Men's Soccer
November 7, 2005
MEN’S SOCCER: LE MOYNE NAMED THIRD SEED IN NEW ENGLAND REGION, GAINS FIRST TRIP TO NCAA TOURNAMENT SINCE 1977
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – One day after capturing its first Northeast-10 Conference championship, the Le Moyne College men’s soccer team has earned its first NCAA tournament berth since the 1977 season and third in program history. No automatic berths are granted for Division II men’s soccer. The Dolphin (14-5-2) will return to Rindge, N.H. as the No. 3 seed in the New England Regional to meet second-seeded Franklin Pierce (13-5-2) on Thursday.
"I believe our team will rise to the challenge of being in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977,” sixth-year head coach Tom Bonus said. “We plan to do nothing different than what we've done all year. I expect we'll go in and try to outwork and out-compete teams. Hopefully, the results will take care of themselves."
The opening round contest between Le Moyne and No. 14 Franklin Pierce serves as a rematch of Sunday’s Northeast-10 Conference Championship. The Dolphins edged their hosts 1-0 on Sunday for the first title in program history. Franklin Pierce, the defending regional champions and Northeast-10 Conference regular season champions, topped Le Moyne 3-1 in the regular season meeting between the two programs on Oct. 4.
Dominican College (18-1) awaits the winner of Thursday’s opening round. The top-seeded Chargers, ranked seventh in the NSCAA/adidas Division II poll, will play the winner on Saturday at Franklin Pierce. Dominican rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Le Moyne 3-2 (OT) in Syracuse on Oct. 24. The Chargers also edged Franklin Pierce in their only meeting, 3-1 on Sept. 4.
Le Moyne features an opportunistic offense and one of the nation’s top defenses. The Dolphins have outscored their opposition 44-18 this season, including a 23-3 edge in the opening half of games.
As a team, the Le Moyne defense which features in the back seniors Joe Sroka (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool), Kladji Lika (Syracuse, N.Y./Bryant & Stratton), Geoff Berger (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) and sophomore Mark Lukowiecki (Edinburgh, Scotland/Queensferry), have posted 11 shutouts this season. Senior goalkeeper Tim Mann (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) has recorded a program-record 10 shutouts this season. Statistically the top keeper in program history, he enters the NCAA tournament 12-5-2 with a 0.86 goals against average and .847 save percentage this season.
On the offensive end, sophomore midfielder Eric Macias (Silver Spring, Md./Wheaton) paces the Dolphins with 10 goals and 26 total points. Northeast-10 Conference Championship Most Valuable Player Rob Moskwa (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee) scored both goals in Le Moyne’s semifinal 2-1 (2OT) win over Bryant and netted the only goal in the championship triumph at Franklin Pierce. Moskwa, who was sidelined for five games this season, has scored eight goals and totaled 20 points. Senior midfielder Mariel Lako (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) has scored seven goals and tallied 20 points, while junior Ryan Cunningham (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Baldwinsville) has scored six goals.
New England Region
Site: Franklin Pierce College, November 10 and 12
Rindge, New Hampshire
Teams: 1. Dominican (New York) (18-1-0) – first-round bye
2. Franklin Pierce (13-5-4)
3. Le Moyne (14-5-2)
Thursday, November 10
Franklin Pierce vs. Le Moyne
Saturday, November 12
Dominican (New York) vs. Winner of First Round
