Author Archives: Paul Kennedy

MEN’S NEWS … This year’s darkhorse in men’s soccer could be N.C. State. At the very least, the Wolfpack has a good shot of winning the ACC — something it hasn’t done since 1990 when its championship team featured future national team players Dario Brose and Henry Gutierrez and a backup goalie in Robert Gibbs, now President Barack Obama‘s press secretary.

Defending ACC and national champion Maryland, Wake Forest and Boston College face major rebuilding, Clemson and Virginia Tech lost their coaches in the offseason, Virginia and Duke begin the season with question marks. That leaves only No. 1 North Carolina and N.C. State reasonably confident about what they have to offer.

Enthusiasm is high in Raleigh, as evidenced by the 1,800 fans who turned out on opening day to watch the Wolfpack defeat Winthrop, 3-1. N.C. State was one of the best teams in the ACC over the second half of last season, winning eight of its last 11 games, and it returned everyone. Seven seniors, three juniors and one sophomore started in Tuesday’s opener.

The Wolfpack’s lineup is a mix of locals — five starters from North Carolina — and foreigners — including starters born in Cameroon, Congo, England, Venezuela and Argentina, Coach George Tarantini‘s home country (his brother Alberto starred on the 1978 World Cup championship team).

Ronnie Bouemboue, who was born in Congo and attended high school in Brooklyn, is the Wolfpack’s top scoring threat and most inspirational player. He missed most of the 2006 season and all of the 2007 season with knee injuries but recovered to score 14 goals in 2008. Bouemboue, who had a goal and an assist against Winthrop, was nominated for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS award, having served two terms as the president of N.C. State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and been active in charity works.

All four other foreigners are second-year seniors. Left back Korede Aiyegbusi, who was born in London to Nigerian parents and represented England in the 2009 World University Games, and Cameroonian midfielder Chrystel Bakong both took the JC route to Raleigh. Defenders Federico Nachmann, 24, and Romulo Manzano, 21, arrived last season from Argentina and Venezuela, respectively.

* No. 4 Indiana will be without Soccer America Preseason All-American Ofori Sarkodie for the rematch of its 2008 NCAA quarterfinal match with No. 3 St. John’s Friday at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington. Sarkodie is serving a one-game suspension for his red card in the Hoosiers’ 3-2 loss to St. John’s.

TOP 25 MATCHUPS:
Friday
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 3 St. John’s (adidas/IU Credit Union Classic)
No. 5 Wake Forest vs. No. 10 Notre Dame (adidas/IU Credit Union Classic)
No. 8 Maryland vs. No. 9 UCLA

Saturday
No. 6 Creighton vs. No. 20 Cal Poly
No. 13 Connecticut vs. No. 24 Boston Univ.

Sunday
No. 22 Tulsa vs. No. 2 Akron (Radisson Tulsa Airport Classic)
No. 3 St. John’s vs. No. 10 Notre Dame (adidas/IU Credit Union Classic)
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Wake Forest (adidas/IU Credit Union Classic)

(Follow all the action with Soccer America’s Men’s College Weekend Scoreboard.)

MEN’S NEWS … It’s a long way from California to Storrs, Conn., but it’s a testament to Coach Ray Reid‘s power of persuasion that he’s convinced five Californians to play for the Huskies.

In his UConn debut, Alan Ponce, a JC transfer from Rio Honda Community College, scored the winning goal on a nifty header, and fellow California Kwame Siriboe-Watson scored the first goal, also a header, in his four years with the Huskies to lead them to a 2-0 win over St. Peter’s in Wednesday’s opener.

Also making his college debut was highly touted freshman Carlos Alvarez, who spent time in camps with both the U.S. and Mexican youth national teams. Like Siriboe-Watson, Shawn Nicklaw is a returning starter on the UConn backline. UConn’s fifth Golden Stater, Cruz Hernandez, came off the bench against St. Peter’s.

(Click here for extended highlights of UConn-St. Peter’s.)

* Overshadowed by the final of the U.S. Open Cup at RFK Stadium was the opening day of the D.C. College Cup on Wednesday evening at George Mason Stadium. Parker Walton knocked in the game-winning goal in the 86th minute to lift No. 19 George Mason past Howard, 2-1. American shut out George Washington, 2-0, on goals by David Menzie and Karsten Smith.

* South Carolina’s 3-1 win over Charlotte on Tuesday was costly. Senior defender Mark Wiltse, who had started 52 of 53 games at South Carolina, was lost for the season with a broken right leg. He will be eligible for a medical hardship.

