Jeff Bray, right, Keuka College's head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director, has worked as an athletic trainer for dozens of auto races, including an open wheel race when he met Helio Castroneves, an IndyCar driver and three-time Indy 500 champion.

By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director

Growing up on his parents’ gas station in Sterling, Kansas, Jeff Bray was surrounded by automobiles at an early age, so it should come as no surprise that the longtime Keuka College head athletic trainer/assistant athletic director considers himself an avid “Gear Head,” an affectionate term used to describe diehard motorsports fans.

Bray was bitten by the auto racing bug and has been going to the local and national speedways for as long as he can remember.

“I got into cars and into racing because I grew up on a gas station, and my wife [Kristen] says if you cut me I’ll probably bleed motor oil, and she believes that,” Bray recalled with a laugh and a smile.

“My parents had a friend who raced cars, and my dad provided tires for him, so I grew up thinking [that driver] was Zeus-like, he was awesome behind the wheel. Watching the Indy 500 was always the best day of the year, better than Christmas for me, and I lived for Memorial Day.”

For the last 18 years, Bray has carved time into his busy Keuka College schedule to work as an athletic trainer at dozens of races each year, including NASCAR, Indy Car and the American Le Mans Series. His efforts have taken him across the world assisting on race days.

“I’ve never had a bad day at the racetrack in 18 years,” said Bray, who is celebrating his 20th year at Keuka College and who resides in Penn Yan with wife, Kristen, son Tyler, 15, and daughter Kelly, 13.

“Even when things haven’t gone right, I’m still at the racetrack and that’s what keeps me going, I am fortunate to ply my trade into something I’m passionate about.”

As a teenager, Bray had some insight into his future professional career and knew how he wanted to spend his working days.  

Bray’s mother, Nettie, suffered a stroke when Bray was just 15 years old, leaving her without use of her right arm and right leg. Despite the stroke, Bray’s mom, “never complains about anything,” and after watching her dedicated efforts to rehab from her injuries, Bray decided to enroll at a pre-physical therapy program at Kansas State University, located roughly 140 miles away from Sterling.

“I went to my mother’s physical therapy sessions and I thought it was pretty neat how these people were so passionate about helping my mom recover from her injury,” Bray said.

“I’d never been around physical therapists before, so I thought how they helped people recover from their injuries was pretty cool.”

When Bray was still in high school, his government teacher approached him with an interesting question. As a sophomore at Sterling High School, this government teacher asked Bray: “Do you think you have a better chance to play football at Kansas State, or be a student-athletic trainer. I didn’t know what that field was, so I attended a Cramer Sports Medicine summer workshop.”

There, Bray met Bud Epps, the assistant trainer at Missouri who eventually became an assistant athletic trainer for the Kansas City Chiefs. Epps took Bray under his wing, and after enrolling at Kansas State, Bray worked as a student athletic trainer and worked the Wildcats’ home and away football games.

While on a road trip to Iowa State with the Wildcats’ football team, Bray was out to dinner with Jim Rudd and Hank Fijalkowski, Bray’s bosses at Kansas State, and the topic of landing a summer internship with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles popped up. While Bray was skeptical he could ever land a gig in the NFL, he applied for the position anyways and was selected as one of roughly 10-12 summer interns in the athletic training department.

In-between his sophomore and junior years at Kansas State, Bray began his first of three seasons as a summer intern, and he did such a commendable job he was asked back for one year as a paid trainer following his graduation from Kansas State.

While with the Eagles, Bray taped Reggie White, the Eagles’ fierce pass rusher and eventual Hall-of-Famer. During the 1987 NFL Players Strike, Bray recalls working the Eagles’ home opener at the old Veterans Stadium as Philadelphia hosted the Chicago Bears before 4,000 fans.

“The first person I met, as far as players go, was [quarterback] Ron Jaworski. He brought us [athletic trainers] a couple of large pizzas and some beverages, and he was as common Joe as they come,” said Bray, whose office inside the Weed Physical Arts Center has plenty of mementos from his stint with the Eagles.

