The men’s soccer program celebrated its 50th season this past fall, honoring the Royals’ rich tradition, which includes 10 conference championships and 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. Scranton men’s soccer has also produced 11 All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans.
A special ceremony was held on Saturday, Sept. 29, at the Quinn Athletics Campus, in conjunction with the men’s soccer game against Goucher. Alumni, family and friends of the program gathered for an alumni game in the morning, followed by the dedication of the Steve Klingman Plaza at Weiss Field.
Scranton then took on Goucher in a Landmark Conference match, with the Royals defeating the Gophers 2-0. Following the game, there was a cocktail reception in Leahy Hall.
On the field, the team battled to a 6-8-2 record on the season and went 4-3 in Landmark Conference play. The Royals tied for the fourth and final playoff spot with Moravian, but the Greyhounds edged out the Royals for the final playoff berth with an overtime win on the final day of the regular season.
That ending epitomized a season in which the breaks did not seem to go in favor of the Royals, who played a challenging non-conference schedule, including several games against nationally and regionally ranked opponents. Of Scranton’s eight losses this year, six were by one goal; the other two losses were two-goal defeats.
Following the season, junior midfielder Jon Roberts (pictured above) was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Mid-Atlantic Region Third Team and Third Team Scholar All-Region. Roberts and junior defender Patrick Prinner were both First Team All-Landmark Conference honorees.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day to celebrate the rich and storied history of the men’s soccer program,” said Dave Martin, director of athletics at Scranton. “We had a fantastic turnout of alumni who have been extremely supportive of the program. To have the turnout that we did for the dedication of the Steve Klingman Plaza at the Quinn Athletics Campus and to have this year’s team walk off the field with a victory, we couldn’t have asked for a more fitting way to celebrate the program’s 50th season.”
