The 2001 Moravian College men’s soccer team had the program’s best season since 1995 this past fall, posting a 13-6-2 overall record, earning a second straight berth to the Commonwealth Conference playoffs and receiving a bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic Championships.

The Greyhounds, under the direction of third-year head coach Eric Lambinus, who has a career record of 29-28-3, fell to nationally ranked Johns Hopkins University, 3-2, in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament after earning a thrilling 1-0, four overtime victory over Grove City College in the first round.  The ECAC berth was Moravian first since 1990.  Coach Lambinus had a solid group of players led by four seniors, three of whom earned spots on the Middle Atlantic Conference Fall All-Academic Team, and he coached two Commonwealth Conference All-Stars.

Sophomore midfielder Tim Shannon (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill Valley HS) led Moravian is scoring this season with 14 goals and three assists for 31 points.  Shannon was a Commonwealth Conference All-Star First Team selection and he made the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team.  He was named the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week once this season when he led the Greyhounds on a torrid streak with eight goals and three assists in a five-match winning streak in the middle of the year.  Shannon had four of the five game-winning goals during the winning streak.

Junior forward Wilson Gonzalez (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) was named to the Commonwealth Conference All-Star Second Team after scoring seven goals and one assist for 15 points this season.  Gonzalez, who saw action in all 21 matches for the Greyhounds, had four game-winning goals this year.  

Sophomore midfielder Mike Grillo (Dennington, NJ/Pennington School) was second on the Moravian squad with 18 points this season on seven goals and four assists while senior midfielder Evan Weller (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson West Lawn HS) added six goals and five assists for 17 points.  Weller was on the MAC Fall All-Academic Team.

The Greyhounds had some strong contributions from the freshmen class this season with midfielder Daniel Samuelsson (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunterdon HS) scoring three goals and adding six assists for 12 points and midfielder Ryan Fick (Hamburg, PA/Fleetwood HS) adding two goals and a team leading eight assists for 12 points.  Samuelsson had the winning goal in the four-overtime win versus Grove City in the ECAC Tournament.

Senior midfielder Scott Heydt (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) had three goals and three assists for nine points in his final season and he was on the MAC Fall All-Academic Team for the third straight season.  Sophomore forward Anthony Merz (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan HS) also scored three goals this year and he added two assists for eight points.  Senior forward Nick Jordal (Doylestown, PA/LaSalle College HS) closed out his collegiate career with two goals and one assist this season.

Sophomore midfielder Brian Donofrio (Havertown, PA/Archbishop Carroll HS) and freshman midfielder Jonathan Thomas (Port Carbon, PA/Nativity BVM) each tallied a goal and an assist for Moravian this season while freshman defender Jim Feimster (Stroudsburg, PA/Pocono Mountain HS) had three assists.

Freshman midfielder Nick Tarquinio (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro HS) added two helpers while senior defender Doug Becker (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood HS) and sophomore defender Ken Macaulay (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge HS) each had one assist.  Becker was Moravian’s third member of the MAC Fall All-Academic Team.  Sophomore defender Matt Sprague (Souderton, PA/Souderton HS) played in all 21 matches for the Greyhounds this season.

The Greyhounds used a pair of goalies this season that led Moravian to five shutouts and a 1.25 goals against average as a team.  Junior keeper Ryan Sculley (Bethlehem, PA/Northampton HS) played 1,301 minutes with a 1.38 goals against average and 74 saves.  Sculley posted a 7-5-1 record with one solo shutout.  He combined with sophomore Vinny Nasuta (Mount Holly, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional HS) on three other shutouts.  Nasuta saw 701 minutes of action with a 1.03 goals against average, 40 saves, one solo shutout and a 6-1-1 record.  Nasuta’s only loss of the season was the season finale versus Johns Hopkins in the ECAC Semifinals.  He had played all but four minutes of the four-overtime match with Grove City the match before due to an injury to Sculley.

Coach Lambinus expects to have 16 players return next season and with the postseason experience in the Commonwealth Conference and ECAC Tournaments, look for the Greyhounds to earn a third straight playoff appearance and challenge for their first NCAA Division III Tournament berth since 1982.