Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Ready To Face Fairleigh Dickinson In NCAAs
November 22, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 22, 2001
BOSTON COLLEGE (10-7-0) vs. FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (14-6-0)
NCAA Tournament First Round
Friday, November 23, 2001
Lourie-Love Field
Princeton, N.J.
7 p.m.
NCAA Tournament First and Second Round Game Notes in PDF Format
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QUICK OVERVIEW: Boston College enters the NCAA Tournament with a 10-7 overall record after compiling a 6-4 mark in BIG EAST Conference games. The Eagles have lost their last two games.
The Eagles opened the season ranked 15th nationally, then suffered two losses to fall to 2-2. BC reeled off four straight wins to move to 6-2 and a national ranking of 22. Since the team's 1-0 loss at Connecticut, the Eagles have gone 4-4, including a 1-0 loss at St. John's in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament.
Five Eagles have scored in double figures, led by sophomore Adam Pfeifer who has 15 points on six goals and three assists. Sophomore Neil Krause has five goals and four assists for 14 points, while senior Chris Cleary has three goals and six assists. Junior Casey Schmidt has five goals and one assists for 11 points, while classmate Bobby Thompson has 10 points on four goals and two assists. BC is led in net by junior Danny Caruso who has a 1.32 goals against average and three shutouts this season.
WE'RE BACK: Boston College has advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years. The Eagles received one of the 28 at-large bids to the 2001 Tournament. Last season, BC earned the BIG EAST Conference's automatic bid after winning the league's tournament title.
FOURTH TIME OUT: The Eagles are participating in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the program's history. BC also played in the national tournament in 1982, 1990 and 2000. The Eagles have an overall record of 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament with first-round losses to Connecticut (1982), Boston University (1990) and Rhode Island (2000).
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Boston College has had its name called four times on selection day for the NCAA Tournament and is still looking for the program's first win in the tournament.
In 1982, the Eagles headed to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and faced regional rival Connecticut in the first round. In its third multiple-overtime game in a row, Boston College fell to the Huskies, 3-2 in triple overtime, in the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
In 1990, the Eagles faced Boston University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In a tight battle, the Terriers got the best of the Eagles, winning 3-2 and cutting the Eagles' season short.
Last season, Boston College faced 17th-ranked Rhode Island in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles suffered a 3-0 loss in Kingston, R.I. in their first appearance in the College Cup in 10 years.
AGAINST FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON: Since 1978, Boston College and Fairleigh Dickinson have met twice with the Knights holding the series edge, 1-0-1. The two teams played to a 0-0 tie in 1982, before FDU defeated the Eagles, 5-0, in 1984 in the season opener.
AGAINST PRINCETON: Since 1978, Boston College and Princeton have met only once, a 1-0 Tiger victory on September 29, 1989 in New Jersey.
AGAINST THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE: Although Boston College did not face Fairleigh Dickinson this season, the Eagles defeated St. Francis (N.Y.) - another member of the Northeast Conference. BC topped the Terriers, 1-0, on Sept. 5 at the Newton Campus Soccer Field.
AGAINST THE IVY LEAGUE: Boston College has faced three other members of the Ivy League - Brown, Dartmouth and Harvard - this season, earning a 2-1 record against the teams. BC topped the Crimson, 3-2, on Sept. 26 at the Newton Campus Soccer Field, fell to Dartmouth in double-overtime, 1-0, on Oct. 24 at home, and then defeated Brown in Providence, 2-1, on Halloween.
