Veteran athletic trainer Jeff Bray, left, works on Ava Wilburn during a Keuka College women's soccer home game in the fall of 2011.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Jeff Bray is an avid motorsports fan, and when he arrived in scenic Keuka Park to accept a job as Keuka College’s head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director in the summer of 1992, he figured he was just making a pit stop.

Nearly 20 later, the man who came to campus on a two-year plan can’t imagine working anywhere else.

As he reflects on two decades of dedicated service to the Storm’s student-athletes, Bray can’t help but wonder how he ended up as the second-longest tenured member of the College’s athletics department.

To quote the Grateful Dead anthem, “Truckin’,” what a long, strange trip it has been for Bray.

Born in Sterling, Kansas, a small town that Bray said possesses a similar down-home feel to Keuka, Bray essentially grew up on his parent’s gas station before enrolling in Kansas State to study athletic training.

Bray has taped hundreds of professional athletes during a career that, among other stops, has seen him work the sidelines of NFL games, alongside pit crews for assorted auto racing events across the world, and behind the bucking chutes at top-flight bull riding competitions.

During a four-year stint in the NFL working as an athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles — three as a summer intern and one as a paid professional — Bray taped Hall-of-Famer Reggie White, was part of a team that helped dynamic quarterback Randall Cunningham recover from various knee injuries, and worked alongside talented coaches such as Buddy Ryan, Jeff Fisher and Wade Phillips, to name a few.

Tom Coughlin, the Waterloo native who will lead the NFC champion New York Giants into battle against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Feb. 5, was also a part of those Eagles’ coaching staffs during Bray’s time with the team.

Jeff Bray has worked as an athletic trainer for numerous auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

Bray worked alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team when working in the Champ Car Racing Series. Division I schools, including Bray’s alma mater Boise State, have sought his expertise in the field of athletic training, making enticing job pitches in an attempt to land Bray’s services.

But through an athletic training career that has spanned more than three decades — the last two of them spent at Keuka — there is no place Bray would rather call home than picturesque Keuka College.

“One of the reasons it’s been easy to stay here is because Keuka’s just been a good place to be, with good people who provide a great college experience, be it coaches, parents, administrators, or the student-athletes. Coach Dave Sweet has been an outstanding mentor and has taught me all about the world that is Division III athletics,” said Bray, who became interested in physical training after watching his mother, Nettie, battle back from a debilitating stroke when Bray was 15.

“I really appreciate getting to know the families of the student-athletes here. At a Division I school you never really have any dealings with parents. Keuka is special from that standpoint, and as my kids get older that [relationship with the parents] means more to me, because not too far down the road it’ll be me handing my kids off to a college and I’ll want to feel as comfortable sending my kids off to college as the parents of our student-athletes feel when they send their children to Keuka.”

However, that opinion of Keuka took some time to formulate for Bray, who currently resides in nearby Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, and son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

When Bray was offered the Keuka position, he had his reservations. Sweet, Keuka’s athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team, had been on campus for nine years and was working diligently to transform the Storm from a predominantly women’s sports-based program into a well-rounded, co-ed athletics department that produced championship-caliber teams on the playing fields, and accomplished students in the classroom.

Additionally, Bray had only worked with professional and Division I athletes at his previous jobs, and Keuka was a tiny Division III school smack-dab in the middle of rural Upstate New York.

The Storm didn’t even have a football team, a fact Bray felt was a prerequisite for any potential job. He previously had worked passionately with football teams at every stop along the way: from his student athletic trainer days at Kansas State, to his graduate work at Boise State, through his four-year stint with the Eagles, and his time spent as Illinois State’s head football trainer.

In the end, while the decision was Bray’s to make, his future wife Kristen held the ultimate card. She had grown up in the Buffalo area and was a successful basketball player at Canisius College. Even though the couple wasn’t yet married, Bray realized it was important for Kristen to be closer to her family.

So the couple came to an agreement. Kristen and Jeff would relocate and Bray would try out the Keuka position for two years, and if Bray was unsatisfied at the end of the two-year trial period, Kristen would relocate anywhere in the country as her husband searched for his dream job.

