Nor'easters College Report: Title contenders, All-Americans, history-makers and more

Several Ocean City alums not only were successful on the field, but in the classroom as well.

Several Ocean City Nor'easters players are scattered around the country competing with their respective colleges and universities. With the 2016 college season in the books, we take a look at how our Ocean City alums performed this season (In alphabetical order by school)

APPALACHIAN STATE
Appalachian State made a coaching change in the offseason with former Ocean City Nor'easters (then known as South Jersey Barons in 2002) goalkeeper Matt Nelson didn't have his contract renewed. He was replaced by Jason O'Keefe. Raheem Somersall (Sophomore - Basseterre, St. Kitts) played in 16 games and scored his first career goal. This follows up on a freshman year where he started all 18 games. The Mountaineers finished with a 5-9-4 record.

AZUSA PACIFIC
Tim Ogunniyi (Senior - Bristol, England) was the leading scorer for the Cougars who finished with a 6-7-4 record. Ogunniyi earned an All-Conference Third Team selection for his efforts.

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY
For the second year in a row, goalkeeper Logan Ketterer (Senior - Racine, WI) put together an All-Conference performance with the Braves. He started 20 games and finished with 1.61 GAA and three shutouts. He finished his college career at Bradley ranked fifth in school history in clean sheets (12) and sixth in minutes played (4,674). His performance was enough to get him selected in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew (Round 4 - 71st overall)

CAMPBELLSVILLE UNIVERSITY
The Tigers of Campbellsville University had one of the best seasons in program history, finishing the regular season undefeated. Unfortunately, their first loss of the season came in the NAIA tournament, which dropped them down to the NCCAA tournament where they finished with a 2-0 loss to Emmanuel College (GA) and a 3-0 win over Grace College. The Tigers finished with a 16-2-3 record.

Ocean City teammate Marcelo Petit (Junior - Asuncion, Paraguay) graduated last spring, but Daniel Nimmo (Junior - Lithigow, Scotland), the Nor'easters' Young Player of the Year last season, has remained and anchored the backline. The Tigers defense ranked second in the nation in shutouts (15) and No. 1 in shutouts per game (0.71). The offense ranked fifth in goals per game (3.95). Nimmo was honored for his performance as a NSCAA All-American First Team selection.

CONCORDIA COLLEGE (NY)
Ovan Oakley (Senior - Kingston, Jamaica) closed out his career at Concordia College in impressive fashion. The Jamaican led the Clippers in scoring with 15 goals and eight assists (38 points) and on Sept. 21, he become the school's all-time leading scorer (SEE VIDEO BELOW). After leading the conference in scoring, Oakley was named the CACC player of the year, and was an all-region selection and an academic All-American. He finished in the top 20 nationally in goals, shots, and shots on goal. He helped the Clippers to an 11-6-0 record, which was the most wins for the Clippers since 2000, and they won the regular season conference championship.

OAKLEY BREAKS THE RECORD


DREXEL UNIVERSITY
It was a difficult season for the Drexel Dragons as they won just one game (1-14-2) and only scored seven goals all season long. Dakota Peterson (Junior - Denver, CO) started 16 games for the Dragons.

FLORIDA GULF COAST
Miguel Jaime (Junior - Denver, CO) was the Creative Player of the Year with the Nor'easters this past season. Jaime took that creativity back with him to college to help Florida Gulf Coast make history. He played in 21 games, scoring two goals and three assists and helping the Eagles reach the NCAA tournament by winning the conference tournament. Jaime was named to the All-Tournament Team. In the NCAA tournament, the Eagles defeated in-state rival USF (University of South Florida) in penalty kicks. Jaime was one of the players who scored his penalty kick which was the first time that the Eagles have advanced in the NCAA tournament. Their run ended in the second round with a loss to North Carolina. Off the field, Jaime had a successful season as well, as he was named to the All-Academic Team for the second year in a row after a 3.3 GPA in his forensic studies major. Also, USLPDL.com ranked him the 8th best college midfielder in the country with PDL experience.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Big Ten powerhouse Indiana booked another trip to the NCAA tournament and two Ocean City alums played a big role on the team's backline. Colin Webb (Senior - San Diego, CA) played 14 games in goal, finishing with a personal 8-1-4 record and a 0.79 goals against average and seven shutouts. He finished his career with the Hoosiers 36 wins and 27 shutouts and a 0.88 GAA. Webb wrapped up his senior year as an Academic All-Big Ten selection. Positioned in front of him on the backline was Billy McConnell (Senior - Meadowbrook, PA), who played in 16 games and was part of the Hoosiers team that finished with a team 0.70 goals against average and a Big Ten-leading 11 clean sheets. McConnell's performance did not go unnoticed as he was invited to the 2017 MLS Combine.