AGAINST THE FIELD: Boston College has a 1-4 record this season against teams competing in the 2001 College Cup. The Eagles defeated Harvard (3-2) and fell at No. 8 St. John's (1-0), at Connecticut (1-0), at Notre Dame (2-0) and at Seton Hall (2-1). Boston College was scheduled to play two other tournament participants - Penn State and Ohio State - at the Penn State Nike Classic on Sept. 14 and 15, but the games were cancelled due to the national tragedy on Sept. 11.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Boston College and Fairleigh Dickinson have played two common opponents, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Seton Hall. Both teams defeated St. Francis (N.Y.), while both teams fell to Seton Hall. Boston College and Princeton have played five common opponents: Dartmouth, Harvard, Seton Hall, Brown and Villanova. Princeton defeated Dartmouth 3-0, while BC fell 1-0 in double overtime. BC defeated Harvard, 3-2, while Princeton fell 1-0. Princeton topped Seton Hall, 3-0, but BC fell 2-1. Both teams defeated Brown, BC 2-1 and Princeton 3-0. Both teams also shut out Villanova, BC 2-0 and Princeton 3-0.
FDU CONNECTION: Eagle head coach Ed Kelly was an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson from 1981 through 1984. During his time in Teaneck, the Knights advanced to three NCAA Tournaments, won a nation's-best 21 games in 1983, and was ranked third in the country in 1984.
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE: Boston College is one of six teams from the BIG EAST Conference selected to the NCAA Tournament, joining Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall and St. John's. The BIG EAST is sending more teams to play for the College Cup than any other conference in the nation.
DOUBLE DIP: Boston College is one of 23 schools to send both its men's and women's soccer programs to the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles join: California, Clemson, Connecticut, Harvard, Kentucky, Loyola Marymount, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Portland, Princeton, Rutgers, San Diego, Santa Clara, Southern Methodist, Stanford, UCLA, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
AS A SIDE NOTE: The Boston College women's soccer team met Nebraska in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Lincoln, Neb., falling 5-0 to the Lady Cornhuskers. The Eagles finished their season with a 11-10-1 overall record.
THE EAGLES AND THE RANKINGS: Boston College is not ranked in the latest NSCAA/adidas Division I poll and is ranked fourth in the latest New England regional rankings ... BC reached a high of 15 in the NSCAA/adidas poll on Sept. 3 ... after falling out of the poll, the Eagles jumped back in on Oct. 1 in 24th place after a 1-0 win at BU, then climbed to 21 the following week on Oct. 8 ... BC remained at 21 on Oct. 15 before falling out of the polls the following week.
THE HEAD COACH: Head coach Ed Kelly is in his 14th season at Boston College and his 17th season overall as a head coach. At the Heights, Kelly has accumulated a 118-109-24 record, a large portion of his 158-122-30 career mark. Kelly is a three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year. He was also honored as the 2000 NSCAA/adidas New England Coach of the Year.
Prior to coming to the Heights, Kelly was the head coach at Seton Hall University, leading the team to national prominence. His teams won two BIG EAST regular-season titles, two BIG EAST Tournament titles and participated in two NCAA Tournaments.
THE STAFF: Head coach Ed Kelly has three assistants on his staff: Zach Samol, Dusan Obsajsnik and Stefan Lysak ... Samol, a 1999 graduate of Dartmouth, is in his second season with the Eagles. A former All-Ivy back for the Big Green, Samol works with the defense and coordinates the team's day-to-day affairs, including recruiting. Samol was tabbed one of the nation's Top Assistant Coaches by College Soccer News earlier this season ... Obsajsnik is in his second go-around with Kelly and the Eagles after returning from Boston University in the fall of 2001. A former goalkeeper in the Czech premier league, Obsajsnik works with the goalkeeping staff ... Lysak is a former player at Boston College and is in his first season as the team's volunteer assistant coach.
KELLY HITS 150 WINS: Head coach Ed Kelly recorded his 150th career win with the Eagles' 1-0 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001 at the Newton Campus Soccer Field. Kelly's current win total of 158 has been built at two different schools - Boston College (118) and Seton Hall (40) - over 17 years as a head coach.
LAST TIME OUT: Sixth-seeded Boston College fell to third-seeded St. John's, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 10. Shalrie Joseph's goal in the 71st minute from 28 yards out gave the Red Storm a lead it wouldn't relinquish. St. John's outshot the Eagles, 11-7, for the game. Casey Schmidt gave the Eagles their first scoring chance in the game's opening minutes when he sent a shot just past Red Storm keeper Guy Hertz, but the ball sailed just high of the net. Pat Haggerty almost gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute when his header off a corner was stopped at the last minute by Hertz.