Twenty years later and, the rest is history. Bray said he “fell in love” with the job and the students, and while other colleges and universities have called for Bray’s services, the answer has always been the same: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“I had a unique opportunity at a very young age to reach the pinnacle of our profession,” said Bray, who still carves out time in his busy schedule to work between 5-10 auto races a year as an athletic trainer.

“There are thousands of young athletic trainers, student athletic trainers that aspire to work in pro sports, and only a few get there. I had the opportunity and while I enjoyed my time in the pros, long-term I didn’t know if it was for me. After a lot of thinking, when this job became available I took it and while I couldn’t believe I was at this small college with no football, I owed it to Keuka to give it my best. After all these years this is where I’m supposed to be.”

To achieve peace of mind with his decision about his future, Bray turned to an important part of his past, Otho Davis, his mentor in the athletic training field. Davis was the long-time trainer in the NFL who had worked with the then-Baltimore Colts and was Bray’s boss with the Eagles when Bray secured a summer internship to study under the legendary Davis, who at the time was considered among the best trainers in all of professional sports.

Davis, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2000, was instrumental in swaying Bray to take the job with the Storm. While he was the influence who got Bray into professional sports, Davis also warned Bray of the dangers of working in an industry where off days are few and far between and the average work week could range from 80 to 100 hours.

Davis, who had four sons, rarely got to see his family due to the rigors and demands of the job, a factor Bray considered heavily when debating the pros and cons of the Keuka position.

As Keuka's head athletic trainer, Jeff Bray is responsible for attending to all injured players, whether they play for the Storm or the opposition.

In the end, the chance to help deserving Division III athletes won out. Now, fast-forward 20 years and Bray’s presence has become part of the fiber of a student-athlete’s life. Bray and his staff of athletic trainers work all Keuka College sporting events, ready on the sidelines should an injury befall a member of the Storm or the opposition.

“When I’m asked why I’m still at Keuka, ‘I say why not?’ If our point guard, [Jessica Bandrowski], sprains her ankle and is going to potentially miss some big games coming up, she’s as valuable to her team as [Boise State star quarterback] Kellen Moore is to his team,” said Bray, who used his NFL connections to secure the New York Jets old athletic training equipment when the NFL franchise decided to purchase new equipment in 1998.

“Sure, it’s not going to be in the USA Today or make ESPN that Bandrowski sprained her ankle and might miss a game, but she deserves to be treated like a professional athlete, too. But also, if I go to coach Sweet and say Bandrowski can’t play tomorrow, I’m not going to get the screws put to me [to get her ready to play] to the point that my ethics are pushed and her best interests are questioned in order to get a win.”

Bray’s influence on Keuka’s student-body is not limited to the various playing fields for the Storm’s 16 varsity sports teams. Bray also serves as an adjunct instructor and teaches two sports management classes.

Each fall, as part of their senior class projects, Bray’s sports management students organize the annual Storm Madness pep rally, a raucous affair that provides a first look at the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the campus and neighboring communities.

“Jeff has been my right-hand man for all these years, and he is immensely talented and certainly has a lot to offer to any college,” said Sweet, who credits Bray’s communication skills, problem-solving ability, and self-starter mentality as some of his best personality traits.

“He’s tuned-in well with the needs of our student-athletes and understands what we’re trying to accomplish as a small Division III college athletics program. We’re not all about wins and losses; we try to educate the student-athletes on the overall collegiate experience and Jeff has been extremely helpful, not only to the college but to me in particular.”

Applauding Keuka’s unique Field Period as one of the most beneficial aspects of a Keuka education, Bray backs the college’s required annual 140-hour long internship program that offers real-world work experience to students each year they’re on campus.

“Professionally, if you’re trying to get somewhere, don’t always think you’re going to get somewhere on your own,” said Bray, who originally learned of the Eagles’ summer trainer position through Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, his bosses while Bray was a student athletic trainer at Kansas State.