“Mike Golic was there and he was a great guy, Reggie White was a lot of fun to be around, I’ll never forget his personality and the passion he brought, not only to football but later on to his ministry career. There were just a lot of great guys to be around: Cris Carter, Keith Byars, Seth Joyner, Clyde Simmons, Jerome Brown, Terry Hoage. We also had Jeff Fisher as the defensive backs coach, Wade Phillips was linebackers coach, Tom Coughlin was a defensive coach and of course, Buddy Ryan was the head coach for my second year. A majority of those coaches went onto become head coaches in the NFL, and it’s amazing they all came from that one team.”

While it might seem glamorous working with an NFL team, Bray said the job definitely had its challenges, including grueling work days with few days off, especially in-season. But there were plenty of benefits to the position, Bray said, including working with professional athletes at the highest level and having an apartment in Veterans Stadium that allowed him to wander into the stadium’s bullpen and dugouts on quiet nights.

One day, the Eagles and baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies were holding a charity bowling tournament, and the Eagles’ front office assembled a team that included Bray.

“This guy comes and sits down next to me, we’re putting our bowling shoes on, and he’s wearing slacks and a golf shirt and he asks if I worked for the Eagles, and I said yes,” Bray recalled. “I asked who he worked for and he said the Phillies, and we’re just talking while putting our bowling shoes on when this little kid comes in and says, ‘Mr. Schmidt, can I have your autograph?’ and I look over and see that I’ve been talking to Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt this whole time! I start undoing my shoes, went to the sporting goods store down the street, bought a National League baseball and asked Mike to sign it for me. He said, ‘You didn’t know who I was, did you?’ and we laughed about it. Charles Barkley was bowling a few lanes down from us, and what struck me was they were just guys out bowling, no one made a big deal about it.”

Following a stint at Illinois State, Bray was offered the head athletic trainer job at Keuka July 1, 1992. After his first year with the Storm Bray was working with Mobile Sports Medicine Director Don Andrews at the First Frontier Circuit Rodeo finals in Albany in 1993, when Bray casually asked Andrews about his recent trip to Phoenix, Ariz.

Andrews, who has been a driving force in increasing safety in the sports of bull riding, auto racing, skiing and equestrian, mentioned he had met with Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip about beginning a sports medicine program in the Winston Cup circuit. Bray expressed an interest in assisting at various races, and Andrews welcomed him to the team for 8 to 10 races a year.

After his team lost its sponsorship in 1998, Bray switched to open wheel racing and the CART Series, which has evolved into the Champ Car World Series, and worked races across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, England and Japan.

While working alongside legendary actor/race car driver Paul Newman and the drivers of his Newman/Haas Racing Team in the Champ Car Racing Series, Bray recalls the time he observed Newman hunched over a sink in the medical center.

“Paul was one of the most outstanding people I ever spent a minute talking to. He had the cream of the crop in open wheel racing, so if a driver was injured, Paul would accompany them to the medical center,” Bray said. “So I turn around one night and see Paul over the sink, and he’d cut the tip of his finger making a salad for some guests, so we took care of his finger and got a surgeon to suture Paul up. Paul hung around afterwards and entertained us with his stories, and I’ll never forget him coming over and introducing himself to me, saying, ‘I’m Paul Newman, what’s your name?’ And I’m thinking to myself ‘I know who you are!’ They’re looked upon as bigger than life, but they’re just good, hard-working people and that’s really the neatest thing.”

While working a race in Mexico City, Mexico in 2007, Bray had the opportunity to ride in the back seat of an F1 car driven by Champ Car World Series driver Zsolt Baumgartner. After donning the fire-proof gear, Bray experienced the sensation of flying through the road at speeds of 175 miles-per-hour.

“Outside of the birth of my kids and my wedding day, that is the single coolest day I’ve ever had,” said Bray, who one day hopes to drive a Sprint car on a dirt track.

“It’s fast riding in a car at those speeds, but the speed is not as cool as the car’s breaking power. Going from 175 MPH to literally zero in a very short distance and not squealing the tires, then turning right and do it again, there’s no way to describe the rush; it’s like the best roller coaster at Darien Lake on steroids. … My career in auto racing all started with me asking a question, and to this day I’m still doing something I’m passionate about, and that’s pretty cool.”

If Bray had his way and could work any sporting event in the world as athletic trainer, what would he chose?

“It would probably have to be something in auto racing, but if I was going as a team athletic trainer, it would probably be Game 7 of the World Series,” said Bray, who added he would never go to the Super Bowl as a fan, only if he was working the event down on the field.