Billy McConnell highlights


JEFFERSON COLLEGE
It's a long trip from Jefferson County, Missouri to the Jersey Shore, but three talented players from Jefferson College made that trip to play for the Nor'easters this past season. The biggest name was Chevaughn "Chevy" Walsh (Spanish Town, Jamaica), who made history by breaking the Nor'easters' club scoring record, and earned the PDL MVP award. However, he had already completed his second year at the junior college and instead of transferring to a Division I school, he took his impressive college and PDL resume to the pros. Walsh signed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL.

Jose Veizaga (Sophomore - Santa Cruz, Bolivia) returned for his sophomore year with the Vikings and he made the most of it. Veizaga led the team in scoring with nine goals and three assists (21 points). The Vikings finished with a 9-8 record and their season ended in the Regional Quarterfinals. Walsh and Veizaga's Bolivian teammate, Jona Argote (Junior - Santa Cruz, Bolivia) graduated from Jefferson College and transferred to Point University in Georgia.

LA SALLE UNIVERSITY
The Nor'easters have had a strong history of talented players from La Salle and goalkeeper Mike Kirk (Senior - Mechanicsburg, PA) has continued that tradition. The senior finished his career with another strong season as the Explorers had a 10-8-1 record. He started 14 games and finished with a 1.25 GAA and had a 7-7-0 record. Kirk's college career ends with 15 shutouts

LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE
Spencer Moeller (Junior - Bradenton, FL) and Lindsey Wilson College had another strong season, finishing with a 13-4-2 record, but they missed out on the national tournament. Their season came to an end after falling in the conference championship game in penalty kicks to fellow alum Daniel Nimmo and the Campbellsville University Tigers. Moeller played in 14 games (10 starts) and picked up one assist. 

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
It was a very special season for the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago. They finished 14-4-1 overall, earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and their first postseason win in program history. They lost to Notre Dame in Round 2, but after winning the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title (they lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament). What made their first tournament win in history that much more special? They defeated the nearby University of Illinois-Chicago. Kyle Thomson (Junior - Park Ridge, IL) played in 19 games (1 goal, 2 assist), while Ryan Howe (RS-Senior - Rockford, IL) was a First-Team All-Conference selection and he was named to the MVC Scholar Athlete Team. Howe was tied for second in the PDL in assists last season (7) and won the Nor'easters' Breakthrough Player of the Year award.

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
The Marquette Golden Eagles finished with a 5-7-4 record in the highly-competitive Big East Conference. Ruben Sanchez (Sophomore - Frankfort, IL) started 10 of the 13 games he appeared in. The year before, he was the only true freshman to appear in all 17 matches.

MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY
The college career of Eric Klenofsky (Senior - Lincoln Park, NJ) came to a close and after a strong senior season, he heard his name called on draft day. He started 11 games and finished with a 0.87 goals against average with four shutouts. His Hawks career ended with 32 shutouts and 36 wins (second-most in conference history) He was named the conference co-goalkeeper of the year, and ended up as an all-region selection and earned an invitation to the Major League Soccer Combine. USLPDL.com also ranked him the No. 6 goalkeeper in the country that played in the PDL. On top of that, the goalkeeper was invited to train with Everton of the English Premier League. The Hawks would finish with a 6-9-3 record , ending their season in penalty kicks in the conference tournament. He was selected in the Second Round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft (34th overall) by D.C. United.


NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Rickardo Oldham (Senior - Kingston, Jamaica) wrapped up his college career at NJIT, helping the highlanders to a winning season. The team finished 8-6-4 and Oldham played in 16 games, contributing a goal and three assists.

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
The Huskies had a disappointing 6-11 record this year with four Ocean City alums suiting up for them. All four players played for the Nor'easters during the 2015 season. The Nor'easters' leading scorer and All-Conference selection from 2015, Khesanio Hall (Senior - Santa Cruz, Jamaica) scored a goal in 11 games. Hall's fellow senior Marc Greenblatt started 14 of the 15 games he played in on the backline. Ackim Mpofu (Junior - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) was tied for second on the team with five points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 16 games, while Harry Swartz (Junior - Needham, MA) appeared in two games.

OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN
Ocean City alum Perica Obradovic (Snederevo, Serbia) played a big role in tremendous season for Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Eagles finished as the regular season conference champions with a 19-1-1 overall record. They lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament, but still qualified for the NAIA tournament. Their run came to an end in the Round of 16 when they lost to William Carey (MS) in penalty kicks. Obradovic started 20 of the 21 games that he played in and scored three goals and had a team-leading 13 assists.

PFEIFFER UNIVERSITY
 

Martim Galvao had five goals and a team-high 15 assists and was named to the All-American Second Team with Pfeiffer University. Photo: Pfeiffer University

It was difficult to top the 2015 season that Pfeiffer University's men's soccer team had. The Falcons won the NCAA Division II National Championship and finished undefeated in conference play to win the school's second straight conference title. This year, they fell short of winning a national title, but they still put together an impressive season. They scored 100 goals as a team, making them the 7th highest scoring team in NCAA Division II history. They won their second straight regular season conference title after an undefeated season. They won a third straight conference tournament title and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. However, their run ended in the NCAA tournament, falling to Wingate in the Southeast Regional Final, 1-0. It was the first time they were held without a goal in 47 matches. The Falcons finished with a 19-3 record.

Cristobal Allendes (Senior - Santiago, Chile)
Allendes started all 22 games for the Falcons this year. He scored three goals and added an assist. His performance was enough to end his college career on a positive note by earning First-Team All-Conference honors.

Thomas Correa (Sophomore - Lisbon, Portugal)
Along with Allendes, Correa was part of a strong defense, starting 18 games for the Falcons and boasting a 16-2-0 record while in between the posts. The goalkeeper from Portugal had nine clean sheets and finished the season with a 0.74 goals against average. Correa was named First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region.

Martim Galvao (Junior - Lisbon, Portugal)
Correa's fellow Lisbon, Portugal native, Martim Galvao, did his damage on the offensive side of the field. He started 21 games and finished the season with five goals and a team-high 15 assists. Galvao was also named First-Team All-Conference, First-Team All-Region, and a Second-Team All-American. Galvao also was ranked on USLPDL.com's list of top college midfielders in the country (with PDL experience) and he recently was invited to a tryout with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL.

Nathan Regis (Senior - Arima, Trinidad & Tobago)
Few players have had a better 12 months than Nathan Regis. A year ago, Regis scored 32 goals and won NCAA Division II Player of the Year while helping the Falcons win a national championship. He joined the Nor'easters last summer, tied for the PDL lead in assists (9) and was named the team's MVP and a PDL All-Conference selection. He returned to Pfeiffer at the end of the summer and picked up where he left off. He scored 24 goals (nine game-winners), dished out 10 assists in 22 games played and was named the Regional Player of the Year. He also scored six goals in the conference tournament, three of them coming in the championship game and he was named the tournament's most outstanding player. With USLPDL.com ranking him the 4th-best attacking player in the country (that played in the PDL), and PhillySoccerNews.com ranking him the Amateur Player of the Year, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Regis doesn't get signed by a pro team before next season.

PHILADELPHIA UNIVERSITY
Seiji Rose (Junior - Toulouse, France)
had one of the more productive seasons, offensively-speaking, for a defender that you'll find. The junior led the team in scoring with five goals (all from free kicks) and two assists and helped the Rams pitch a pair of shutouts. Rose was the conference's defensive player of the year, and an all-region selection as the Rams finished with a 6-10-2 record.

POINT UNIVERSITY
Walsh and Veizaga's Bolivian teammate, Jona Argote (Junior - Santa Cruz, Bolivia), graduated from Jefferson College and transferred to Point University in Georgia where he appeared in 10 games this fall. The Skyhawks finished with a 9-9-2 record and finished their season in the conference quarterfinals. 

 

 

Fraser Colmer (red) was rock solid on the field and off the field for Radford College. Photo: Radford College Athletics

RADFORD COLLEGE
Fraser Colmer (Junior - Southampton, England), the winner of last season's Nor'easter Award, and one of the anchors of the Ocean City defense, had a great college season, both on and off the field. On the field, he started 20 games and scored three goals and dished out three assists and was tied for the team lead in minutes played (1,857). He was part of a defense that tied a program record with 10 shutouts and only allowed two goals in conference play. Off the field, he earned a 4.0 GPA as a business management major and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team. The Highlanders won the regular season and tournament championship for the second time in program history and punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. They would drop their opening round game to Coastal Carolina, 2-1.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE
Nolan Sherwood (Sophomore - Las Vegas, NV)
played a big role for the Battlin' Bears this season. He led the team in goals (11), assists (6) and points (28) and was named First Team All-Conference in the Cascade Conference.