“There are people that can and will help you if they know where you want to go. I am a firm believer in our Field Period because I lived the internship route, that’s how I got into the NFL. Jim and Hank, my mentors, told me I needed to do an internship in the NFL, and at the time I was probably too stupid to ask questions. But if Otho, Jim or Hank told me to do something, I knew that was what I needed to do. Our students need to get out and have those workplace experiences, but students can’t have a broken want-to. You can’t be the one pushing them; they need the drive and motivation to succeed.”

Throughout the years, Bray’s dedication toward Keuka College and the Storm’s student-athletes has never wavered, and he is just as passionate about his job and this campus as he was July 1, 1992, the day he first reported for duty at Keuka.

“I think you’re missing the boat of life if you’re not passionate about something,” Bray said. “To this day, I’m still doing something I’m passionate about and that’s pretty cool.”

Junior Nate Smith (in green) was named third-team All-East Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Junior Nate Smith (Hilton, NY/Hilton) led the Keuka College men’s soccer team with eight goals and 20 points, and the hard-working midfielder was honored with a third-team All-East Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NCSAA).

For the 12th straight season, Keuka’s men’s soccer team (8-5-3 overall, 5-3-2 North Eastern Athletic Conference) finished with a winning record, and Smith’s play all over the field was a big reason for the Storm’s success.

Smith, a first-team All-NEAC selection, finished the year with eight goals and four assists, the second-most on the squad. He was tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals, including scoring on a flying header late in the 75th minute as Keuka defeated Wells College 2-1 on Oct. 17.

Smith scored three goals during the Storm’s first two games and had goals in three straight games from Oct. 4-13 as the Storm went 2-0-1.

Keuka has had three All-Region selections in the last two seasons, as Smith joins Brian Cunliffe and Jack Reece, who were named third-team All-Region during the 2010 season.

The Storm earned the fourth seed in the NEAC postseason tournament before falling at home to Lancaster Bible College 2-0 in the NEAC quarterfinals. Under seventh-year head coach Matt Tantalo, the Storm has compiled an impressive 67-38-`10 record (.626 winning percentage).

To view the complete All-Region team, click here.

Austin Gerber was one of five Keuka men's soccer players to earn All-NEAC honors. Gerber was chosen as the inaugural NEAC Rookie of the Year.

For the 12th straight season, the Keuka College men’s soccer team finished with a winning record, and on Wednesday the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announced that five members of the Storm (8-5-3 overall, 5-3-2 NEAC) earned spots on the year-ending All-Conference teams.

Freshman Austin Gerber (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) was named the NEAC’s inaugural Rookie of the Year and both Gerber and junior Nate Smith (Hilton, NY/Hilton) were named to the first-team All-NEAC.

The Storm placed a pair of juniors on the All-NEAC second team: forward John Mastrella (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and goalie Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas). Junior defender Reis Cunningham (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek) garnered third-team All-NEAC honors as Keuka earned the fourth seed in the NEAC postseason tournament before falling at home to Lancaster Bible College 2-0 in Tuesday’s NEAC quarterfinals.

Smith, a dynamic midfielder, led the Storm with eight goals and 20 points, and his four assists were second-most on the team. He was tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals, including scoring on a flying header late in the 75th minute as Keuka defeated Wells College 2-1 on Oct. 17. Smith scored three goals during the Storm’s first two games and had goals in three straight games from Oct. 4-13 as the Storm went 2-0-1.

Gerber, a midfielder, started all 16 games for Keuka and made contributions on both sides of the field. He scored his first collegiate goal on a blast from just inside midfield to spark Keuka to a 3-0 home win over D’Youville College on Sept. 14, and added a goal and an assist during a crucial 2-1 NEAC win over Lancaster Bible College that helped the Storm solidify a playoff berth.

Mastrella tied for the team lead with eight goals, and his 17 points was the second-highest total. The creative Mastrella started the year fast, scoring two goals with an assist as the Storm won its first two games. Mastrella led Keuka with seven goals against NEAC foes, including scoring two goals during games against Gallaudet, Penn State-Harrisburg and SUNY Cobleskill. Mastrella also tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals.