* Soccer America’s Men’s College Scoreboard has all of Wednesday’s results and the rest of the week’s Top 25 matches.

MEN’S NEWS … No. 1 North Carolina opened the season Tuesday with a 5-0 victory over UNC Asheville, but few other Top 25 teams had it as easy on opening day.

Two Top 25 teams fell at home to unranked teams — No. 17 Loyola (Md.) to Villanova and No. 20 Cal Poly to UNLV, both by 1-0 scores — while No. 6 Creighton, No. 11 Northwestern and No. 24 Boston University all had to settle for ties.

No. 16 UC Irvine pulled the night’s best comeback, going down at Santa Clara, 2-0, on a pair of goals by former U.S. U-17 star Mykell Bates before rallying to win, 3-2, on Amani Walker‘s golden goal.

TOP 25 RESULTS:
Tuesday, Sept. 1
No. 1 North Carolina 5 (Urso 22, 86, Dixon 61, Martinez 80, McCarthy 86) UNC Asheville 0.
No. 5 Wake Forest 1 (Schilawski 73) William & Mary 0.
No. 6 Creighton 0 Loyola (Ill.) 0.
No. 10 Notre Dame 5 (Brovsky 26, Perry 50, Dike 64, 71, 77) No. 21 Michigan 0.
Wisconsin-Green Bay 3 (Banks 69, Raymonds 74, Basty 80) No. 11 Northwestern 3 (Eliason 29, 39, Bellizzi 71).
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara 3 (Hedevag 7, Nonni 10, 89) Cal State Bakersfield 1 (Coppieters pen. 37).
Santa Clara 2 (Bates 2, 43) No. 16 UC Irvine 3 (Bagby 64, Garcia 81, Walker 104) (OT).
No. 17 Loyola (Md.) 0 Villanova 1 (Soroka 83).
No. 18 South Florida 2 (Gonzalez 24, Boggs 31) UCF 1 (Simmons 76).
No. 20 Cal Poly 0 UNLV 1 (Marshall). (OT)
No. 22 Tulsa 2 (Albertson 77, Parada 87) Missouri State 0.
Massachusetts 1 (DeNormandie 42) No. 24 Boston Univ. 1 (Taylor 65).

Here is this week’s Top 25 schedule.

Elsewhere …

* Graceland’s 4-0 victory over Western Illinois was a major victory for NAIA soccer. Canadians Diego Gonzalez and Roger Thompson teamed up for Gonzalez’s first goal after two minutes and it was all downhill from there for WIU. Jamaican Andre Sharpe, Gonzalez (again set up by Thompson) and Ian Christensen added goals in the second half. “The team has gelled well early in the season,” said Graceland coach Aldemar Angel Monroy. “We’ve got some really good newcomers and some seasoned returners that have helped to mold us.”

* Virginia Tech and Clemson, two ACC powers, facing transition years, both lost on Tuesday. Virginia Tech trailed, 2-0, at UMBC after only 26 minutes and lost, 3-1, in Mike Brizendine‘s debut as Hokie head coach following Oliver Weiss‘s resignation. After seven losses, Gardner-Webb finally beat Clemson, 1-0, when John Sargent lobbed Tigers keeper Joseph Bendik in the 34th minute. Tiger assistant Phil Hindson took over as interim head coach following Coach Trevor Adair‘s resignation in June.

* Saint Louis University coach Dan Donigan is fuming after the Billikens fell to New Mexico, 3-0, at home. “This was obviously a disappointing way to begin the season,” he said. “We can’t make those simple, fundamental mistakes that are preventable against a tough team like New Mexico. This is an unacceptable performance by our team, and we are not going to forget this.”

— Xavier canceled its match with Radford on the recommendation of the Cincinnati Health Department. Xavier students have been experiencing mild influenza-like symptoms and the university is canceling or postponing many major events.

— Getting his first collegiate goal in Stetson’s 1-0 win over Northwood was Matt Hoskins, son of new USL chairman Rob Hoskins.

Hat trick heroes:

— Bright Dike scored the last three goals in No. 10 Notre Dame’s 5-0 win over No. 21 Michigan in the first game at Alumni Stadium that drew 1,818 fans.
— For the second straight season, Liberty’s Darren Amoo scored three goals on opening day, this time in a 10-1 win over Division II Concord.
— Arie Muniz led the Appalachian State onslaught with a hat trick in the Mountaineers’ 10-0 win over Division III Emory & Henry.
— Despite a second-half hat trick from redshirt junior Riley Phelps, Coastal Carolina fell to the College of Charleston, 4-3.

(Read more for all of Tuesday’s other Division I results and goal scorers of all the games.)

