Let the Games Begin
August 24, 2007
Boca veteran midfielder Mark Schmiegel of Bucknell University will try to lead the Bison back to the NCAA men’s soccer tournament in 2007. Schmiegel is one of the sixty-seven Boca players and coaches who will landscape college rosters across the nation as the 2007 NCAA college soccer season begins on Friday. The sixty-seven set a new all-time high for number of Boca alumni participating in college soccer during the same NCAA season.
Let the Games Begin
Sixty-seven Jersey Shore Boca players and coaches landscape college rosters across the nation as the 2007 NCAA college soccer season begins
Club sets new all-time high for number of alumni competing during the same NCAA season
TOMS RIVER, NJ (August 23, 2007) – When the 2007 NCAA college soccer season kicks-off on Friday, August 31, chances are that shore area soccer fans will not have to look very far to find a former or current Jersey Shore Boca player participating with some college team either facing opponents on the field or coaching from the sidelines somewhere throughout the United States.
Sixty-seven Jersey Shore Boca standouts who previously played for the Club on either their Men’s, Women’s, Super Y-League, PDL, Club or Youth teams, will participate in NCAA intercollegiate soccer this fall representing their respective institutions as players and coaches in some of the top college soccer programs in the nation.
The sixty-seven mark the highest number ever of Jersey Shore Boca players and coaches to participate in NCAA intercollegiate soccer during the same season in the Club’s twenty-nine year history.
Eight former Boca standouts will lead their college teams from sidelines this season including West Virginia’s head men’s coach Marlon LeBlanc (East Windsor) who was tabbed the 2006 “Coach of the Year” by both Soccer America and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
LeBlanc was part of the two-time Boca NJ State Cup Championship teams coached by Dave Ellis in the early-1990s.
Also guiding his team for the 12th season this year is George Gelnovatch (Wall), head men’s coach at the University of Virginia and one of the most recognized Jersey Shore Boca alumni in history.
Gelnovatch, who played several years in Boca’s youth system in the mid-1980s under long-time Boca coach Walt Pericciuoli while attending Wall High School, has led Virginia to numerous ACC titles and eleven NCAA Tournament appearances as head coach.
In addition to the eight coaches, fifty-nine Jersey Shore Boca players will be either battling opponents, including squaring-off against each other, or will be college teammates when the college soccer season begins on Friday.
Leading this season’s list of Boca’s collegiate players are seven Club standouts that will take the field for teams in the BIG EAST Conference, one of the top Division I soccer conferences in the country.
The seven include Syracuse University’s Tyler Stoviak (Malvern, PA); Seton Hall University’s Justin McGrath (Brick) and Jon Levondowski (Midland Park); Rutgers University’s Joey Sorrentino (Hamilton) and Jake Wienberg (Highland Park); St. Johns University Jara Habib (Englishtown) and Villanova University’s Chris Quinn (Hazlet).
McGrath, a 2007 pre-season All-American candidate, Stoviak, Levondowski and Quinn were all members of the Boca U23 team over the past several years while Sorrentino, Weinberg and Habib developed their skills with Boca’s Super Y-League teams earlier in their careers.
Long-time Boca veteran, Jason Mancuso (Toms River), will begin his final year of college eligibility at York College (PA) after playing two years at Ocean County College and one at Central Connecticut State University.
The former Toms River North standout had a record-setting year for the Boca U23 team this summer, tallying 16 goals and 8 assists and leading the team to the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League (MSSL) Championship game for the first time in team history.
Another former Mariner and Boca veteran Mark Schmiegel (Toms River), who finished second on the Boca U23 team in scoring (3 goals – 6 assists) behind Mancuso last season, will try to lead Bucknell University to consecutive Division I NCAA men’s soccer tournament appearances. The talented left-side midfielder started all twenty-three games for the Bison last year tallying 2 goals and 3 assists.
Sixteen standouts from Boca’s inaugural U23 women’s team which also advanced to the 2007 MSSL Championship game this summer will take the pitch for their respective schools this season including three-time All-Skyline Conference selection Tanya DiDonna (Colts Neck) of Centenary College; Monmouth University’s Katie Bubnis (Marlton), Sarah Conway (Brick) and Brittani Heller (Newton); Jessica Fuccello (Brick), a 2006 All-Ivy League 2nd team selection last year as a freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania and College of New Jersey senior Courtney Krol (Howell), a 2006 NSCAA All-Region First Team All-American.
Krol and her fellow teammates junior Erin Cunliffe (Lakewood) who led the Boca U23 women in scoring this summer with 7 goals and 2 assists and seniors Lori Adriance (Hazlet) and Jennifer Olszewski (Brick), helped lead TCNJ to the 2006 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Championship game a year ago before loosing to Wheaton College of Illinois 2-0.
There will also be two sets of Boca siblings taking the pitch for their respective college teams this season as recent high school graduates and new college freshmen Charlie Cunliffe (Lakewood) and Michael Krol (Howell) become the second members of their families playing NCAA soccer this season as they join their older sisters on the pitch in 2007.
Cunliffe, who played several years for Boca youth teams throughout his career, will battle for time between the pipes at Rowan University while Krol will patrol the defensive midfield for Montclair State University. Both gained valuable experience with the Boca U23 men’s team this summer.
The remainder of the Boca college freshmen class includes Jane Dorsey (Oceanport) who will attend Dominican College; Jonn-David Gutierrez (Lakewood) who will head to the New Jersey Institute of Technology; Rob Wilson (Pt. Pleasant Beach) will be at TCNJ and Francisco Guatreaux (Lacey) will continue his career locally at Ocean County College.