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION: The 2001 season has been the team's most productive offensively since the 1995 season. The Eagles have scored 28 goals in 17 games, the most since the team tallied 32 in 1995. Last season, BC scored 23 goals in 20 games. Since 1997 when the team netted only nine goals in 16 games, BC has improved its output steadily each year: 16 in 1998, and 19 in 1999.
SCHMIDT RETURNS: Junior forward Casey Schmidt returned to action in the Eagles' regular-season finale at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Nov. 3. He suffered a complex fracture of bones in his eye area on Sept. 26 in BC's game against Harvard. Schmidt missed nine games with the injury. At the time he was injured, he led the BIG EAST in scoring with five goals and one assist (11 points) in just five games.
POSTSEASON LEAGUE HONORS: Four Eagles were honored by the BIG EAST Coaches at the annual league awards banquet held in conjunction with the 2001 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Tournament. Sophomore back Paul Chase was an All-BIG EAST second team performer, while senior forward Chris Cleary, junior forward Casey Schmidt and freshman midfielder Bill Arnault were all selected to the All-BIG EAST third team.
WEEKLY LEAGUE HONORS: Several players have garnered weekly honors from the BIG EAST this season ... Junior Casey Schmidt was chosen as the league's Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3 for his two-goal effort against Syracuse in the opening game of the season ... On Oct. 8, senior back Paul Bourke was chosen as the league's Defensive Player of the Week after the Eagles shut out Villanova, 2-0 ... sophomore Neil Krause was later chosen as the Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 29 when he scored twice - including the game-winner in overtime - as BC topped Georgetown, 3-2.
OTHER WEEKLY HONORS: Two of Boston College's players have been honored by College Soccer News with a place on the service's National Team of the Week ... sophomore Adam Pfeifer was chosen to the team on Sept. 3 for his two-goal, one assist effort against Syracuse ... senior forward Chris Cleary was chosen on Oct. 8 after scoring the game-winning goal against Villanova, his second in as many games.
EAGLES FINISHED SIXTH IN LEAGUE: After a predicted fourth-place finish by the league's coaches in the preseason poll, Boston College played to a 6-4 regular-season record and a sixth-place finish in the BIG EAST. The Eagles gathered wins over Georgetown, Providence, Syracuse Villanova, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. BC's four losses came at the hands of Connecticut, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. The Eagles did not face Rutgers or St. John's in the regular season due to the league's 10-game rotating schedule.
ROOKIES MAKING AN IMPACT: Several of Boston College's first-year players have made giant impacts on the program this season ... sophomore Neil Krause transferred from Assumption this summer and is now second on the team in scoring with 14 points ... another sophomore transfer, Paul Chase, has started every game he has played this season, earning All-BIG EAST second team accolades ... freshman midfielder Bill Arnault collected eight assists this season and was a third team All-BIG EAST performer ... freshman midfielder/back Guy Melamed has also started all 16 games he has played this season, scoring two goals and assisting on another ... freshman back Pat Haggerty stepped into the starting lineup against Hartford and hasn't left since at center back. He also has two assists this season ... goalkeeper Joe Roos - who joined the team as a walk-on midway through the season - has appeared in two games and earned his first collegiate win against Providence on Oct. 17.
BACK FOR MORE: Two mainstays on the Eagles back line - fifth-year seniors Paul Bourke and Martin Cantillo - have returned to the field for the Eagles in 2001 after having a year of eligibility remaining after last season. Cantillo did not play during the 1999 season preserving a year of playing time, while Bourke regained a year back when his 1998 season was marred with injuries.
Last year, the two players were the only Eagles to start all 20 games of the season. The defensive unit, including Bourke and Cantillo, ranked eighth nationally in teams goals against average in 2000.
