WILKES-BARRE – The 2010 season kicks off for both King’s College soccer teams on Wednesday when the two squads take to the road for New York in their opening contests. The women’s team opens play at SUNY-Farmingdale at 5:00 p.m., while the men face SUNY New Paltz at 4:00 p.m.
LiveStats will be available for both games by following the links below.
Women’s game: http://livestats.prestosports.com/farmingdale/
Men’s game: www.sidearmstats.com/newpaltz/msoc/
On the women’s side, King’s will look to improve upon its 5-14 mark of a year ago under the eye of rookie mentor Frank Carrozza. Returning All-Conference forward, Becky Chateauneuf (Watertown, CT/Holy Cross), will be looked upon to provide much of the scoring after finishing with a team-high 30 points on 14 goals and two assists in 2009.
The Farmingdale State women's soccer team enters their 2010 slate following a 15-5-3 overall record last season, including 8-0-1 in the Skyline Conference. The Rams captured their third consecutive Skyline Conference Title, defeating Bard, 1-0, receiving an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Division III National Tournament. Farmingdale returns five All-Conference performers this season, including Skyline Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player sophomore Taylor Horgan.
On the men’s side, King’s looks to build on the success of last season under fifth-year head coach Mark Bassett. The Monarchs featured a young squad in 2009, yet managed an 11-7-1 record while advancing to the semi-finals of the Freedom Conference Tournament. All-Conference/Mid Atlantic Region midfielder junior Joey Bender (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) returns for the Monarchs after finishing second in the Freedom Conference in scoring with 38 points, the third highest single-season total in program history.
SUNY New Paltz enters the 2010 campaign following a 7-10-2 overall mark a year ago. The Hawks welcome back leading scorer junior forward Jimmy Altadonna who posted 24 points on 11 goals and two assists. The midfield will be a key for New Paltz, as the Hawks return their entire starting midfield from last season.
Following the contests, the women’s team will continue their road stretch to start the season, playing at the Centenary Labor Day Tournament on September 4 and 5. The men’s squad will make their home debut on September 4 as they host the Monarch/Royal Classic.