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.”

Sophomore Brooke Lovell was one of five members of the Keuka College women's soccer team to earn All-NEAC honors, the conference announced Wednesday.

The Keuka College women’s soccer team earned another trip to the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament and finished with a .500 or better record for the 13th consecutive season. The NEAC announced on Wednesday that five members of the Storm (8-7-1, 8-3-1 NEAC) were named to the year-ending All-NEAC teams.

Senior Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan) was named to the first-team All-NEAC, junior Terin Brown (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) earned second-team All-NEAC while senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison), junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) and sophomore Brooke Lovell (Arkport, NY/Arkport) each were named third-team All-NEAC.

Disbrow was an anchor in the back of Keuka’s defense, and along with Lovell helped slow down the opposition’s top scorers. Disbrow totaled seven points (three goals, one assist) and scored all three of her goals at home, including during a 3-2 win over SUNYIT on Saturday that clinched the No. 4 seed in the NEAC’s postseason tournament.

Brown finished second on the Storm in both goals scored (five) and points (10) and had two game-winning goals as a midfielder. Brown had back-to-back two-goal games during wins over Wells College and Wilson College to earn both the NEAC’s Student-Athlete of the Week and the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s (ECAC) Upstate Player of the Week honors. She netted the winner on a breakaway goal less than five minutes into overtime as the Storm rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Wells 5-4 on Oct. 13.

In her first season playing soccer at any level, Engelbert stepped in and was a valuable member of the Storm defense. Engelbert started the final 12 games and posted a 7-5 record while allowing 24 goals in 1,084 minutes on the field (a 1.99 goals-against average). During a four-game stretch from Oct. 4 through Oct. 20, Engelbert made 43 saves with three double-digit save efforts and finished with 100 saves. She earned shutouts in three of her first six starts.

Sharick provided a valuable scoring touch for the Storm, leading Keuka in goals (six) and points (15). All six of Sharick’s goals came against NEAC foes, highlighted by her two-goal effort during a 4-2 win over Morrisville State on Oct. 25. Twice Sharick netted the game-winner as she suited up in 14 matches for the Storm.

Like Disbrow, Lovell played a big role in Keuka’s defensive success during the season. Lovell started all 16 games as a defender and helped the Storm limit its NEAC opponents to 19 goals in 12 games.

For the complete listing of the women’s soccer All-NEAC teams, click here.

Senior Morgan Engelbert made nine saves, but the Keuka College women's soccer team lost to Penn State-Berks Tuesday afternoon in a NEAC quarterfinal game.

BOXSCORE

The Keuka College’s women’s soccer team surrendered an early goal and lost to Penn State-Berks 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament Tuesday afternoon at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

Berks (9-7-1), the fifth seed, struck first, scoring in the fifth minute when Lyndsay Naughton collected a loose ball, turned and scored towards the far post for her 10th goal of the season. The fourth-seeded Storm (8-7-1) clamped down defensively and did not allow a goal the remainder of the game.

Unfortunately for Keuka, its offense couldn’t get on track against the Nittany Lions’ swarming defense.

Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made nine saves and Engelbert and the Storm defense did limit the Nittany Lions to one goal. Leading 1-0, Berks threatened halfway through the first half, but Engelbert made a big save in the 15th minute and the Nittany Lions’ shot glanced off the post in the 23rd minute.

The Storm managed only five shots, and only junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) and freshman Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) were able to record a shot on goal.

After halftime, Swarts took aim at Berks’ goalie Savannah Cramer and ripped a 20-yard shot that sailed wide of the net in the 66th minute. Two minutes later, it was Engelbert’s turn for a big save as she denied Naughton’s shot towards the near post from six yards out.

Keuka’s best scoring opportunity came with 16:12 remaining, when Sharick stole the ball and fired a long range shot from 25 yards out, but Cramer tracked the shot and made the save along the far post.

For the 13th straight season, the Keuka women’s soccer team finished with a .500 or better record.

Nicole Sharick and the Keuka women's soccer team will host Penn State-Berks at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon in a NEAC quarterfinal game.

