced its All-Academic recipients for the Fall 2009 Semester on Wednesday. Forty-one Centenary student-athletes received the honor.

“It is my pleasure to announce that 528 CSAC student-athletes have achieved the level of academic success necessary to be named to the Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Team,” said CSAC Commissioner Amy Friedman. “These student-athletes have assumed leadership roles on their campuses by demonstrating that a complete education includes both academics and athletics.”

The CSAC All Academic Award is earned by each student-athlete that meets the NCAA Division III eligibility requirements, earns varsity status in their respective sport, and earns a minimum semester grade point average (GPA) of 3.2. The team consists of student-athletes from Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Cross Country, Field Hockey, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball.

Of the 528 student-athletes receiving this award, 45 were First Team All-CSAC in their respective sport, 38 were named to the Second Team All-CSAC in their respective sport, 38 received Honorable Mention and 47 were recipients of individual Sportsmanship Awards.

The following student-athletes are members of the Fall 2009 All-Academic Team. Please note the following representations: 1st = First Team All-CSAC, 2nd = Second Team All-CSAC, HM = Honorable Mention and S = Sportsmanship Award.
Men's Soccer Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Honorees
Patrick Bourland, 2nd, Fr., Business Administration/Marketing, Vienna, N.J.
James Corey, So., Criminal Justice, Jackson, N.J.
Andrew Eitel, Sr., Business Administration/Sports Management, Byram, N.J.
Edgar Escobar-Castro, Jr., Business, Lawrence, N.J.
Damien Gallegos, Sr, Criminal Justice, Rutherford, N.J.
Derrick Grant, So, Tranquility, N.J.
Alexander Khouri, Fr., Business Administration/Management, Eldersburg, Md.
David Petrozziello, S, So., Business Administration/Sports Management, Branchburg, N.J.
Jason Rogers, So., Business Administration/Sports Management, Washington, N.J.
Kyle Thompson, So., Business Administration/Sports Management, Toms River, N.J.
Alexander Walters, So., History/Candidate in Elementary Education, Sciota, Pa.
Matthew Winkler, 2nd, So., Great Meadows, N.J.

Fall 2009 CSAC All-Academic Team

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (February 1, 2010) – Two members of the Centenary men’s soccer team earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Honorable Mention All-East-Region Scholar-Athlete accolades, the league announced. It marks the second consecutive year that both players received the award.

Seniors Andrew Eitel (Byram, N.J./Morris Catholic) and Damien Gallegos (Rutherford, N.J./Queen of Peace) each earned the honor. To be nominated for consideration, student-athletes must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout their career and start more than 50 percent of all games and be a significant contributor to the team.

Eitel finished the season with one assists from his defensive position while helping the team shut out four opponents. Gallegos was limited to 12 games due to injury but finished his Cyclone career with five goals and three assists.

Centenary finished the season 6-10-2, falling in the opening round of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Tournament.

2009 NSCAA All-East-Region Scholar-Athletes