No. 15 Men’s Soccer Set to Battle Utica in Empire 8 Semis
HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 4, 2010) – The 15th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team will face Utica College on Friday evening at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Men's Soccer Championship at the De Baun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N.J. The Ducks come in with a record of 12-1-3 overall, 6-0-1 in the Empire 8, and defeated Utica, 4-1, on Saturday, October 30.
Stevens went up 1-0 in the 12th minute thanks to a gorgeous goal from sophomore Zach Adler (McKinney, Texas) and never looked back en route to their sixth conference win of the season. Junior Tarik Kramcha (Denver, Colo.) tallied a pair of gorgeous goals himself, one in the 31st minute and another 5:22 into the second half to give the Ducks a 3-0 lead, and junior Zach Bowman (La Plata, Md.) put home his first of the season at 79:56 thanks to a nice pass from sophomore Victor Daza (North Plainfield, N.J.) to cap the Stevens scoring.
The Ducks are led by four seniors in goalkeeper Zach Carr (Carmel, Ind.), Empire 8 Player of the Year Nolan Sandberg (Grayslake, Ill.), back Bryan De Faria (Hillside, N.J.), and midfielder Michael Quijano (Jersey City, N.J.). Carr is second nationally in save percentage and goals-against average and was named first-team All-Empire 8 for the second time in as many years. Sandberg leads the conference with 12 goals, is second in points and notched four game-winning tallies for the Ducks this season, while De Faria is one of the anchors in a Stevens defense that has allowed just four goals against all season. De Faria was also a first-team all-conference selection. Quijano was honorable mention all-conference and is a member of the Stevens midfield. The Jersey City, N.J. native takes many of the Ducks' corner kicks and is a superb facilitator.
Daza and Adler were both first-team all-conference selections and are second and third on the team in points, while junior back Peter Bednarsky (Hackettstown, N.J.), like De Faria, has been fantastic for the Stevens defense and was a first-team All-Empire 8 pick for the first time. Junior back Anthony Roden (Red Creek, N.Y.) was second-team all-conference as a defender but has also scored two goals and recorded an assist.
Freshman Stephen Dunbar (Atlanta, Ga.) is third on the Ducks in goals scored with four and has had a solid rookie season.
In total, Stevens out-tallied its foes 33-4 this season and did not allow a goal against in its first 10 contests. The Ducks outscored Empire 8 opponents, 22-1 in 2010, and against the three other conference tournament participants, Utica, Nazareth College, and Elmira College, Stevens was 3-0 and outscored those three squads, 13-1.
The other semifinal will feature third-seeded Elmira College visiting Nazareth College on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Live stats and a webcast for that contest can be found by clicking here.
If the Ducks win, they will host the title game on Sunday at the De Baun Athletic Complex. Kick-off is slated for 11 a.m. and all the action will be broadcast live at www.PennAtlantic.com.
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