Press Releases

November 11, 1999
Southampton College Player and Coach Named Best in Conference

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(516) 287 8313
Fax: (516) 283 4081

The NCAA Picture Gallery

Southampton, NY -- Coaches in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) know that the Southampton College Colonials? 15-0-2 record was no fluke. Tuesday, the coaches? votes lofted Colonial forward Johan Kron to Player of the Year and Ed Goodhines to Coach of the Year in the 12-team conference.

Kron (21 goals) wasn't the only Colonial honored. Out of 11 players named to the All-Conference First Team, six are from Southampton College, including midfielders Desmond Megna and Daniel Olsson, defenders Dusan Erceg and Nick Rotiroti and goalie Roger Svensson (10 shutouts, .60 goals-against ratio). For the Lady Colonials, Bergthora Hjartardottir was named to the NYCAC First Team; Joanna Ferguson to the Second Team.

The Colonial men host their first-ever NCAA tournament game on Saturday at 1 p.m. vs. East Stroudsburg of Pennsylvania (18-2). Festivities begin at noon, including a band, concessions and T-shirt sales. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students.

The Colonials are ranked No. 3 in the nation in the NCAA's Division II and are powered by eight Swedish players. Long Island native Rich Stoia (10 goals) only traveled from Shirley, NY, but he is learning a very different style of soccer at Southampton College. "It's awesome," Stoia said. "It's a really great team with an international flavor."

"We all want to be Swedish," he said of his American and Canadian teammates.

Coach Ed Goodhines said the NCAA tourney falls at the right time of year for his squad: late autumn. The cold air that gusts off the ocean is like a summer breeze to his Nordic stars. "They love the weather here," he said, "because over there it gets cold fast."

After going 15-2-1 in 1998 and missing the NCAA tournament, the Colonials had a team meeting and made it their goal to be where they are today. Now they want to be National Champions. "We know we can do it," said forward Andreas Lindberg (nine goals). "We're going to go all the way."