New Englanders contribute to 2011 NCAA National Champions

December 5, 2011

All that's left to wrap up the annual slate of NCAA soccer championships is the men's College Cup, with the semifinals kicking off this Friday in Hoover, Ala. No New England-based colleges or universities will be taking part, nor did any local men's DII or DIII teams, or local women's DI, DII or DIII teams, end up playing for a championship. But in the five championships held thus far, New Englanders played significant roles.

Women's DI
Stanford finally got it done, and New Hampshire's Kristy Zermuhlen finally got to taste a national championship after years of bitter endings. The senior from Walpole, N.H. and Fall Mountain Regional is a skillful and committed player known for her ability to play anywhere in the back or the midfield. She started 25 of the 26 games she appeared in this season and played 82 minutes in the 1-0 victory over Duke in the final. Stanford's goalkeeper coach Jay Cooney is another New England native. From Wellesley, Mass., Cooney's career includes stops as a coach with Providence College, the Greater Boston Bolts and Wellesley High School.

The runner-up Blue Devils also had a New England connection. Backup GK Emily Nahas was born in Boston and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols, while goalkeeper coach Katie Ely was a standout at Fairfield University.

Men's DII
No New England players were on the roster for either the champion Fort Lewis or the runner-up Lynn University, but the region wasn't completely unrepresented. Lynn University head coach John Rootes used to play for the old USISL Boston Storm, and he previously served as head coach at Southern New Hampshire, earning a 169-30-11 record in 10 seasons that included an NCAA National Championship in 1989. Fort Lewis defeated Lynn 3-2 in overtime in the final.

Women's DII
Like Stanford in DI, The College of Saint Rose got to be the bride after years of being a bridesmaid. The Golden Knights defeated Grand Valley St. 2-1, ending a run of three straight years that saw Saint Rose upended in the national semifinals. The Knights have a massive New England contingent. Sisters Nicola and Gianna D'Errico from Shrewsbury, Mass. were both starters virtually all-season and started in the final. Freshman forward Brittany Barry from Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson Academy also started the final, as did senior Derith Fernandes (Billerica, Mass.) and senior Kimberly Morton (Westerly, R.I.). The team also has junior GK Melody Lawrence (Foster, R.I./Ponaganset) and sophomore back Stephanie Vance (Billerica, Mass.) on the roster.

Men's DIII
The national champions from Ohio Wesleyan had a significant New England presence on the roster. Senior midfielder Dylan Stone played in 25 games and started the national title game, a 2-1 victory over Calvin. The Easton, Conn./Barlow product recorded 9 goals and 5 assists in 2011 and was also named the NCAA DIII tournament's best defensive player.
The team's roster also included several New England reserves: senior GK Steve Gobel (Wilbraham, Mass./Loomis Chaffee), senior midfielder Tevon Levien (Cayman Islands native who played at Cheshire Academy in Conn.), junior back Scott St. Cyr (Penn. native who attended Barlow) and frosh midfielder Ben Gustavson (Putnam, Conn./Marianapolis Prep). Ohio Wesleyan's coach Jay Martin is a Hingham, Mass. native who attended Springfield College. As for Calvin, they weren't entirely devoid of New England flavor. Freshman back Reed Bowden didn't play in the final, but the Uxbridge, Mass./Whitinsville Christian product appeared in 10 games in 2011.

Women's DIII
Unlike the DI and DII women's winners, DIII champion Messiah has been there before. The 3-1 victory over Wheaton (Ill.) gave Messiah its fourth national title. Messiah's senior GK Autumn Reilly has been the starter for the last three years and in her senior year posted a stingy 0.21 GAA. She made four saves in the national final. Messiah's roster also includes Stratford, Conn./Brunell product Bridgitte Dolio, who played in 20 games as a freshman. As for the runner-up Thunder, their roster includes senior back Esther Tan from Ridgefield, Conn. who started in the national final.

Now, all that's left is to root for a Creighton/UNC final in the men's DI tournament. None of the final four teams has any New England players, but Creighton assistant coach Johnny Torres used to play for the New England Revolution while UNC assistant Jeff Negalha is a New Bedford, Mass. native who played at Massasoit Community College. Creighton takes on Charlotte in the first national semifinal on December 9th at 6:00pm while UNC plays UCLA at 8:30pm.