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
Ryan Peterson (Junior - Budd Lake, NJ)
returned to his home state, transferring to Rutgers from NC State. Unfortunately, it was a tough year for the Scarlet Knights, finishing with a 1-14-2 record in the highly-competitive Big Ten Conference. Peterson started 15 games and dished out two assists.

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY (SMU)
The Mustangs of SMU had high hopes early in the season as they found themselves ranked in the Top 25 and picked up a high-profile 4-3 overtime win over Akron. However, as the season went on, they weren't able to live up to those early-season rankings. They finished 6-9-1. Ocean City alum Emil Cuello (Sophomore - Orem, UT) played in just seven games, while Gunnar Stray Gundersen (RS-Freshman - Park City, UT) was unable to break into a game this year.

SAINT FRANCIS UNIVERSITY (PA)
The Red Flash finished with a 12-6-2 record and made a third straight appearance in the Northeast Conference championship game. However, Saint Francis from Pennsylvania lost in double overtime on a penalty kick in the 107th minute by Saint Francis Brooklyn. Nick Hanuscin (Senior - Cinnaminson, NJ) and Dominic Ramirez (Senior - Johnstown, PA) both finished up their careers by playing a big role. Hanuscin played in 18 games, while Ramirez started nine of the 20 games he played in, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists. Goalkeeper Andrew Garcia started half of the games for Ocean City this past season, but he graduated last spring.

SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY
Joaquin Peluffo (Junior - Montevideo, Uruguay) transferred to Saint Leo from Calumet College of Saint Joseph's and started 13 games on the backline for the Lions. He scored his lone goal of the season in the team's final game of the season as they finished with a 5-8-0.

ST. PETER'S UNIVERSITY
Michael Crentsil (Junior - Newark, NJ) was one of the positives that came out of a challenging season for the St. Peter's Peacocks this season. He started 17 of the 18 games he played on defense, while scoring two goals and adding three assists, which made him one of the team's leading scorers. However the Peacocks had a tough season, finishing with a 3-13-2 record.

UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
Robert Gillin (Sophomore - Marlton, NJ) helped the Delaware Blue Hens reach the NCAA tournament. Gillen started all 21 games and was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team, when Delaware beat William & Mary in the championship game to punch their ticket to the big dance. It was redemption for Delaware who had lost the previous two conference championship games. It was the third NCAA tournament appearance in six years for the Blue Hens, but the run was short-lived as they lost to Providence in the opening round, finishing with a 12-8-1 record.

UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD
Andre Morrison (Junior - Clarendon, Jamaica)
was the Nor'easters Defender of the Year and he was a big part of the Hartford Hawks' backline this season. The team finished 9-10-3, but they made a big push down the stretch, by upsetting No. 1 seed Stony Brook in the conference semifinals before falling one game short by losing to Albany in the conference final. Morrison started all 22 games, scored two goals and led the team in minutes played (1,995)

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
It was a tough first season in Pittsburgh for Bryce Cregan (Junior - Dallastown, PA) since transferring from the University of Akron. The former U.S. youth international played in 16 games in his junior season but the Panthers finished with a 2-13-3 record.

UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE (OH)
The question before the 2016 season was what could the Red Storm of Rio Grande possibly do for an encore? After losing just a single game and winning the NAIA National Championship last year, they followed it up with a 21-2-2 season and another trip to the national title game. Unfortunately, they would fall short this year, losing 1-0 to Hastings College. The two main reasons for their success, at least on offense, were a pair of Ocean City alums. Pau Delgado Rodriguez (Senior - Barcelona, Spain) led the team in scoring with 20 goals and nine assists (49 points) in 23 games while 2015 Nor'easters MVP Jorge Guinovart (Junior - Barcelona, Spain) was second with 14 goals and 12 assists (40 points) in 25 games. As a result, both Barcelona natives were named to the NAIA All-American First Team. Guinovart was also ranked the fourth-best college midfielder in the country by USLPDL.com among players that played in the PDL.

 

 

WILMINGTON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
The lone Canadian on the Nor'easters roster, Juan Bernal (Senior - Mississagua, Ontario) had a solid season for Wilmington University. He started all 19 games he played in and finished as the team's third leading scorer (five goals, five assists) while helping the Wildcats to a 12-6-1 record.

XAVIER UNIVERSITY
It was another exceptional season for Matthew Vasquenza (Junior - East Hampton, CT) who led the Musketeers in scoring with five goals and six assists (16 points). Vasquenza was second on the team in scoring last year, played in 17 games this year (7 starts) and helped the team to an 8-8-3 record.

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