Off To The Big Dance
November 15, 2005
Three Jersey Shore Boca standouts, Chris Konopka (Toms River), Justin McGrath (Brick) and Jon Curry-Edwards (Spring Lake Heights) will be heading the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship as each of their respective schools received a berth in the 48-team field as announced by the NCAA Men’s Soccer Selection Committee Monday afternoon. Each will be vying to propel their teams for the right to compete in the final-four at the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup on December 9 and 11 in Cary, N.C. at the SAS Soccer Stadium.
Off To The Big Dance
Konopka, McGrath and Curry-Edwards head to 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship
TOMS RIVER, NJ (November 15, 2005) – Three Jersey Shore Boca standouts, Chris Konopka (Toms River), Justin McGrath (Brick) and Jon Curry-Edwards (Spring Lake Heights) will be heading the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship as each of their respective schools received a berth in the 48-team field as announced by the NCAA Men’s Soccer Selection Committee Monday afternoon.
Each will be vying to propel their teams for the right to compete in the final-four at the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup on December 9 and 11 in Cary, N.C. at the SAS Soccer Stadium.
Konopka, a 2003 Toms River East graduate, has helped propel Providence College, a member of the BIG EAST Conference, back to the national championship field for the first time in 22 years. The Friars last berth was in 1983 when they fell to fellow BIG EAST opponent Connecticut, 2-0, in the first round. This will be only the second time in program history that Providence will be appearing in the tournament.
Providence will travel to Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. on Nov. 18 at 7:00 p.m with the winner heading to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on the No. 4 seeded and nationally ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday Nov. 22.
The standout junior goalkeeper has played all 1,805 minutes between the pipes for Providence. Konopka has allowed only 19 goals for the year, the least allowed by a Providence team since 1990; recorded 5 shut-outs, the most by a Providence team also since 1990 and lost only 3 games, the least by a Providence men’s soccer team since 1984. He has a 0.95 goals against average for the year and a .814 save percentage.
Konopka lead the Friars to an overall 6-3-9 mark and helped his team record one of the most improved records in NCAA history. Last season, Providence finished with a 0-16 record. The Friars are 9.5 games better than last season, which is tied for the 10th best turnaround in NCAA history. Providence also set a new program record in 2005 for ties in a season at 9 and overtime games at 11.
In league play, Konopka and the Friars finished sixth in the BIG EAST Blue Division and advanced to the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Championship before being taken out by nationally ranked South Florida on penalty kicks after playing to a scoreless tie.
McGrath, a 2004 Monsignor Donovan graduate, will lead nationally ranked Seton Hall University (12-3-3) into the 48-team field against Hartwick College (13-5-1) in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 1:00 p.m. at Owen T. Carroll Field in South Orange.
The winner between Seton Hall and Hartwick will advance to face the No. 11 seeded Penn State on Nov. 22 in State College, PA.
The Pirates will be making their fifth straight appearance in the tournament and 11th overall, having advanced as far as the Sweet 16 in 2001. Seton Hall is hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the second consecutive season. SHU dropped a 2-1 result to Hofstra in the first round in 2004.
McGrath has played in all 18 games for Seton Hall this year while starting 17. The talented outside midfielder has tallied 5 goals and 4 assists for a total of 14 points placing him 4th overall on the team in scoring this year.
Seton Hall earned an at-large bid after finishing second in the BIG EAST Blue Division. The Pirates played Providence to a 2-2 tie in the BIG EAST Quarterfinals, before falling, 4-2, in a penalty-kick shootout.
The Pirates and the Friars were two of a record seven BIG EAST teams to earn a bid into the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Curry-Edwards, a 2004 St. Rose graduate, is a member of the nationally ranked Old Dominion University (15-3-2) men’s soccer team that received a No. 10 seed in this years tournament, the highest in program history and receive their second consecutive first round bye. ODU will face the winner of the Wake Forest/South Carolina contest next Tuesday at the Old Dominion Soccer Stadium.
The sophomore goalkeeper has been primarily used in a back-up roll behind senior All-American candidate John Connolly, appearing in one game.
This will mark the fifth consecutive season ODU has made a second round appearance in the postseason.
Konopka, McGrath, and Curry-Edwards, all long-time Jersey Shore Boca veterans, were members of the Boca U20 team this past summer that advanced to the semi-finals of the USASA U20 Regional Championship as well as the semi-finals of the MSSL Cup Championship.
Jersey Shore Boca had a record fifty-five club standouts who previously played for Boca on either their Men’s, Super Y-League, PDL, Club or Youth teams that participated in NCAA intercollegiate soccer this fall for their respective institutions.
This is the highest number of Jersey Shore Boca players to ever participate in NCAA intercollegiate soccer during the same season in the club’s 27 year history.
Jersey Shore Boca has been a fixture in the soccer community since 1978 and is one of the most respected soccer clubs on the East Coast.
The Club is celebrating their 27-year anniversary in 2005.
For more information on the Jersey Shore Boca Soccer Club, visit the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com
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