Monday, November 3, 2003

GREYHOUND MEN’S SOCCER TEAM TRAVELS TO ELIZABETHTOWN FOR COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- The Moravian College men’s soccer team will be the third seed in the 2003 Commonwealth Conference Championship Tournament that begins on Wednesday, November 5th, and the Greyhounds, who are making their fourth consecutive trip to the postseason, will travel to second seeded Elizabethtown College for a 7:00 p.m. semifinal match on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s other semifinal will have top seeded Messiah College hosting fourth seed Susquehanna University at 7:00 p.m. The winning teams will meet at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, November 8th for the Commonwealth Conference Championship. The winner of Saturday’s contest will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships that begin on Wednesday, November 12th.

Moravian, under the direction of fifth year head coach Eric Lambinus, has a 4-11-3 record this season with a 3-2-2 slate in the Commonwealth Conference. The Greyhounds played to a 1-1 tie with Elizabethtown in their regular season match-up. The Blue Jays are one of four nationally ranked teams that Moravian has played this season. Last season, Moravian defeated Elizabethtown, 2-0, in the Commonwealth Conference Semifinals, the first time the Greyhounds had defeated the Blue Jays since 1970.

Freshman forward Neil Untenahrer (East Stroudsburg, PA/Pocono Mountain HS) leads Moravian in scoring with 13 points on six goals and an assist, including two game-winning goals. Junior midfielder Jim Feimster (Stroudsburg, PA/Pocono Mountain HS) has contributed two goals and six assists for ten points junior midfielder Ryan Fick (Hamburg, PA/Fleetwood HS) and senior forward Anthony Merz (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Ryan HS) each have seven points on three goals and an assist.

Senior midfielder Michael Grillo (Pennington, NJ/The Pennington School) has a pair of goals and two assists for six points while senior midfielder Tim Shannon (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill Valley HS) has a goal and three assists for five points. Freshman midfielder Josh Sheetz (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown HS), junior forward Jonathan Thomas (Port Carbon, PA/Nativity BVM HS), senior defender Ken Macaulay (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge HS) and sophomore forward Ryan Hintenach (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley HS) have each added one assist this season.

Senior goalie Vinny Nasuta (Mount Holly, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional HS) has played 1,235 minutes in goal this season with a 1.60 goals-against average, 77 saves, three shutouts and a 3-8-2 record. Sophomore goalie Ryan Walker (Metuchen, NJ/Metuchen HS) posted a shutout in a 0-0 tie with College Misercordia in his first career start. Walker has eight saves in 155 minutes of action and has not allowed a goal while posting a 1-0-1 record. Freshman keeper Kyle Keller (Coopersburg, PA/Southern Lehigh HS) has seen 200 minutes with nine saves and a 2.70 goals-against average. Sophomore Ian Andrew Nuno (Middletown, DE/Caravel Academy) has played 90 minutes and has four saves, a 3.00 goals-against average.

Elizabethtown has a 15-2-1 record this season, and the Blue Jays are currently tied for third in the most recent National Soccer Coaches Association of America Mid-Atlantic Regional Poll. The Blue Jays are also ranked 16th in the nation this week. The Blue Jays were ranked fourth in the nation last week before losing to Messiah in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Senior forward/midfielder Brian Albrecht leads Elizabethtown in scoring with 26 points on eight goals and a team-high ten assists. Albrecht has had three game-winning tallies this season. Sophomore forward Brian Healy has contributed 24 points on eight goals and eight assists with two game-winning goals while senior forward Steve Custer has 20 points on six goals and eight assists with two game-winning goals.

Senior midfielder Charlie Haines has added five goals and seven assists for 17 points for the Blue Jays while sophomore forward Brian Zalasky has contributed six goals and an assist for 13 points with two game-winning tallies. Junior defender/midfielder Kevin Weiler has three goals and three assists for nine points this season while senior defender Casey Moore has contributed eight points on three goals and two assists. Sophomore forward Andrew Kummerer also has eight points with one goal and six assists.

Junior defender John Aronowicz has contributed two goals and a assist for five points while sophomore midfielder Zach Eddinger, junior forward/midfielder Timothy Filewicz, senior defender Ryan Wattenschaidt and junior midfielder Bryan Noll each have scored five points on a goal and three assists. Freshman midfielder Brennan Reichenbach has found the back of the net twice this season for four points while junior forward Chris Boushell and sophomore forward/midfielder Will Ellerman each have a goal and an assist for three points. Senior midfielder Phil Brynildsen has three assists for Elizabethtown this fall.

Freshman forward James Runyon and senior defender Matt Zimmerman have each found the back of the net once this season while sophomore defender Chris Graham, freshman midfielder Peter Moore and freshman midfielder Owen Friedrich each have added one assist.

Senior goalie Michael Ciattei has a 0.48 goals-against average, 47 saves, seven shutouts and a 14-1-1 record in 1,316 minutes of action for the Blue Jays. Junior keeper Edwin Tichenor has a 1.50 goals-against average and three saves in 180 minutes while freshman goalie Andrew Jorgensen has not allowed a goal and made three saves in 147 minutes of action this fall.