CREDIT THE ASSIST TO ...: Freshman midfielder Bill Arnault has collected eight assists this season, the highest total for a BC player since Anthony Buckley also recorded eight in 1995. He notched two assists in the Eagles' 3-2 victory against then No. 18 Harvard on Sept. 26. Five of his eight assists have been of the primary sort.
HELP FROM THE BACKS: Outside backs Martin Cantillo (right) and Paul Chase (left) have been key to the Eagles offensive output this season. The pair have combined for six assists out of the backfield.
CAREER SCORING WATCH: Several Eagles are moving up the career records lists. Paul Keegan '95 holds the school scoring record with 83 points in 69 games ... junior Casey Schmidt is currently tied for fifth in the career scoring list with 54 points (24 goals, six assists) in 40 games ... senior Chris Cleary is eighth on the career scoring list with 41 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 70 games ... junior Bobby Thompson is tied for 18th in career scoring with 30 points on 10 goals and 10 assists in 49 games ... sophomore Adam Pfeifer is tied for 24th in career scoring with 21 points on six goals and nine assists.
CAREER GOAL-SCORING WATCH: Junior Casey Schmidt is currently tied for fourth on the career goal scoring list with 24 goals. He is seven goals behind three players (Paul Keegan '95, Justin Ceccarelli '92 and Peter Dorfman '83) who are tied for first place.
CAREER ASSIST WATCH: Senior Chris Cleary is currently tied for sixth on the career assist list with 17 in 70 games. He is nine behind Louis Papadellis '80, who is in first place with 26.
CLEARY GIVES THE EAGLES GET THEIR KICKS: Boston College has benefited from two penalty kicks this season, both awarded after senior Chris Cleary was pulled down while driving to the goal through the penalty area ... against West Virginia on Oct. 14, Kirt Dorsett converted the Eagles' first chance and put BC within one goal of the Mountaineers at 2-1 ... BC's second opportunity came on Oct. 31 at Brown when junior Bobby Thompson slid a shot past the goalkeeper and put BC up 2-1 as the team went on to earn the win.
ITS NOT OVER UNTIL WE SAY IT'S OVER: Boston College has scored in the final nine minutes of a game on eight different occasions this season. Six of those goals were game-winning goals ... sophomore Adam Pfeifer has recorded late-game goals in three games: Syracuse (89:29), Villanova (84:39) and West Virginia (81:38, game-winner) ... sophomore Neil Krause has scored late twice: Harvard (81:28, game-winner) and Georgetown (90:41, game-winner) ... junior Casey Schmidt tallied the game's lone goal against St. Francis (86:35) ... senior Chris Cleary also netted the game's only goal against Boston University (84:15) ... sophomore Ramon Smith scored late against Providence (82:47, game-winner).
WORKING OVERTIME: After settling the scoring in the first 90 minutes in the first 12 games of the season, Boston College has gone to overtime in three of the last five games ... Dartmouth scored with 2:04 remaining in the second overtime period to defeat the Eagles, 1-0, on Oct. 24 ... sophomore Neil Krause scored 41 seconds into overtime to give the Eagles a 3-2 victory over Georgetown on Oct. 28 ... After leading 2-0, BC fell to Pittsburgh 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 3.
AVERAGE AGE: The average Eagle lineup consists of three freshman (Bill Arnault, Pat Haggerty and Guy Melamed), three sophomores (Paul Chase, Neil Krause, and Adam Pfeifer), two juniors (Danny Caruso and Bobby Thompson) and three seniors (Paul Bourke, Chris Cleary and Martin Cantillo).
SCHMIDT TABBED LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITE ...: Before going down with broken bones around his eye, junior forward Casey Schmidt was named the BIG EAST's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's 13 head coaches. He also earned a place on the preseason All-BIG EAST team. At the time of his injury, Schmidt led both the Eagles and the league in scoring with five goals and one assists (11 points) in five games.
... AND A PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: In addition to his league honors, Schmidt was also selected as a preseason honorable mention All-American by collegesoccer.com, the preeminent on-line soccer publication. Schmidt joined three other BIG EAST players on the honorable mention list. College Soccer News, another on-line soccer publication, tabbed Schmidt a third-team preseason All-American.