Condon, who was named the NEAC’s Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week four times, finished with an impressive 1.18 goals-against average after he allowed only 19 goals in nearly 1,450 minutes on the field. For the season, Condon made 145 saves, the fifth-most saves in a single season for the Storm, trailing Shawn Beldue, who made 225 saves during the 1998 season. Condon, who twice earned Eastern College Athletic Conference’s South Region Defensive Player of the Week honors, made a career-high 16 saves during a 2-1 home win over Wells College on Oct. 13. He recorded five games with double-figure save totals and stopped 88.4 percent of shots with one shutout.

Cunningham was one of the Storm’s best defenders who helped lead a unit that held the opposition to two goals or fewer in 16 of 17 games. Cunningham scored his only goal of the season during a 2-2 draw with Morrisville State on Oct. 25, tying the game on a late header with only 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation. He finished with three points on one goal and two assists.

SUNYIT, the regular-season champion, placed six players on the All-Conference squads, followed by Keuka and Penn State-Abington with five players apiece. Lancaster Bible, Penn State-Harrisburg and Cazenovia each had four players honored, followed by Morrisville State (three), Wells (two) and Gallaudet (one).

To view the complete team, click here.

The Keuka College men's soccer team fell to Lancaster Bible College 2-0 Tuesday afternoon in a NEAC quarterfinal game.

BOXSCORE

The Keuka College men’s soccer team saw its 2011 season end with a 2-0 home defeat to Lancaster Bible College in a playoff game Tuesday afternoon at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

The Storm (8-5-3), the fourth seed in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament, surrendered two own goals and saw its season end in the quarterfinals of the annual NEAC tournament to the fifth-seeded Chargers (10-9-2).

Lancaster, which lost to Keuka 2-1 at home on Oct. 20, threatened to take a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, but junior goalie Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) made a diving save to his right to deny the 15-yard shot.

The Chargers got on the board in the 15th minute, scoring on an own goal. Freshman Austin Gerber (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) had a good look on goal from eight yards out halfway through the period, but his shot went wide of the goal as the Chargers took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

Freshman John Bourgeois (Rochester, NY/Irondequoit) made a heads-up play early in the second to keep the score 1-0. Lancaster Bible had a player open along the left-side of the goal, and Condon came out to challenge his shot. When the pass went across the goal area, the Chargers had a player open along the far post, but Bourgeois wisely cleared the ball away from the goal.

In the 65th minute, the Chargers’ Richard Westerlund fired a shot from 15 yards out towards the near post, but Condon left his feet and made a diving save to again maintain the one-goal deficit.

Despite picking up the attack in the second half, the Storm was unable to create the equalizer, and the deficit grew to 2-0 on an own goal with 5:15 remaining.

Condon made eight saves in the loss for the Storm. He finished with an impressive 1.18 goals-against average after he allowed only 19 goals while making 145 saves in nearly 1,450 minutes on the field. Condon’s save total is the fifth-highest in a single season in Keuka history.

Despite the loss, the Storm clinched another winning season under seventh-year head coach Matt Tantalo. Keuka has never finished with a sub-.500 record in Tantalo’s Keuka career.

Justin Ryan (No. 12) and the No. 4 seed Keuka College men's soccer team will host No. 5 seed Lancaster Bible College in a NEAC quarterfinal contest at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

The Keuka College men’s soccer team has just one win in its last four games, but don’t let the win-loss record fool you, the Storm is playing some of its best soccer of the 2011 season, according to junior goalie Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) and sophomore midfielder Nate Schreiber (Hilton, NY/Hilton).

Heading into Tuesday afternoon’s 2 p.m. North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) quarterfinal clash with No. 5 seed Lancaster Bible College (9-9-2, 5-3-2 NEAC), the fourth-seeded Storm (8-4-3, 5-3-2) has played inspired soccer during its recent 1-1-2 stretch.

While the Storm hasn’t won since a 2-1 road win over Lancaster Bible College on Oct. 20, twice in the last four games the Storm has rallied from a late-game deficit to force a draw, earning hard-fought ties against Morrisville State (2-2 on Oct. 25) and NEAC regular-season champion SUNYIT (1-1 on Oct. 29).

