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2011 Men’s Soccer Preview
August 31, 2011
- Junior Reis Cunningham, left, will co-captain a Keuka College men’s soccer squad that will feature three returning All-NEAC selections on offense.
In each of Matt Tantalo’s six seasons leading the Keuka College men’s soccer team, the Storm has finished above .500 and has been a consistent contender in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).
While losing players to graduation or transfer is nothing new for Division III head coaches, Tantalo and the storm graduated six seniors from a 2010 squad that went 10-5-2 overall and 5-2-2 in the NEAC. Behind the solid play of midfielder Jack Reece (five goals, two assists, 12 points) and defensive standout Brian Cunliffe (two goals, one assist, five points), the Storm advanced into the NEAC semifinals before eventually falling to eventual champion SUNY IT.
In all, six players earned All-NEAC honors in 2010. While two of those players, Cunliffe, a two-time first-team All-NEAC selection and Reece, a four-time All-NEAC selection, graduated, Tantalo brings back plenty of talent heading into the 2011 season.
It will be tough replacing the contributions of Reece and Cunliffe, both of whom earned spots on the year-ending National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Division III All-East Region team.
While their leadership will definitely be missed, Tantalo is confident in the skills of his returners. Three members of the 2010 All-NEAC squads will return to the Green and Gold: Junior forward John Mastrella (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena), a dynamic playmaker who earned first-team All-NEAC honors after leading Keuka in goals (nine) and points (20); sophomore midfielder Nate Schreiber (Rochester, NY/Hilton), a speedy, creative playmaker who earned second-team All-NEAC honors after recording a team-high seven assists and finished with nine points, tied for third-most on the team; junior midfielder Nate Smith (Hilton, NY/Hilton) also earned second-team All-NEAC accolades after scoring four goals with an assist (nine points).
Junior midfielder Connor Thomas (Woodhull, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg), a versatile midfielder/defender, was a member of the third-team All-NEAC, but Thomas will miss most if not all of the season after sustaining a concussion.
Keuka should be extremely strong up top, with Mastrella, Schreiber and Smith providing excellent scoring threats for the Storm.
“We definitely have some good attacking pieces coming back, and our strength should be our experience on offense, with three All-Conference players starting,” said Tantalo, who enters the season sporting a sparkling 59-35-7 record (.619 winning percentage).
“I told our guys that yes, we’re going to be a young team, but we have a lot of potential and we’re very excited for the year.”
Newcomers Alex Palermo and Austin Gerber will step in and play significant minutes right away, and Tantalo expects both Palermo and Gerber to provide an impact from the season’s start. Gerber, who graduated from Churchville-Chili High School, is a 6-foot-1 offensive threat who Tantalo said “can definitely play at a higher level with his quick pace of play. He just reads the game so well, and with his good ball skills, he makes his teammates around him better.”
While the offense is stacked with returners, the defensive corps will be inexperienced. Junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) steps in to replace Kyle Salo, who started all 17 games and posted a 0.95 goals-against average as Keuka’s defense surrendered just 16 goals in 17 games.
Condon saw action in three games and did not allow a goal while making three stops in 82 minutes.
junior defender Reis Cunningham (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek), an All-NEAC pick as a freshman, will be counted on as a leader in the back to anchor a defensive unit that will feature some new faces, including incoming freshman John Bourgeois (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit). Tantalo said Bourgeois will be “an instant starter, someone who comes in from day one and makes us that much better on defense.”
Justin Ryan, a transfer from Tompkins Cortland Community College, is expected to start on defense along with junior Kyle Rivera (Corning, NY/Horseheads).
“Our strength as a team has always been we play well as a collective unit,” Tantalo said. “We will be organized and disciplined, and the key to our success will be our ability to play well together. We’ll be a possession-oriented team that needs to control the field, possess the ball and defend well.”
Smith and Cunningham will be Keuka’s captains for the season.
Keuka opens the season at 7 p.m. Friday night with a non-conference home game against the University of Pitt-Bradford. The Storm then plays Hilbert College at 7 pm Monday night at home in another non-conference clash before hitting the road for NEAC contests against Penn State-Berks (Sept. 10) and Penn State-Abington (Sept. 11). Keuka returns home for a 7 p.m. non-conference game Sept. 14 with D’Youville College before taking on Gallaudet University at 11 a.m. on Sept. 24, part of the annual Family Weekend.
In-between the men’s and women’s soccer games, Keuka will induct Lyle Corey into its Athletics Hall of Fame and will also dedicate its soccer press box in Corey’s honor. Corey passed away in August of 2010.
The NEAC should once again feature strong teams in defending conference champion SUNY IT and perennial power Penn State-Harrisburg. If Keuka’s defensive corps comes together and the offensive playmakers are as good as last year’s output, the Storm could definitely challenge for a NEAC championship.
“Right now there’s a lot of parity in the NEAC,” Tantalo said. “While SUNY IT and Penn State-Harrisburg are the top teams heading into the season, we’re not that far off. We definitely have the potential to be there at the end of the season.”