Since suffering a 9-0 setback at home to SUNY Geneseo, the Keuka College women’s soccer team has been on a tear, winning five of six games to secure the fourth seed in the upcoming North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) postseason tournament, which kicks off at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

The Storm (8-6-1 overall, 8-3-1 NEAC) hosts fifth-seeded Penn State-Berks (7-3-1 NEAC) at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex in the quarterfinals of the six-team tournament.

The Storm has outscored the opposition 19-11 during the hot spell, including earning a 4-2 win over Morrisville State on Oct. 25 and a 3-2 victory over SUNYIT during Saturday’s Senior Day festivities.

Junior Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) chose a good time to score her first two goals of the season. The playmaking and distributing forward, who leads the Storm with five assists, got into the scoring act Saturday to help shore up the Storm’s NEAC postseason chances as Keuka picked up a hard-fought win over the Wildcats.

Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan) also scored while Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made eight saves for her seventh win.

Tuesday’s NEAC quarterfinal match will be the 10th meeting between Berks and Keuka, and the third in the postseason. Keuka has captured both playoff meetings and leads the all-time series 6-2-1.

“It’s big heading into the NEAC tournament to win like this (over SUNYIT), now we have a lot of momentum heading into NEAC’s,” Capek said after Saturday’s Senior Day win.

“I think we’re peaking at the perfect time. … At this point in the season it’s so important to come out, play together and win because we know we have a chance to play in the NEAC’s and see how far we can go.”

Keuka traveled to Lancaster on Sept. 10 for the NEAC opener for both schools. Junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) scored the equalizer in the 66th minute as the Storm rallied for a 1-1 tie with Berks. The Nittany Lions had taken a 1-0 lead on a goal by Natalie Woods in the 59th minute before Sharick responded with the clutch tying goal. After receiving a chipped ball on a breakaway, Sharick beat her defender with her dribble, got the Berks goalie to come out of the net and buried the shot into the lower-right corner of the net for the Storm.

Freshman Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) tied a career-high with 12 saves in goal for Keuka. A lot has changed for both teams since that match. Swarts is now a solid contributor in the midfield for Keuka, having scored both of her goals during the Storm’s last four games.

Sharick leads the Storm in scoring (six goals, three assists, 15 points), followed by junior Terin Brown (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton), who has five goals (10 points), Capek (2G, 5A, 10 points) and Disbrow (3G, 1A, 7 points). Sophomore Britni Burch (Almond, NY/Arkport) has added three goals for Keuka, which scored seven goals in its first nine games before exploding for 19 over its last six games.

Engelbert, in her first-ever season playing soccer at any level, has an impressive 7-4 record and has made 91 saves while allowing 23 goals (a 2.08 goals-against average) with three shutouts.

Lyndsay Naughton leads the Nittany Lion offensive attack with nine goals and three assists (21 points), followed by Natalie Woods (5G, 2A, 12 points), Alexa Shumate (3G, 5A, 11 points), Chelsea Ray (2G, 1A, 5 points) and Melissa Bennett (1G, 3A 5 points). In goal, Savannah Cramer has started all 16 games and is 8-6-1 with 75 saves, a 1.36 goals-against average and six shutouts.

Top seed Lancaster Bible College (11-0 NEAC), the NEAC’s regular-season champion, will face the winner of Keuka and Penn State-Berks in one semifinal, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. No. 2 Penn State-Abington (11-1 NEAC) awaits the winner of No. 3 Penn State-Harrisburg (8-3) and No. 6 SUNYIT (6-4-1) in the other semifinal, which will be played at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“This season has been a little difficult for us, it’s been hard between injuries and always altering our starting lineups so people are in different spots,” said Disbrow, one of two seniors on the roster.

“We’ve developed into more of a cohesive unit because we’ve been playing this way for a couple of games now. Having this lineup on the field is definitely a step in the right direction and we’re just looking forward to the postseason. I think we will be a threat.”

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.

Stephanie Havens assisted on Sarah Capek's game-winning goal to help the Keuka College women's soccer team defeat SUNYIT 3-2 Saturday afternoon on Senior Day.

BOXSCORE

Junior Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) chose a good time to score her first two goals of the season.

The playmaking and distributing forward, who leads the Storm with five assists, got into the scoring act during Saturday’s Senior Day game against SUNYIT to help shore up the Storm’s postseason chances as Keuka (8-6-1, 8-3-1) picked up a hard-fought 3-2 win over SUNYIT at the Jephson Community Athletic Complex.