Dorsey played in ten games for the Boca U23 women this summer while Gutierrez, Wilson and Guatreaux were members of Boca’s U18 team.
“Our club has always had a historical large number of players not only continuing their soccer careers in college, but excelling at that level. Recently, we’re now starting to see more of our alumni take on college coaching positions and become teachers of the game. It’s a fantastic feeling to know all of these individuals, both players and coaches alike, at some point in time all wore the same Boca blue and gold colors and competed for our Club” mentioned Walt Konopka, a member of the Jersey Shore Boca Board of Directors who also directs the Boca U23 program during the summer.
“Our directors, coaches and staff are very proud of all of our college players and college coaches. We wish all of them all the best of success this season and will be following all of them” Konopka finished.
The sixty-seven Jersey Shore Boca players and coaches who will participate in intercollegiate soccer this fall are as follows (name-hometown-college):
Coaches (8):
Ash, Jason-Toms River-Head Men’s Coach-Ocean County College
Burstein, Erik-Toms River-Head Women’s Coach-Kutztown University
Gelnovatch, George-Wall-Head Men’s Coach-University of Virginia
Hutterman, Brian-Toms River-Assistant Men’s Coach-Ocean County College
LeBlanc, Marlon-East Windsor-Head Men’s Coach-West Virginia University
Lola, Ken-Brick-Head Men’s Coach-University of Louisville
Masuhr, Kenny-Island Heights-Asst. Women’s Coach-Fairleigh Dickenson University
Royal, Paul-Philadelphia, PA-Head Women’s Coach-LaSalle University
Seniors (26):
Adriance, Lori-Hazlet-College of New Jersey
Axelrod,Brett-Union-Whitman College
Bubnis, Katie-Marlton-Monmouth University
Bryant, Connor-Tinton Falls-Bryant University
Curry-Edwards, Jon-Spring Lake Heights-University of Delaware
DiDonna, Tanya-Colts Neck-Centenary College
Galante, Rob-Sayreville-Bloomfield College
Haydu, Dan-Toms River-Monmouth University
Heller, Brittani-Newton-Monmouth University
Kaps, Erica-Jackson-Georgian Court University
Kielt, Megan-Brick-Georgian Court University
Krol, Courtney-Howell-College of New Jersey
Levondowski, Jon-Midland Park-Seton Hall University
Mancuso, Jason-Toms River-York College
McBride, Mike-Spring Lake Heights-St. Joseph’s University
McGrath, Justin-Brick-Seton Hall University
Nicholson, Dave-Clarksburg-East Stroudsburg University
Olszewski, Jennifer-Brick-College of New Jersey
Ortiz, Jeremy-Mt. Laurel-LaSalle University
Perez, Andrew-Brick-LaSalle University
Peters, Cody-Lakehurst-LaSalle University
Quinn, Chris-Hazlet-Villanova University
Stoviak, Tyler-Malvern, PA-Syracuse University
Tatulli, Nicole-Brick-Dominican College
Tivzenda, Versh-Marietta, GA-Stevens Institute of Technology
Wilson, Damon-Swedesboro-Monmouth University
Juniors (15):
Brackley, Dan-Hamilton-Carnegie Mellon University
Cunliffe, Erin-Lakewood-College of New Jersey
Fidler, Chip-Williamstown-Norwich University
Finger, Andrew-South Harrison-Rowan University
Gannon, Jessica-Mercerville-Wilkes University
Habib, Jara-Englishtown-St. Johns University
Holmes, Mike-Toms River-Richard Stockton University
Jennings, Colin-Wall-Rider University
Juska, Mike-Wall-Rider University
Nelan, Chris-Barrington-College of New Jersey
Plaugic, John-Kearny-Caldwell College
Samartino, Bret-Mullica Hill-College of New Jersey
Schmiegel, Mark-Toms River-Bucknell University
Wagner, Emily-Brick-Loch Haven University
Weinberg, Jake-Highland Park-Rutgers University
Sophomores (12):
Abate, Alley-Oceanport-Georgian Court University
Bulvanoski, Kevin-Oceanport-Fordham University
Bunda, Zach-Hamilton-Drew University
Fuccello, Jessica-Brick-University of Pennsylvania
Conway, Sarah-Brick-Monmouth University
Cooper, Robert-Trenton-Mercer County Community College
Huff, Butch-Toms River-Richard Stockton University
Neptune, Jamal-East Windsor-Hofstra University
Sorrentino, Joseph-Hamilton-Rutgers University
Rodgers, Dave-Jacobstown-Fairleigh Dickinson University
Willever, Cliff-Jacobstown-Mercer County Community College
Wynn, Bobby-Toms River-Ocean County College
Freshmen (6):
Cunliffe, Charlie-Lakewood-Rowan University
Dorsey, Jane-Ocean Grove-Dominican College
Guatreaux, Francisco-Lacey-Ocean County College
Gutierrez, Jonn-David-Lakewood-NJIT
Krol, Michael-Howell-Montclair State University
Wilson, Rob-Pt. Pleasant Beach-College of New Jersey
Jersey Shore Boca has been a fixture in the soccer community since 1978 and is one of the oldest and most respected soccer clubs on the East Coast.
The Club will be celebrating their 30-year anniversary in 2008.
For more information on the Jersey Shore Boca Soccer Club, log on to the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com
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