Dec. 2, 2008

Garden City, N.Y. - The Adelphi University Men's soccer team just finished up their 2008 season. The team finished the season with 11 wins and five losses and a 4-0 record in the Atlantic Soccer conference. Last season the team had four wins and 11 losses. This season the team had a better record, more goals, more corner kicks, and more fans attending the game. They also had better goaltending from sophomore Thorne Holder.

The team plays on a new soccer field, Competition Field, in the new Outdoor Sports Complex, which could have contributed to the team playing better. No one really knows why the team played better. Maybe it was the coaching, new players, or the new facilities. Regardless an improvement is evident. The women's soccer team, and the men and women's lacrosse teams share the field as well.

As for men's soccer, Holder, the team's starting goalkeeper and key to their success, almost didn't start the season. He sustained a fractured skull during a captain's practice in the summer. The injury happened when he was sliding for a ball in the box and was kneed in his head from a teammate that was trying to leap over him. The doctors at the hospital where he was treated said, " If it was any lower it would have been very serious".

As a result of the injury, Holder now has a titanium plate in his head, which is stronger than the bone was. With Holder on the sidelines during the early part of the season, the team went into a losing streak dropping its first four games without their star keeper. All the losses were by one goal. They didn't play poorly without him but they surely missed his stellar play. No one will be able to know if the team would have played different with him in net or if the outcome would been different but their luck certainly improved when he returned.

This season was also special for several other players. In addition to Holder earning ASC Goalie of the week honors six times and being named a second-team selection, senior Kemalie Preston was also named Player of the Week and a first-team pick. Junior Kevin Gluchowski also earned first team honors, with senior Mark Hoffman, junior Val Charalambous and freshman Mauricio Mora named to the second team. Senior Patrick Figueiredo, a three time Player of the Week, earned Player of the year honors and Head Coach Carlo Acquista was named ASC Coach of the Year.

The 2008 season was a good season for the men's soccer team. Hopefully they can now build off of it and bring home a championship. The future also looks bright and with Holder in net, winning seasons will be a normal thing for Adelphi University and may bring titles and championships to the school.

The 2009 season should be a good season for the school and could be the beginning of a new dynasty. Men's soccer popularity should continue to grow at Adelphi University.

Justin Lean is a senior criminal justice major at Adelphi University.