For the Mount Vernon Nazarene College men's soccer team, the program's 20th season proved to be its best so far as the Cougars posted a school record 19-8 overall mark.
MVNC started the season with three straight wins before falling 2-0 to Cumberland (KY) College in the championship match of the Pizza Hut Cougar Invitational. The team rebounded to win its next three matches, but then dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Geneva (PA) College in American Mideast Conference action.
The Cougars finished the regular season with a 14-6 mark and were sixth in the rugged AMC with a 4-5 conference record. The team won the first NAIA postseason match in the program's history when the Cougars upset Ohio Dominican College 3-0 in the first round of the AMC Tournament.
After losing to eventual AMC Tournament champion Geneva 1-0 in the semifinals of the conference tournament, MVNC focused its attention on winning the NCCAA East Region Tournament for the first time. The Cougars accomplished this goal with a 1-0 victory at home over Nyack (NY) College and a hard-fought 2-1 win at Malone College.
Those victories propelled MVNC into the 1998 NCCAA National Tournament, which was held in Pensacola, Florida. The fourth-seeded Cougars began the tournament with a 3-0 shutout of fifth-seeded Lee (TN) University. After falling to eventual national champion East Texas Baptist Univeristy 3-0 in the semifinals, MVNC closed out its season with a 3-2 victory over Cedarville College to claim third place in the tournament.
"This was a great season for us," said head coach Paul Furey. "Many things contributed to that success. Going to the national tournament was a lot of fun, and the success that we had there topped off a very enjoyable year."
"However, what made the season most enjoyable, was the personality and the unity that we had as a team," Furey added. "It not only contributed to the overall fun and enjoyment of the group, but also to the success. It was great to see a number of players develop over the year, and for them to achieve a record season is something that makes me very happy for them. I hope that this is something that we can continue to build on and develop in the years ahead."
As a team, the Cougars set new school records for most wins in a season (19), most goals in a season (94), most assists in a season (91), fewest goals allowed in a season (25), and most shutouts in a season (13).
Individually, several players had great seasons. Sophomore forward Josh Robson set new school single-season records with 32 goals and 77 total points while being named to the AMC First Team, the NCCAA All-East Region Team, and the NCCAA All-American First Team. He also added 13 assists.
Junior midfielder Todd Pearce broke his own school record with 17 assists on the season while also adding 11 goals for 39 total points. Pearce was named to the AMC Second Team and the NCCAA All-East Region Team, and was also an Honorable Mention NCCAA All-American.
Junior defender Matt Salisbury joined Pearce on the AMC Second Team, the NCCAA All-East Region Team, and the NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American Team. He helped to anchor the MVNC defense that posted 13 shutouts, and he also recorded three goals and two assists.
Senior goalkeeper Josh Bush set new single-season school records with 13 shutouts and a 0.93 goals against average. Bush, who was received Honorable Mention in the AMC, also set the Cougar career marks with 21 shutouts and a 1.60 goals against average.
Freshman forward/midfielder Preston Elifritz also received Honorable Mention in the AMC after recording 10 goals, 12 assists, and 32 total points in his first collegiate season. He also started all 27 matches.
Senior forward Josh Hess scored seven goals, while senior defender Ryan Stuart added five goals and six assists. Senior defender Brian Dean contributed a goal and three assists, while sophomore forward Chris Masone also scored two goals and added five assists.
Freshmen midfielder Kevin Iannetta scored four goals, while freshman forward Chris Eliopoulos added two goals and seven assists. Sophomore midfielder Rick Collins finished with three goals and 11 assists, and sophomore forward Chuck Wolf contributed four goals and six assists. Freshmen Nels Radtke and Chad Smith contributed three and two goals respectively, while junior Chris Dean found the back of the net twice.
Four seniors (Bush, Hess, Stuart, and Brian Dean) will graduate from this year's MVNC team, but the foundation for success has been laid. With a experienced group of quality players returning, the 1999 season should prove to be another exciting year for Cougar soccer.