Against the Mustangs, Keuka trailed 2-0 for much of the game, and was down 2-1 entering the 90th minute before Schreiber played a free kick into the box for junior Reis Cunningham (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek). With Keuka’s playoff hopes flickering, Cunningham sent a header high over Morrisville State goalie Shane Sullivan’s arms to tie the score with 1.5 seconds remaining. It was Cunningham’s first goal of the season, and capped a frantic Keuka rally from a 2-0 deficit. Cunningham also assisted on the Storm’s first goal, a bicycle kick from junior Nate Smith (Hilton, NY/Hilton) in the 66th minute that trimmed the deficit to 2-1.

Facing first place SUNYIT on Saturday, Cunningham and the rest of Keuka’s defense clamped down on a potent IT offense and limited the Wildcats to just one goal. Keuka, which trailed 1-0 at halftime, would use its stifling defense to hold the deficit at one goal before sophomore Frank Iacovangelo (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) broke through with the equalizer in the 76th minute.

Cunningham, Condon and the rest of the Storm’s defense made sure SUNYIT didn’t score down the stretch of regulation or the 20-minute overtime periods to clinch the fourth seed in the NEAC tournament.

Condon made a big save in the first overtime period to keep the game tied, and finished with nine saves as the Storm improved to 3-1-3 in its last seven games heading into Tuesday’s quarterfinal.

“We’re definitely a lot more confident than we were last week (at this time),” said Schreiber, who is third on the team with nine points (two goals, five assists).

“We didn’t expect to get a home game, it was a big surprise and we love playing in front of the home crowd. Not having to travel during the middle of the week is big for us, too. We’re definitely really confident about the game.”

Knowing the team can comeback from a late-game deficit has fueled the Storm’s confidence, said Schreiber. Against SUNYIT, in a game where Keuka needed at least a draw to ensure its playoff position, the Storm contained and shut down SUNYIT’s playmakers and limited the speedy Wildcats. Whenever a SUNYIT player had a scoring opportunity, Condon turned them all away.

The reigning three-time NEAC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week, Condon has stopped 137 shots while allowing only 17 goals (a 1.13 goals-against average).

“We did what we had to do to make NEAC’s and we know it’s a new season now,” Condon said. “Everyone is at the same stage this time of year and there’s really no difference between the top seed and the fifth seed, everyone has the same skill set. It’s huge for us to be at home as we try to take Lancaster Bible College down. We’re mentally prepared for this game, it’s all about who is mentally prepared and who has the heart to tough it out and get the win. “

During Keuka’s only prior match against Lancaster Bible this fall, the Storm jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Iacovangelo’s second goal in his last three games. Freshman Austin Gerber (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) served in a well-placed ball from 35 yards out towards the back post for Iacovangelo, who had snuck into the back of Lancaster’s defense.

Iacovangelo received the pass on the edge of the six-yard line and sent a header into the near portion of the goal for the lead in the 20th minute. Lancaster Bible responded with the tying goal in the 44th minute, knotting the score at 1-all when Sean Westerlund beat the Keuka defense and scored just 1:47 before halftime.

On the eventual game-winning goal, again Gerber and Iacovangelo were involved, but this time it was Iacovangelo setting up Gerber. On a quick-strike counter attack from 45 yards out, Iacovangelo served a ball into the box for Gerber, who had made a long diagonal run into the goal area. Iacovangelo’s pass drew Jarrod Bergey, Lancaster’s goalie, off his line and Gerber sent a header high over Bergey’s head for the eventual winning goal in the 70th minute.

Smith paces an efficient Keuka attack, having scored a team-most 20 points on a team-high eight goals and four assists. Junior John Mastrella (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) has scored eight goals with an assist (17 points), followed by Schreiber (nine points), junior Ron Burd (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan), who has four goals for eight points, and Iacovangelo, who has seven points on three goals and an assist.

Taylor Dooley (10 G, 3A) and Westerlund (9G, 5A) are Lancaster’s leading scorers with 23 points, followed by Cory Greiser (6G, 3A, 15 points). In goal, Jarrod Bergey has started all 19 games and has allowed 38 goals with 90 saves (a .732 saves percentage) and a 1.80 goals-against average.

