Philadelphia, PA – (10/31/2010) – With a 5-6 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) finish, the best in program history, the Chestnut Hill College men's soccer team earned the #7 seed in the upcoming CACC Championship Tournament. Under first-year Head Coach Keith Cappo, the Griffins posted a 9-9 overall record and they will travel to #2 Philadelphia University for a 2:00 p.m. Opening Round contest on Tuesday, November 2.
Coach Cappo and staff turned around a Chestnut Hill College (9-9, 5-6) men's soccer team that finished 3-12-2 overall and 1-8-2 in the CACC last season. The Griffins simply appeared more comfortable as a team in 2010, winning their first, three league games and holding a #8 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Regional Ranking on September 28. The Griffins lost at Philadelphia University (11-5-2, 8-2-1) 4-2 in their final game or the regular season after tying the contest with just 6:49 left to play.
Junior midfielder Gavin Reid (Dundee, Scotland) and sophomore forward Carl Essenthier (Philadelphia, PA) powered the Griffins to their best finish as members of the CACC and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II; 9-9 overall and 5-6 in the league. Reid totaled a team-high with 15 points, leading the Griffins with seven goals and an assist. He recorded three game-winning tallies earning the Griffins conference wins over Caldwell College, Post University, and Felician College. Essenthier led the Griffins in assists with four, in addition to scoring four goals for 12 points in his sophomore campaign. Essenthier scored the game-winner in an overtime affair with the University of the District of Columbia on September 9 and he was twice an honorable mention for the CACC Player of the Week (9/13 and 10/26). Reid was an honorable mention for the award on September 28.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Goldstein (Pennsauken, NJ) was aided on the defensive end by the play of senior Maurice Blanton (Bristol, PA), junior Chris Moore (Berlin, NJ), and freshman Ross Garabedian (Horsham, PA). Goldstein recorded five shutouts with a 9-9 personal record. He posted a 1.75 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .763 save percentage (Sv%). He totaled 1,595:40 minutes in net.
Bloomfield College (13-3-1, 10-0-1) was ranked #5 in the latest (10/26/10) NCAA Division II East Regional Rankings and with a 10-0-1 CACC record they will host #8 Holy Family University (7-8-3, 4-5-2) as the league's #1 team. #3 Dominican College (12-3-2, 7-2-2) will host #6 Nyack College (8-10, 5-6) and #4 Wilmington University (6-10-2, 5-5-1) will host #5 Post University (6-9-2, 5-5-1). All opening round contests are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. kickoffs on Tuesday, November 2.