“This was huge to get the win. Last year we had a rough game against SUNYIT and lost 7-1, so coming back this year and beating them was huge for us,” Capek said with a broad smile after the Storm won for the fifth time in six games.

“It’s big heading into the NEAC tournament to win like this, now we have a lot of momentum heading into NEAC’s. I think we’re peaking at the perfect time. … At this point in the season it’s so important to come out, play together and win because we know we have a chance to play in the NEAC’s and see how far we can go.”

With the regular season finished, Keuka earned the fourth seed in the NEAC postseason tournament. The top six teams in the standings qualify for the tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6.

Keuka will host fifth-place Penn State-Berks (7-3-1) in a NEAC quarterfinal game at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

After a scoreless first half, senior Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan) staked the Storm to a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute. With less than 30 minutes remaining, junior Shelby Seeley (Livonia, NY/Livonia) chipped a pass from 30 yards out into Disbrow, who hit a right-footed shot that sailed over the head of SUNYIT keeper Aubrey Campbell. It was Disbrow’s third goal of the season, and all three goals have come during home games.

“It was sweet to score on Senior Day,” said Disbrow, who along with goalie Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) and student-assistant coach Sara James were honored for their Keuka careers at halftime of Saturday’s game.

“But my goal was all because of Shelby. She had an awesome cross in and I just got a foot on it and it happened to go over the goalie, so all the credit goes to her … and Capek was just awesome out there today.”

SUNYIT tied it 90 seconds later before Capek came through with her first goal of the season. Following a bad clear by the Wildcats, Capek collected a loose ball and ripped a shot from 15 yards out that soared into the upper-middle portion of the goal in the 74th minute. SUNYIT (8-8-1, 6-4-1) knotted the score at 2-all with 8:29 remaining, but Capek made sure Keuka’s three seniors walked away victorious on Senior Day.

Sophomore Stephanie Havens (Unadilla, NY/Unatego) sent a cross from the right side of the goal area into the middle of the box for Capek, who turned and pushed her shot into the far post with 5:05 remaining.

Engelbert made eight saves for her seventh win of the year.

“I feel this is a step in the right direction,” Disbrow said. “This season has been a little difficult for us, it’s been hard between injuries and always altering our starting lineups so people are in different spots. We’ve developed into more of a cohesive unit because we’ve been playing this way for a couple of games now. Having this lineup on the field is definitely a step in the right direction and we’re just looking forward to the postseason. I think we will be a threat.”

Junior Nicole Sharick scored two goals as the Keuka College women's soccer team picked up a 4-2 win over Morrisville State Tuesday night.

BOXSCORE

Freshman Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) scored her second goal in three games and junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke) added two goals as the Keuka College women’s soccer team picked up a pivotal North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory with a 4-2 win over Morrisville State on a rainy Jephson Community Athletic Center field Tuesday night.

Sophomore Britni Burch (Almond, NY/Arkport) added her third goal of the season to finish off the scoring and help the Storm (7-6-1, 7-3-1 NEAC) solidify its postseason chances.

Keuka moved into a tie with Penn State-Berks (7-3-1 NEAC) for fourth-place in the NEAC standings. The top six teams earn berths in the postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6. Keuka and Berks trail third-place Penn State-Harrisburg (7-3) by half a game, with Keuka and Berks having one NEAC contest remaining, and Harrisburg with two conference games remaining.

Swarts staked Keuka to a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, collecting a rebound and converting her shot towards the far post for the early lead. It remained 1-0 into the second half, when Sharick collected a loose ball from Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) and scored in the 57th minute for a 2-0 lead.

The Storm defense denied every Mustangs (3-11-1, 2-9-1) opportunity before Burch pushed the lead to 3-0 with an unassisted goal in the 68th minute.

Morrisville got on the board in the 72nd minute when Kara Collins scored on a scramble in front of the net, but Sharick responded with her second goal of the game, and team-leading sixth goal of 2011, in the 78th minute for a 4-1 lead.

Jordan Nadeau pulled the Mustangs within 4-2 in the 80th minute, but the Storm defense made the lead stand. Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made four saves for the win.