A win over Lancaster Bible would send the Storm to the NEAC semifinals, where top seed SUNYIT (7-0-3 NEAC) awaits in the semifinals, which will be played at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning. No. 2 Cazenovia (6-1-3) and No. 3 Penn State-Harrisburg (5-3-1) will play in the other semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

The NEAC championship game will occur at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, with the winner earning the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

“I definitely think we can win the (NEAC) tournament,” Schreiber said. “If we play our best soccer, there’s not a team out there that we can’t beat. … We’ve definitely exceeded expectations this year. We knew we had the opportunity to be good, but I didn’t think we’d be as successful as we have been. Once we had the early success (winning five of the first six games), the switch turned on and we knew we could succeed.”

Junior Derek Condon made nine saves as the Keuka College men's soccer team rallied for a 1-1 draw at home against first-place SUNYIT Saturday on Senior Day.

BOXSCORE

The Keuka College men’s soccer team rallied from a one-goal deficit to tie first-place SUNYIT 1-1 Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

With the regular season finished, Keuka (8-4-2, 5-3-2) clinched the fourth seed in the North Eastern Athletic Conference postseason tournament, which features the top five teams in the standings and runs Nov. 1-6.

The Storm will host fifth-seeded Lancaster Bible College (5-3-2) in a quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

SUNYIT (7-5-4, 7-0-3), the first-place squad in the NEAC, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute. Francis Leighton received a cross from Regan Seydler and converted past junior goalie Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) 27 minutes and 45 seconds into the contest.

Facing a quick, physical SUNYIT team, the Storm kept up the offensive pressure, and it finally paid off with the equalizer goal in the 76th minute. Freshman Austin Gerber (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) played a ball into sophomore Frank Iacovangelo (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) 15 yards out. Iacovangelo made a touch and slid his shot into the lower-left portion of the goal to knot the score with 14:06 remaining in regulation. It was Iacovangelo’s third goal in Keuka’s last five games.

Though both teams threatened to score in the end of regulation, the game went into overtime. Condon made a big save in the first overtime period to keep the game tied, and finished with nine saves as the Storm improved to 3-1-2 in its last six games.

Junior Reis Cunningham, left, tied the game at 2-all with 1.5 seconds remaining in regulation as Keuka's men's soccer team rallied for a 2-all draw with Morrisville State Tuesday.

BOXSCORE

With time running out during Tuesday afternoon’s pivotal North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) showdown with Morrisville State, the Keuka College men’s soccer team got a huge tying goal late in regulation to keep its postseason dreams alive.

The Storm (8-4-2, 5-3-1 NEAC) rallied to earn a point with a hard-fought 2-2 overtime draw with the Mustangs on a windy afternoon at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

Trailing for the first 89 minutes and 55 seconds, sophomore Nate Schreiber (Hilton, NY/Hilton) played a free kick into the box for junior Reis Cunningham (Red Creek, NY/Red Creek). With Keuka trailing 2-1, Cunningham sent a header high over Morrisville State goalie Shane Sullivan’s arms to tie the score with 1.5 seconds remaining. It was Cunningham’s first goal of the season, and capped a frantic Keuka rally from a 2-0 deficit.

Neither team was able to convert in the two golden-goal overtime periods, though Morrisville State did have a shot glance off the top of the crossbar. Junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) made 12 saves to preserve the tie for the Storm, which wraps up the regular season with a 1 p.m. Senior Day home game against SUNYIT (7-5-3, 7-0-2 NEAC), the first-place team in the NEAC.

The top five teams in the standings qualify for the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6. Keuka currently sits in a tie for third place in the conference along with Penn State-Harrisburg (8-4-2, 5-3-1 NEAC). The Storm has a slight lead on fifth-place Penn State-Abington (7-7, 5-4 NEAC) with Keuka, Harrisburg and Abington all having one NEAC contest remaining to solidify their postseason berths.

The Mustangs (4-8-4, 4-3-3) had several solid looks on goal in the first half, but Condon denied each Morrisville State opportunity. Fifteen minutes into the game, Tom Huber ripped an 18-yard shot that Condon dove and made the save. Nearly four minutes later, it was Keuka’s turn to threaten with the first goal when Schreiber fed junior Nate Smith (Hilton, NY/Hilton) inside the goal box. But Smith pushed his shot wide of the near post and the score remained 0-0.

