GK Becomes Part of Friar History
November 19, 2005
Junior goalkeeper Chris Konopka (Toms River, NJ), a veteran member of the Jersey Shore Boca soccer club, became part of history Friday night as he helped the Providence College Men’s Soccer team capture a 1-0 overtime win over 13th-ranked Hofstra University in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament marking the first ever NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament victory by the Friars.
GK Becomes Part of Friar History
Konopka and Providence shut-out Hofstra to capture historic NCAA tourney win
HEMPSTEAD, NY (November 18, 2005) – Junior goalkeeper Chris Konopka (Toms River, NJ), a veteran member of the Jersey Shore Boca soccer club, became part of history Friday night as he helped the Providence College Men’s Soccer team capture a 1-0 overtime win over 13th-ranked Hofstra University in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament marking the first ever NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament victory by the Friars.
Providence which is making only its second appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament and first since 1983 improves to 7-3-9 and will play the fourth-seeded University of North Carolina, the No. 2 nationally ranked team in the nation, in Chapel Hill, NC on Tuesday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m. in the second round.
Friar sophomore midfielder Alex Bury set-up the game winner as he bent a corner-kick into the middle of the penalty area, where senior forward Eoin Lynch was making a lateral run from the far side of the field. Lynch headed a shot from 10 yards out that tucked below the crossbar and into the upper-left corner at 5:05 in the first overtime for the game winner.
Konopka, a 2003 Toms River East graduate, made four saves on the night in front of a raucous crowd of 1,251 while also corralling several dangerous Hofstra crosses inside the six-yard box in route to his sixth shut-out of the season, the most by a Providence team since 1990.
The standout goalkeeper has played every minute in the net for the Friars this year allowing only 19 goals while making 87 saves. Konopka maintains a 0.90 GAA and .821 save percentage and becomes the first goalkeeper in Providence men’s soccer history to post a win in a NCAA tournament game.
The Friars have recorded one of the most improved records in NCAA history this year. Last season, Providence finished with a 0-16 record. They are 10 games better than last season, which is tied for the seventh best turnaround in NCAA history.
Providence also set an NCAA record by playing their 12th overtime game of the season.
Providence was one of 25 at-large teams selected for the Tournament. North Carolina (15-3-3) earned an at-large berth and a No. 4 seed. The Tar Heels received a bye in the first round. The winner of the Providence/UNC game will play the winner of the South Florida/Virginia game on November 26 or 27.
Konopka was a member of the Boca U20 team this past summer that advanced to the semi-finals of the USASA U20 Regional Championship as well as the semi-finals of the MSSL Cup Championship.
Jersey Shore Boca had a record fifty-five club standouts who previously played for Boca on either their Men’s, Super Y-League, PDL, Club or Youth teams that participated in NCAA intercollegiate soccer this fall for their respective institutions.
This is the highest number of Jersey Shore Boca players to ever participate in NCAA intercollegiate soccer during the same season in the club’s 27 year history.
Jersey Shore Boca has been a fixture in the soccer community since 1978 and is one of the most respected soccer clubs on the East Coast.
The Club is celebrating their 27-year anniversary in 2005.
For more information on the Jersey Shore Boca Soccer Club, visit the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com
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