http://www.allegheny.edu
Young Gator Team Falls Short of Repeat
November 15, 2005
MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College men’s soccer team fell one win short of a return to the NCAA playoffs in a year that was an up and down one for the Gators. The season started with three consecutive overtime games, with the Blue and Gold going 0-1-2 in that stretch, and things didn’t get any easier.
Just two of the team’s eight wins came by more than one goal in 2005, with the same stat holding true for losses, as only Ohio Wesleyan defeated the Gators by more than a goal all year. Overall, the team finished with an 8-8-4 record, with seven of those 20 contests needing extra time to be decided. The seven overtime games tied an NCAA Division III record for overtimes in a season, and further illustrate what 2005 was like for head coach Angelo Panzetta’s (right) team.
“When you are having trouble scoring, but collectively defending well as a team, you end up with ties and 1-0 and 2-1 games,” said Panzetta. “On the bright side, we found ways to win five conference games to put us in position to play for a league championship.”
While easy wins were tough to come by, and painful losses seemed at some points overly difficult to avoid, the year was a successful one for the Gators. Allegheny made a return to the NCAC playoffs as the number three seed after going 5-3-1 in conference play. On the road in their first playoff game, the Gators defeated Oberlin by a score of 1-0, avenging a 2-1 midseason loss. Alan Carr (Blairstown, N.J./ Blair Academy) got his fifth game-winner of the season against Oberlin, and Allegheny found itself back in the NCAC Championship game.
In 2004, the Gators were the number four seed, and found themselves face to face with a 13-2 Wooster team in the semifinals. After winning the contest 1-0, the Blue and Gold went on an amazing stretch, winning their next three games via penalty kicks. The team captured its first NCAC Championship in the process, and made it all the way to the “Sweet 16” of the NCAA tournament. In 2005, the run didn’t last as long, as an undefeated Ohio Wesleyan squad moved to 20-0 with a win over Allegheny.
“The NCAC was very strong from top to bottom this year, and that is evident in that seven teams were fighting for four playoff spots going into the last week of the season,” said Panzetta.
Now the team looks to 2006 with high expectations. While four senior starters will be lost to graduation, the team should be much more experienced next fall. Two freshmen saw significant playing time throughout the entirety of their rookie campaigns, including Nathaniel Yates (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), who was second on the team in points with 10, while a third freshman saw time as a starter before suffering a season-ending injury. Meanwhile, sophomores like Eric Sloan, the 2004 NCAC Newcomer of the Year and an all-conference performer in 2005, Jeremy Garbutt (St. Louis, Mo./ John Burroughs School), an honorable mention defender, and two others that started nearly every contest will also return. Add in a junior in Carr, who tallied a team high 24 points, and it is apparent that the team will be ready to challenge for another league title next year.