The Morrisville attack finally broke through in the 23rd minute. Huber broke in on goal and fired a shot that Condon deflected. The ensuing loose ball came back out to Huber, who finished the rebound goal for a 1-0 lead.

With the first half winding down, Condon made another big save to deny the Mustangs a second first-half goal. Huber blasted a shot from 10 yards out that Condon dove to his left and made the clutch save, one of his six in the half.

A persistent Morrisville attack tacked on a second goal 15 minutes into the second half. Off a free kick from Joey Plummer, Alex Borini delivered a header into the far post, past the outstretched arms of Condon

The Storm finally got on the board in the 66th minute. Cunningham played a ball into Smith at the top of the box. In one fluid motion, Smith left his feet and struck a well-placed bicycle kick that sailed over Morrisville goalie Shane Sullivan’s head for Smith’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.

The score remained 2-1 until Schreiber and Cunningham hooked up on the clutch late-game goal.

Austin Gerber, right, scored a goal and added an assist as Keuka College's men's soccer team defeated Lancaster Bible College 2-1 Thursday.

BOXSCORE

Sophomore Frank Iacovangelo (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) and freshman Austin Gerber (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) each scored goals as the Keuka College men’s soccer team picked up its third win in four games with a 2-1 victory over Lancaster Bible College Thursday afternoon in Lancaster, PA.

In a showdown of NEAC rivals jockeying for position in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) standings, it was the Storm (8-4-1, 5-3 NEAC) that scored first, taking a 1-0 lead on Iacovangelo’s second goal in Keuka’s last three games. Gerber served in a well-placed ball from 35 yards out towards the back post for Iacovangelo, who had snuck into the back of Lancaster’s defense. Iacovangelo received the pass on the edge of the six-yard line and sent a header into the near portion of the goal for the lead in the 20th minute.

Lancaster Bible responded with the tying goal in the 44th minute, knotting the score at 1-all when Sean Westerlund beat the Keuka defense and scored just 1:47 before halftime.

On the eventual game-winning goal, again Gerber and Iacovangelo were involved in the score, but this time it was Iacovangelo setting up Gerber for the game-winner. On a quick-strike counter attack from 45 yards out, Iacovangelo served a ball into the box for Gerber, who had made a long diagonal run into the goal area.

Iacovangelo’s pass drew Jarrod Bergey, Lancaster’s goalie, off his line and Gerber sent a header high over Bergey’s head for the eventual winning goal in the 70th minute. It was Gerber’s second goal of the season.

Keuka’s defense then settled down and limited the Chargers’ chances down the stretch to pick up the all-important win. Junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas), the two-time Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Region Defensive Player of the Week, made seven saves in the win.

“We played with a lot of maturity over the last 10-15 minutes, we defended very well collectively and kept our shape and our discipline,” said Matt Tantalo, Keuka’s seventh-year head coach who has never seen the Storm finish with a sub-.500 record during his tenure.

“The challenge today, Lancaster Bible is a very athletic team, so it posed a big challenge for us, but we were up for the challenge and handled it quite well. We showed some maturity today.”

The top five teams qualify for the annual NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6, and Thursday’s win over the Chargers helped the Storm solidify its position in the standings. With just two NEAC contests remaining, Keuka is entrenched in fourth place, a full game ahead of Penn State-Abington (6-7, 4-4 NEAC) for the last remaining playoff spot.

With the loss, Lancaster Bible (5-9-2, 3-3-2 NEAC) fell into a sixth-place tie with Morrisville State.

“This was a very important match for us and a very big win in terms of keeping us in the hunt for the conference tournament,” Tantalo said. “I always tell the guys that for us right now it’s about doing the things we need to do to be successful. I try to deter them from worrying about the results or who we play next, because if we do what we need to do to be successful on the field, the results will come. This was a great result for us today.”

Keuka returns to action at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when it hosts Morrisville State.

Junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) made nine saves, but Keuka's men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision at Elmira College Monday night (Photo by Lauren Schreyack, Sports Information Department).

BOXSCORE

The Keuka College men’s soccer team traveled to Elmira College to take on the always-tough Soaring Eagles 2-0 Monday night at Elmira.

Keuka (7-4-1) surrendered a penalty kick goal in the 27th minute but trailed just 1-0 at halftime. Junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas), both the two-time Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Region and two-time North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Defensive Player of the Week, made seven first-half saves to keep the deficit at one goal.

Elmira (10-2-1) tacked on a second goal in the 52nd minute, scoring off a free kick for a 2-0 lead, and Keuka was unable to get a shot on goal against the stingy Soaring Eagles’ defense. Elmira enjoyed a 25-6 edge in shots, including a 17-3 advantage in the first half.

Condon finished with nine saves for Keuka, which suffered its first non-conference loss of 2011.

The Storm returns to action with a big 1 p.m. NEAC contest Thursday afternoon against Lancaster Bible College (5-8-2, 3-2-2). With three NEAC games remaining before the postseason tournament, Keuka and Lancaster Bible are tied for fourth place in the conference, with the top five teams advancing into postseason play. The NEAC conference tournament runs Nov. 1-6.

Terin Brown and Derek Condon each had strong performances for Keuka's women's and men's soccer teams. Brown was named both the ECAC Upstate's Women's Soccer Player of the Week and the NEAC's Women's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week while Condon was named the ECAC's South Region Player of the Week and the NEAC's Men's Soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week.

Fresh off three wins in three games over the last week, the Keuka College men’s and women’s soccer teams are playing some of their best soccer of the year, and this week, a player from each team earned recognition from both the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).

Junior Terin Brown (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) recorded a pair of two-goal games to help Keuka College’s women’s soccer team earn a pair of pivotal NEAC wins while junior Derek Condon (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) made a career-high 16 saves in Keuka’s 2-1 win over Wells College on Thursday night.

For helping their teams solidify their postseason chances, Brown was honored as both the ECAC Upstate Region’s Women’s Soccer Player of the Week and the NEAC’s Women’s Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week while Condon netted his third NEAC Men’s Soccer Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week award and his second straight ECAC South Region Defensive Player of the Week.

As the regular season winds down, securing conference wins becomes increasingly important as teams jockey for position in the NEAC. Against Wells College at home on Thursday night, Brown’s timely goals helped ensure Keuka would remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. Despite falling behind to Wells 3-0, the Storm never panicked and chipped away at the Wells lead. Brown’s first goal of the game pulled Keuka within 3-1 in the 56th minute, and she completed the comeback by scoring on a breakaway goal just 3:40 into the first overtime period as Keuka stormed back to win, 5-4 in overtime.

Brown received a well-played feed from junior Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) and, while on a breakaway, finished for her first career game-winning goal. She also added two goals in a span of nine minutes in the first half as the Storm took a 4-0 halftime lead en route to a 5-1 win at Wilson College on Saturday. Brown leads Keuka with five goals on the year.

Keuka (6-5-1, 6-2-1 NEAC) has won five straight NEAC games and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the conference with the win. The top six teams qualify for the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6.

The men were in a similar situation as the Keuka women, but the men only had one chance to improve their postseason positioning this week. Condon, the reigning Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and NEAC Defensive Player of the Week, made sure the Storm walked away from its Thursday night home game against Wells a winner.

Condon made a career-high 16 saves to earn his seventh win of the 2011 season as Keuka (7-3-1, 4-3 NEAC) rallied for a 2-1 win over the Express. Condon made several big-time saves in each half, including leaping and punching a would-be goal over the crossbar early in the second half to preserve the lead. With the win, Keuka moved into sole possession of fourth place in the NEAC with four NEAC contests remaining. The top five squads advance into the NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6.

For the year, Condon is 7-3-1 with 100 saves, 11 goals-against and a 1.03 goals-against average. He has stopped 90.1 percent of the shots he’s faced. Condon was previously honored by the NEAC as its Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week for the weeks ending Sept. 5 and Oct. 10.