MEN’S NEWS … The men’s season kicks off Tuesday, and the marquee matchup pits No. 10 Notre Dame against No. 21 Michigan in the Irish’s first game at the new Alumni Stadium, which features a natural grass field, lights, locker rooms, restrooms and concession areas. The lead benefactors for the $5.7 million facility are former Irish soccer players Tom Crotty and Rob Snyder.

Both teams are loaded with young talent. Notre Dame sophomore Aaron Maund and freshman Dillon Powers will leave following the game against New Mexico on Sept. 14 to join the U.S. under-20 national team for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. Michigan has one of the deepest freshman classes in the country with Latif Alashe, Hamoody Saad and Kofi Opare among the standouts.

The Irish were perfect in preseason action, while Michigan was 1-0-2 in exhibition play.

Tuesday’s Top 25 Action:
No. 1 North Carolina vs. UNC Asheville
No. 5 Wake Forest vs. William & Mary
No. 6 Creighton vs. Loyola (Ill.)
No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 21 Michigan
Wisconsin-Green Bay vs. No. 11 Northwestern
Santa Clara vs. No. 16 UC Irvine
No. 17 Loyola (Md.) vs. Villanova
Massachusetts vs. No. 24 Boston Univ.
No. 18 South Florida vs. UCF
No. 20 Cal Poly vs. UNLV
No. 22 Tulsa vs. Missouri State

Complete Top 25 Schedule

* Virginia got some much-needed good news when sophomore Chris Agorsor was cleared to begin practicing with the Cavaliers.

Agorsor, considered the top freshman recruit in 2008, was lost with a knee injury (torn anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments) suffered in the seventh game of the season. He was held out until a question about his eligibility was cleared up with the NCAA. Agorsor, who missed Virginia’s three exhibition losses, won’t travel with the Cavs for their opening games this weekend at Portland.

Virginia is also awaiting word on the eligibility of German newcomer Ole Hengelbrock, a 21-year-old defender from VfL Osnabrueck, the same club where former Cav star Yannick Reyering played.

* With 10 returning starters, UNC Wilmington had high hopes for the 2009 season, but they suffered a major blow when Devan Carroll, the 2008 CAA Player of the Year, was suspended from the team and the university because of a violation of team rules. “Unfortunately, Devan put himself into a situation that has resulted in him no longer being a part of our soccer program this season,” said Coach Aidan Heaney

WOMEN’S NEWS … It was not a good weekend for teams in the Soccer America Top 25. Nine lost to unranked teams.

— Duke fell twice, losing to UNC Greensboro, 1-0, and UCF, 3-2, at the Carolina Nike Invitational. The Blue Devils outshot UNCG, 22-5, but couldn’t win in a game delayed 69 minutes because of lightning. Against UCF, Duke lost starting center back Nicole Lipp in the 25th minute with an injury and did not return. Coach Robbie Church took the blame for the loss, saying he failed to readjust his defense after Lynnea Pappas equalized in the 85th minute. Less than two minutes later, Stacie Hubbard scored the winner on a UCF corner.

— USC fell to 0-2 after losing to St. John’s, 2-1, on Sunday. (Two days earlier, the Trojans lost to Mexico’s national team, 2-0, in an exhibition.) Sunday’s defeat was USC’s first at McAlister Field since 2006. The Trojans lost despite playing with a player advantage after Courtney Lane was red carded in the 54th minute for a foul that led to the tying goal on a penalty kick by Megan Ohai. Raelynne Lee later gave St. John’s the win.

— The highest ranked team to lose was Texas A&M. It took Sylvia Forbes only four seconds to score for Purdue, and the Boilermakers went on to win, 3-2, before 6,589 fans. “We’re upset with the result, but you can’t take anything away from Purdue,” said A&M coach G Guerrieri. “They played great.”

— Other wins by unranked teams over Top 25 teams: BYU-Connecticut (1-0), Utah-Santa Clara (1-0), Georgia-Minnesota (2-0), Hofstra-Richmond (1-0), Colorado College-Washington State (2-1).

* Here is this week’s Soccer America Women’s Top 25.

* As a precaution, Stanford assistant coach Jay Cooney decided to drive his own car to the No. 2 Cardinal’s game at Cal Poly, and it’s a good thing he did. He got the call after he had driven for about an hour that his wife, Greta, was in labor. He turned around, missing Stanford’s 2-1 win, and made it in plenty of time for the birth of their second son, Hayes, at 6:25 p.m. Hayes’ numbers were as healthy as the Cardinal’s: 20.5 inches, 7 pounds, 13 oz.