OTHER PRESEASON ACCOLADES: Two players - junior midfielder Bobby Thompson and freshman midfielder Bill Arnault - were tabbed as "players to watch" by College Soccer News.
Thompson joined the list of "Midfielders to Watch in 2001". Injured most of the season, Thompson is fifth on the team in scoring with creative play-making abilities in the midfield. Last season, the Framingham, Mass. product earned BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades after notching two goals and two assists in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Arnault, fresh off his tour of service with the United State Under-18 National Team, was selected as a "Freshman to Watch in 2001" by the publication. A NSCAA high school All-American and academic All-American, Arnault has made a significant impact in the lineup from the outset of the season.
MY SUMMER VACATION: Six Eagles spent the past summer with several high-profile teams. Junior Casey Schmidt and sophomores Paul Chase and Adam Pfeifer were members of the Cape Cod Crusaders of the Premier Development League, Bill Arnault played with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, and former first team All-America goalkeeper Chris Hamblin '01 and assistant coach Zach Samol played for the Boston Bulldogs of the D3 Pro League of the United Soccer Leagues.
Schmidt and Chase spent the whole summer with the Crusaders, while Pfeifer played in the team's first few games. The PDL is the lowest tiered adult league of the USL, serving as an summer amateur training outlet for the nation's best collegians. Arnault's team competed in international tournaments in both Holland and Germany this summer. Hamblin and Samol's Bulldogs were the D3 Pro League's Northern Conference champions and advanced to the D3 Pro League's national semifinals.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: This season, two players will bring special playing experiences to the field having already earned international caps for their national junior teams. Besides Bill Arnault who was a member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team in 2001, freshman back Guy Melamed was also a member of his native countries junior national entries. Melamed played on Israel's Under-16 and Under-18 teams before serving a three-year mandatory tour of service in the Israeli army.
WORLD FLAVOR: Several Eagles have brought the team an international seasoning, hailing from countries other than the United States. Senior captain Paul Bourke is a native of Cork, Ireland, while senior forward Eyvind Aasen was born and raised in Norway. Senior back Martin Cantillo's family emigrated from Costa Rica to Florida when he was younger. Sophomore Kirt Dorsett is from Trinidad, while sophomore Ramon Smith originally come from Jamaica. Freshman Junior Desrosiers was born and raised in Guadeloupe, but moved to Cambridge, Mass. five years ago.
THIRTY-FIFTH SEASON: The 2001 season marks the 35th annual campaign for the Boston College men's soccer team. The Eagles have an all-time record of 277-270-66. Under head coach Ed Kelly, the team has amassed a 118-109-24 record in 13 seasons.
EAGLE CAPTAINS: Head coach Ed Kelly named three captains for the 2001 season after the team's spring training: senior back Paul Bourke, senior midfielder Chris Cleary and junior forward Casey Schmidt. Bourke is the program's first three-time captain after regaining a year of eligibility from a 1998 season marred with injuries. He was a captain in 1999, 2000 and this season.
HOME SWEET HOME: Boston College home field - the Newton Campus Soccer Field - has been one of the most kind additions to the Boston College facilities list. The Eagles boast an 18-7-3 mark on the field since its dedication on Sept. 12, 1999, including a 7-2-1 mark in 2000 and a 7-1-0 record in 2001.
The Eagles have amassed an 11-1-1 record in their last 13 games at the Newton Campus Soccer Field. Over that stretch, BC has outscored their opponents by a 26-11 margin. The team has also posted six shutouts, including four 1-0 wins and two 2-0 wins.
BC had an 11-game home unbeaten streak snapped on Oct. 24 when Dartmouth won a 1-0, double-overtime affair with just 2:04 remaining.
UP NEXT: The winner of the Boston College-Fairleigh Dickinson NCAA Tournament first round match will face Princeton in the second round in a 1 p.m. game on Sunday, November 25 ... the winner of the bracket will face the winner of the bracket being played at the University of Virginia.
