Nov 6, 2005
RINDGE, N.H. Junior Rob Moskwa (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesee) scored the only goal as third-seeded Le Moyne upended top seed Franklin Pierce 1-0 to capture the first Northeast-10 Conference mens soccer championship in program history.
|
Today, like all season, we worked hard and tried to outcompete them, sixth year head coach Tom Bonus said of the programs first Northeast-10 Conference soccer championship. We did a great job defending and its a great step for the program. Im happy because it was a goal the guys set for themselves at the start of the season and its always great to accomplish something you set out to do.
Senior goalkeeper Tim Mann (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) made five saves, including four in the opening half to register his program-record 10th shutout of the season. Sophomore Mark Lukowiecki (Edinburgh, Scotland/Queensferry), seniors Geoff Berger (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), Joe Sroka (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) and Klajdi Lika (Syracuse, N.Y./Bryant & Stratton) keyed the Le Moyne defensive effort in the back
I thought we did a great job of keeping our shape and staying very compact as a team. All four defenders in the back played great, Bonus said. We didnt give them a lot of time and space to play. They had a lot of possession, but a lot of it was in the back.
Moskwa, the championship Most Valuable Player, came off the bench to score the games only goal in the opening half. Senior midfielder Mariel Lako (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) flicked a pass into the middle of the penalty area to Moskwa who fired a low shot to the right side of the goal at 30:32.
Moskwa, who has scored eight goals this season, scored both Dolphin goals in Le Moynes semifinal 2-1 double overtime win over Bryant. His goal came on Le Moyne second and final on-target shot. The Dolphins took five shots overall, none in the second half.
The Dolphins (14-5-2) landed just two shots on target, none after Moskwas marker. Franklin Pierce (13-5-4), ranked 14th in the NSCAA/adidas Division II poll, outshot Le Moyne 13-5, but mustered just four shots in the second half and only one on-goal in the final 45 minutes.
I think weve done it in steps where every year weve tried to build the program up, Bonus said of his sixth seasons as the Le Moyne head coach. Hopefully this is good enough to put us in the tournament.
Three regional bids will be awarded for the 24-team NCAA Division II Mens Soccer Championship. An announcement of the full field will be made available through the NCAA championship web site at http://www.ncaasports.com.
