College Sports Kick Off; STAC Soccer on Fire

The 'College Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest—including local athletes competing at out-of-town colleges—to marcmaturo@aol.com.

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Goalkeeper Andrew Tartara played on a state championship team at Albertus Magnus while Dan Davren and Joe Connolly were starring at Nanuet High School.

The soccer standouts often went up against each other, but they were also teammates on travel teams. Their common cause right now is winning a conference crown at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill.

The Spartans of veteran coach Graham Brown, who opened last season at 6-0 before fading to a 12-5-1 finish, are 3-0-2 this season, having played every game on the road.

STAC makes its home debut on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against non-league foe Gannon of Erie, PA, at Eugene Levy Memorial Park, Route 45, Pomona.

Last year, the Spartans were upended by Bridgeport 3-2 in OT in the ECC semifinals (Davren scored a goal). This year, the Spartans hope to win it all, despite a tough conference schedule that includes a rematch with Bridgeport on Oct. 22.

“We’re finishing our set pieces this year; last year we didn’t finish as well,” said Davren, a junior midfielder and throw-in specialist who leads the team in scoring with seven points on three goals, and an assist. Connolly, a sophomore forward, is close behind with two goals.

“Last year we came out strong, too, but this year, oh yeah, we want to win the conference,” Davren said. “That’s everybody’s goal, of course, and the competition is tougher—Bridgeport, C.W. Post, Dowling, other teams. But I think our goal is realistic. We were ranked No. 4 this year (preseason) … absolutely, everybody thinks we can do it.”

Tartara, a senior who reveled in net even in recreation ball as a youngster, was named ECC defensive player of the week, and for good reason: he has allowed just two goals in five games.

“He is the best goalie in the league in my opinion,” opined Davren. “He’s the (league) leader in saves (34); it’s like having two goalies back there! It’s a combination of things;  he’s quick, strong, a great jumper, and an all-around athlete.”

Davren pointed to an influx of new players that will help, as did Tartara, both noting the addition of the team’s only two international players: Jack Legg of North Ireland, and Laurie Child of Surrey, England. By contrast, Gannon, which has won three straight, features 12 international players.

“We’ve never won conference,” continued Davren. “Last year was the first time we made the postseason. Once again, we want to come out on top.”

The other goal scorers for the Spartans have been Remington Lee, a John Jay HS alum, and Sean Devito of Wantagh.

Pearl River’s Mike Kelly, a senior, is another goaltender, and Robert Hirt of Orangeburg, a Tappan Zee graduate, is a sophomore back.

The Spartans will face their first ECC opponent on Sept. 24 when they host Dowling College, which is currently ranked No. 4 in the East Region.

STAC steps up

Members of the St. Thomas Aquinas College cross country team volunteered at Sunday’s famed South Nyack 10-miler, and assistant coach Drew Gangemi of Staten Island set a good example for his minions by placing ninth.

Gangemi, representing the Gangemi Gang, clocked 1:02:45, and used the race as a prep for the upcoming NYC Marathon.           

Meanwhile, getting down to real business, the Spartans’ women’s team, led by senior Sarah Callagy of Poughkeepsie and sophomore Keeley Bateman of Pearl River, placed sixth at the Fordham Fiasco at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

Callagy was 13th overall, and first in the East Coast Conference, with a time of 20:23; Bateman was close behind in 20:44.

The men finished 10th, led by Mike Galonski, a sophomore, who came across in 25th place with a 26:39 clocking.

Joe Chegwidden was next for STAC in his collegiate debut, and was the first ECC freshman to complete the course, in 27:07. Classmate Alex Andre also showed promise in his debut, finishing in 28:12.

Suffern’s Matt Muniz was timed in 39:50.

STAC is back in action on Saturday at the C.W. Post Invitational in Brookville. The women’s race begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the men’s at 11:15 a.m.

Chargers set for home contests

The Dominican College men’s soccer team is looking to reach .500 on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. when it entertains Holy Family University of Philadelphia. The visiting Tigers are 3-1.

The Chargers (1-2-1) played very well in a tough 1-0 loss to unbeaten C.W. Post (4-0) in non-conference action.

Senior goalie Brandon Heembrock of Ottawa had eight saves in defeat. Other veterans on Coach John Campbell’s squad include Clarkstown North graduates Artan Balaj of New City, a senior midfielder, and Dennis Kcira of New City, a junior midfielder.

On the women’s side, Dominican (1-3) opens a Saturday doubleheader with a noon contest, also against Holy Family University (2-2).

Mortarboard musings

• Third-year Dominican College cross country coach Abdias Suero, a former NCAA all-American, is counting on the infusion of freshman Renee Roncace to bolster the team. Roncace, a Nyack High graduate, missed the Chargers’ opening meet of the season with an injured ankle. “She’s definitely going to be good,” Suero said of the Valley Cottage resident. “We can’t wait for her to get back, and compete.” The Chargers placed ninth in the Fordham Fiasco at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx, with Suffern’s Sarah Dugandzic, a senior, placing 38th with a time of 21:45. Krystal Campbell of New Windsor was the first across for Dominican, placing 27th in 21:27. The Chargers are back in action on Sept. 24 at the Philadelphia Metro Championships at Belmont Plateau.
• Sophomore defender Conner Alexander of Blauvelt is helping to organize the back four on the Northeastern University men’s soccer team. Alexander, a Bergen Catholic grad, had a shot on goal in a 1-0 loss to Harvard. The Huskies (3-1-1) rebounded to claim a draw and a win last weekend in Wisconsin against Wright State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Huskies are home at Parsons Field on Saturday at 6 p.m. against MAAC opponent Fairfield University.
• Clarkstown South alum Chung Tran and Suffern’s Christian Dominguez supplied the scoring as the Rockland Community College men’s soccer team (2-0) defeated Dutchess CC, 2-0. The Hawks host Nassau CC on Saturday at 1 p.m. Nassau (2-1) is coming off a 3-2 win over Westchester CC.
• The Rockland CC women’s volleyball team, which lost its opener to Monroe, is home at noon on Saturday for a Region XV match against Ulster and Orange. The Hawks feature Spring Valley residents Vanessah Raymond and Christina Chung, Orangeburg’s Carmen Wong, North Rockland grad Cristina Ruballos, and Albertus Magnus grad Marie Lang of New City.
• Junior all-American Shelby Greany of Suffern led the Providence College women’s cross country team to victory at the University of New Hampshire dual meet in Durham, NH. The Friars of Coach Ray Treacy locked up six of the top eight spots, led by Greany’s first-place finish in 17:17. Providence also won at the Bryant Invitational in Smithfield, RI, the following week, despite resting some of their top runners. Former Tappan Zee standouts Sara Graney of Palisades, a senior, and freshman Caile Kohlbrenner of Sparkill are also members of the team, which returns to action Sept. 30 at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, PA.

• The Nyack College women’s cross country team captured 5th place to kick off the  season at the Vassar College Invitational. The host earned the championship with 24 points. SUNY New Paltz finished second with 36 points, Stevens Institute of Technology was a distant third with 105, followed by Mount St. Mary (112) and Nyack College (145). Freshman Pamela Code of Fort Drum was the first runner in for Nyack, followed by seniors Brianna Meyers, and captain Deborah McCarthy of Nyack. Sophomore Bethany Allison of Greensboro, NC, was next in line and senior Alethea Brown of Garrettsville, OH, sealed the last spot to close the top-5 for the Warriors.