Posted: Aug 27, 2010
Mustangs Men's Soccer Team Joins NJCAA
The Montgomery County Community College Mustangs men’s soccer team looks forward to competing as members of the Region XIX of the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) this year. After playing as a club team since 2001 and as an intercollegiate team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference last year, making the jump to the NJCAA will present new challenges and opportunities for the Mustangs. Region XIX is composed of junior colleges from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The winner of the Region XIX post season tournament qualifies for the NJCAA National Championship.
The Mustangs hope to continue their tradition of having a stingy defense. Leading this effort will be freshman goalkeepers Mohamed Mustafa (Upper Merion) and Anthony Cellucci (Lansdale Catholic). Providing backfield support will be returning defenders Belvin Burgess (Jamaica), James Kane (Abington), Remone Samy (North Penn) and Michael Wambold (Upper Moreland). Adding strength to the defense will be newcomers, Brett Dalton (Kennedy Kenrick), Eric Laflamme (Upper Moreland), Phillip Martin (Abington) and Kyle Reddick (Pottsgrove).
The strength of the 2010 men’s soccer team may be in the midfield this year. Upper Dublin graduate and Bloomsburg University transfer Ryan Lafferty will provide experience and intelligence to the central midfield. The athleticism of Gerard Natale (Norristown), Ali Mohamed Ali (Norristown) and returning captain Ahmed Faik (Upper Dublin) will create a midfield that maintains possession and dictates the tempo of many matches.
The forwards are a talented group of players who are new at this level of competition. Mamadou Barry (Norristown), Francesco Basta (Plymouth Whitemarsh ), Brandon Essrig (Upper Merion), Nicholas Igbokwe (Nigeria), Lekan King (Springfield) and Alex Russell (Springfield) will hopefully find the chemistry up top that will lead to creating and finishing continuous scoring opportunities.
Versatile players, such as Miquel Cortes (Springfield), Ryan Gill (Roman Catholic) and Terrence Wheeler (Wissahickon), will provide this team with a solid amount of depth. Cut down from a field of forty student-athletes, Head Coach Andy Kelly feels that this Mustangs squad may have the deepest and perhaps most talented roster in several years.
“Although we have many first year players, the talent of this group should allow us to be successful at this higher level of competition. How quickly our players adjust to the increased physicality and speed of play will dictate our success. The anticipated improvement of our young goalkeepers and the players unfamiliar with each other getting use to playing with each other will be key.”
Sophmore captain Ahmed Faik believes in the future success of the team as well.
“There is a great chemistry between each other starting with the defense all the way to the forwards on the team. I’m looking forward to a great season and I believe we can be very successful.”
The Mustangs men’s soccer team will travel to Manor College for its first game of the season on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Game time is 3:30 p.m.
The Mustangs hope to continue their tradition of having a stingy defense. Leading this effort will be freshman goalkeepers Mohamed Mustafa (Upper Merion) and Anthony Cellucci (Lansdale Catholic). Providing backfield support will be returning defenders Belvin Burgess (Jamaica), James Kane (Abington), Remone Samy (North Penn) and Michael Wambold (Upper Moreland). Adding strength to the defense will be newcomers, Brett Dalton (Kennedy Kenrick), Eric Laflamme (Upper Moreland), Phillip Martin (Abington) and Kyle Reddick (Pottsgrove).
The strength of the 2010 men’s soccer team may be in the midfield this year. Upper Dublin graduate and Bloomsburg University transfer Ryan Lafferty will provide experience and intelligence to the central midfield. The athleticism of Gerard Natale (Norristown), Ali Mohamed Ali (Norristown) and returning captain Ahmed Faik (Upper Dublin) will create a midfield that maintains possession and dictates the tempo of many matches.
The forwards are a talented group of players who are new at this level of competition. Mamadou Barry (Norristown), Francesco Basta (Plymouth Whitemarsh ), Brandon Essrig (Upper Merion), Nicholas Igbokwe (Nigeria), Lekan King (Springfield) and Alex Russell (Springfield) will hopefully find the chemistry up top that will lead to creating and finishing continuous scoring opportunities.
Versatile players, such as Miquel Cortes (Springfield), Ryan Gill (Roman Catholic) and Terrence Wheeler (Wissahickon), will provide this team with a solid amount of depth. Cut down from a field of forty student-athletes, Head Coach Andy Kelly feels that this Mustangs squad may have the deepest and perhaps most talented roster in several years.
“Although we have many first year players, the talent of this group should allow us to be successful at this higher level of competition. How quickly our players adjust to the increased physicality and speed of play will dictate our success. The anticipated improvement of our young goalkeepers and the players unfamiliar with each other getting use to playing with each other will be key.”
Sophmore captain Ahmed Faik believes in the future success of the team as well.
“There is a great chemistry between each other starting with the defense all the way to the forwards on the team. I’m looking forward to a great season and I believe we can be very successful.”
The Mustangs men’s soccer team will travel to Manor College for its first game of the season on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Game time is 3:30 p.m.