The Storm concludes the regular season with a 3 p.m. home showdown Saturday afternoon against SUNYIT (8-7-1, 6-3-1 NEAC). It will be Senior Day for Keuka’s three seniors: Elly Disbrow (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan), Engelbert and student assistant coach Sara James (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) will be honored for their dedication to the Storm soccer team.

Goalie Morgan Engelbert made 12 saves in Keuka College's 2-0 loss at Lancaster Bible College on Thursday.

BOXSCORE

The Keuka College women’s soccer traveled to first-place Lancaster Bible College for a big showdown Thursday afternoon, but despite holding one of the nation’s highest-scoring Division III squads to one goal over the first 85 minutes, the Storm suffered a 2-0 setback to the Chargers in Lancaster, PA.

Lancaster (14-1, 9-0 NEAC) entered the game having outscored its opponents 52-8 and was among the top 20 scoring offenses in all of Division III. The Storm (6-6-1, 6-3-1 NEAC) held Lancaster Bible scoreless over the first 32 minutes until the Chargers broke through for a header goal in the 33rd minute to take a 1-0 lead.

After surrendering the goal, the Keuka defense clamped down and limited Lancaster Bible’s opportunities, but unfortunately for the Storm, it wasn’t able to come up with the tying goal, and Lancaster Bible tacked on a goal in the 86th minute to seal the win.

Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made 12 saves for her third double-digit save total in her last four games as Keuka was outshot 26-4 by the Chargers.

With the loss, Keuka falls into a fifth-place tie with Penn State-Berks (7-7-1, 6-3-1) in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) standings with two NEAC games remaining. The top six teams qualify for the annual NEAC postseason tournament, which runs Nov. 1-6.

The Storm returns to action with a 6 p.m. home game Tuesday night against Morrisville State.

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.

Stephanie Havens and the Keuka College women's soccer team thumped Wilson College 5-1 Saturday afternoon for its fifth straight NEAC victory.

BOXSCORE

Junior Terin Brown (Wayland, NY/Wayland-Cohocton) and freshman Kristen Bartholomay (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) each scored two goals while freshman Ashley Swarts (Arkport, NY/Arkport) scored her first career collegiate goal as Keuka College’s women’s soccer team thumped Wilson College to pick up its fourth win in its last five games with a 5-1 win Saturday afternoon.

The Storm (6-5-1, 6-2-1 North Eastern Athletic Conference) also won its fifth straight NEAC contest to seize control in the race for a postseason berth. With just three NEAC contests remaining, the Storm moved into a tie with Penn State-Berks (7-5-1, 6-2-1 NEAC) in the conference standings.

Keuka’s offense pounced on Wilson (1-11, 0-9 NEAC), scoring four goals during a span of 19 minutes in the first half and led 4-0 at halftime.

After scoring two goals during Thursday night’s come-from-behind, 5-4 overtime thriller against Wells College, Brown recorded her second straight two-goal game of the season.

Keuka and Wilson were held scoreless over the first 17-plus minutes before the Storm’s quick-strike attack struck for two quick goals.

Swarts staked the Storm to a 1-0 lead when she converted off a feed from junior Sarah Hillman (Elmira, NY/ Elmira Free Academy) in the 18th minute before Brown scored two goals in a span of nine minutes midway through the first half to give visiting Keuka a 3-0 lead. On both of Brown’s scores, junior Sarah Capek (Elmira, NY/Horseheads) delivered well-placed balls into Brown, who finished both for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.

The Storm would tack on a fourth first-half goal when Bartholomay got into the scoring action. Freshman Lauren Piampiano (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) played a through ball into Bartholomay, who scored in the 37th minute for the Storm’s fourth goal in the last 19 minutes. Bartholomay finished the scoring for Keuka in the 75th minute, scoring on a header off a corner kick from junior Nicole Sharick (Corfu, NY/Pembroke).

Capek finished with two assists while Piampiano, Hillman and Sharick each added an assist apiece for Keuka, which outshot Wilson 22-12. The Storm defense blanked Wilson for the first 84 minutes until the Phoenix broke through in the 85th minute.

Senior Morgan Engelbert (Elmira, NY/Thomas Edison) made six saves for the win.

Keuka’s next contest is against NEAC-leading Lancaster Bible College (13-1, 8-0 NEAC) when the Storm travels to Lancaster Bible at 3 p.m. on Thursday.