2011 Women’s Soccer Preview
August 29, 2011
Junior Nicole Sharick is one of several starters returning to a Keuka women's soccer squad that earned its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III tournament in 2010.
The Keuka College women’s soccer team has been a mainstay in the NCAA Division III tournament, with the Storm earning a postseason berth in each of the last three seasons.
If the Storm is to make it back to the NCAA tournament for a fourth consecutive campaign, head coach Jamie Burke’s team will need to replace a talented stable of upperclassmen.
Keuka graduated five starters from last season’s squad, which posted an 11-6-2 overall record and stormed through the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), posting an 8-2-1 mark in the NEAC. Keuka defeated Penn State-Harrisburg 2-0 to claim the title before falling to nationally-ranked William Smith 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The Storm lost four All-NEAC players from 2010: Forward/midfielder Alyssa Hermenet (five goals, two assists, 12 points), a three-time first-team All-NEAC pick; forward Courtney McLaughlin (nine goals, four assists, 22 points), a two-time second-team All-NEAC selection; midfielder Molly McGuigan (two goals and one assist, five points), a four-time All-NEAC selection; and midfielder Deanna Nortier (four goals, four assists, 12 points), a third-team All-NEAC selection.
Despite the losses, Burke is confident in her talented group of returners, which includes junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke), Keuka’s leading scorer who recorded 17 goals and 10 assists (44 points). Sharick, a 5-foot-9 forward who was named to the first-team All-NEAC and earned NEAC Tournament MVP honors, also recorded a team-high five game-winning goals.
Burke said Sharick poses a threat with her height, speed and solid footwork.
“We’re going to play an attacking style and will use our speed to help create, and with Nicole up top, she can outrun anyone,” said Burke, who enters her sixth year at Keuka with an overall record of 63-42-5 leading the Storm.
“When Nicole gets into open space, she has such good speed and good moves, she can beat the defense. I don’t think anyone can hold her back, she has tremendous ball skills and is a great finisher.”
Keuka lost three midfielders, but Burke brings back two juniors who saw time at the midfield last year: Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads), who played in all 19 games and made five starts, and Sarah Hillman (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy), who played in 14 games and made 11 starts.
Sophomore Brooke Lovell (Arkport, NY/Arkport) returns to key a defense that posted seven shutouts, including six in Keuka’s last 11 games. Senior Elly Disbrow (Branchport, NY/Penn Yan) and sophomore Christine Dedes (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) will provide solid protection along the outside of Keuka’s defense.
That veteran retuning presence will make it easier to deal with the loss of starting goalie Ashley Vail (1.57 goals-against average), who graduated in May after stopping 74.4 percent of shots during the 2010 season.
“Brooke and Elly started every game for us last year and they, along with Christine, have a lot of game experience on defense,” Burke said. “They have a lot of speed and we feel we have some talent on defense.”
With only 17 women currently on the squad, avoiding injuries will go a long way towards earning that fourth straight NCAA appearance. Of course, Burke is first focused on navigating Keuka through the NEAC, which should once again feature talented teams in SUNY IT and Penn State-Harrisburg.
Keuka opens the season Saturday, Sept. 3 with a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game against Elmira College. After four straight road games to start the season, Keuka returns home for a 1 p.m. clash on Sept. 24 with Gallaudet University, part of the annual Family Weekend. Before the start of the women’s game, Keuka will induct Lyle Corey into its Athletics Hall of Fame and will also dedicate its soccer press box in Corey’s honor. Corey passed away in August of 2010.
To better prepare itself for a potential postseason run, Burke has scheduled three tough non-conference games during the 2011 season: Elmira, Alfred University and SUNY Geneseo.
“Those teams feature quicker, more athletic players, and facing those types of teams will definitely make us ready for the types of teams we could see in the NCAA’s,” Burke said. “We definitely have the talent to get back to the NCAA tournament, so long as we can stay healthy.”
Paige Named Hall of Famer
August 22, 2011
Jason Paige has become a fixture on the lacrosse sidelines at Keuka College.
Paige has spent the last 13 years leading Keuka’s men’s lacrosse team. During his tenure, Paige’s Storm squads have won 86 games, including a 10-5 record during a 2011 season that ended with the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) championship, Keuka’s second conference title in the last three seasons.
Before Paige leads the Storm onto the field for the 2012 campaign, the veteran coach will be honored by Washington (MD) College, Paige’s alma mater, with induction into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
After transferring to Washington College, Paige was an offensive standout over the final three years of his career. Paige became a three-time All-American after scoring 151 goals with 58 assists (209 points) in just three seasons.
During the 1994 season, Paige tied a school record by scoring 87 points to earn first-team All-American honors as the Shoremen advanced into the semifinals of the NCAA Division III tournament.
Paige, who earned NEAC Coach of the Year honors after the Storm claimed the 2009 NEAC championship, earned all-conference honors all three years at Washington and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1995.
Paige and five other members of the 2011 Hall of Fame induction class were enshrined in Washington College’s Athletic Hall of Fame during an annual ceremony and dinner, held Oct. 22 on the Washington College campus. Paige is a graudate of Penn Yan Academy and resides in Penn Yan.
