St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's soccer

The St. Francis Terriers men's soccer team represented St. Francis College, which is located in Brooklyn Heights, New York. The team was a member of the Division I Northeast Conference (NEC). The Terriers played their home games at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Pier 5, which is also located in Brooklyn Heights. The field is located on the East River and has the Manhattan Skyline as a backdrop.[2]  

St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
Founded1968
Folded2023
UniversitySt. Francis College
LocationBrooklyn, New York
StadiumBrooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5
(Capacity: 1,200)
NicknameTerriers
ColorsRoyal blue and red[1]
   
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
1978
NCAA Tournament Round of 16
1976
NCAA Tournament appearances
1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020
Conference Tournament championships
1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020
Conference Regular Season championships
1991, 1997, 1998, 2016, 2017, 2020

From 1968 to 2019, the Terriers have compiled a 455–365–88 record and have won five NEC regular season championships and eight NEC tournament championships.[3] Since joining the NEC in 1985, the Terriers have compiled a 137–117–26 record in conference play and have won the most tournament championships in the conference. The Terriers have also participated in nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments, their best showing came in 1978 when they made it to the Elite Eight. Since joining the NEC, the Terriers have made it to four NCAA tournaments and they have been one game away on three previous occasions ('95, '96 and '98).[4]  

Their last head coach, Tom Giovatto, joined the Terriers in 2007 and led the team to a 120–85–32 record. From 2013 to 2019, Giovatto's squads won two NEC regular season championship, four NEC tournament championships and participated in four NCAA Tournaments.

History

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View of Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5, home of the Terriers, from the East River. The field is located on the lower right portion of the image.

The Terriers played their home games at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Pier 5, which is also located in Brooklyn Heights. The field is located on the East River and has the Manhattan Skyline as a backdrop. The Terriers began hosting games on Pier 5 in 2013, they previously hosted home games at the Aviator Sports Complex located at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn from 2007 to 2012.[2] Prior to 2007, the Terriers played their home games at Belson Stadium, on the St. John's University campus in Queens. The Terriers first game at Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5 was against the St. Peter's University Peacocks on September 13, 2013, and resulted in a 3–1 victory for the home team.[5]

Carlo Tramontozzi era (1968–1988)

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The St. Francis Terriers men's soccer team was founded in 1968 by Carlo Tramontozzi with the help of Brother Roger Nagle and then athletic director Daniel Lynch.[6] Tramontozzi was a recent graduate of Long Island University where he had helped lead the Blackbirds men's soccer team to the NCAA tournament (1965 and 1966) and garnered various national and regional awards as a player. As the head coach of the Terriers, Tramontozzi led them to a 190–116–30 record and to 5 NCAA tournament appearances over 21 seasons. The most successful team in program history was the 1978 Terriers squad that was ranked sixth nationally and made it to the quarterfinals in the NCAA tournament.[7][8] His 1981 squad was also nationally ranked in the top 20.[9] The 1985 season marked the beginning of conference play as the Terriers joined the Northeast Conference.

Sam Carrington era (1989–2001)

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Carrington is an alumnus and played on Carlo Tramontozzi's 1982 NCAA Tournament qualifying team. He coached the Terriers for 13 seasons and led them to a 127–106–16 overall record and 62–37–7 in conference play. During his tenure the Terriers won 3 regular season championships and 4 conference tournament championships.

Tom Giovatto era (2007–2023)

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Current head coach, Tom Giovatto, joined the Terriers in 2007 and has led the team to a 120–85–32 record. During his tenure as head coach, the Terriers have won 2 NEC regular season championships, 4 NEC tournament championships and have appeared in 4 NCAA Tournaments.

In his first six years at the helm, Giovatto had three winning seasons and three losing seasons. He failed to reach the NEC Tournament in 5 of those first 6 years. Then Giovatto proceeded to lead the Terriers to four NEC tournament championships in five years, from 2013 to 2017.[10] The Terriers also participated in 4 NCAA tournaments, receiving the NEC's automatic bid for the conference tournament champion. The 2015 team went unbeaten in their first 9 games and were ranked 22nd Nationally by the NSCAA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time in the Tom Giovatto era.[11] Giovatto has won two NEC Coach of the Year awards, first in 2016 and again in 2017- they coincide with the Terriers winning conference regular season championships those years. Also during this time, the Terriers have placed four players in professional leagues: Vincent Bezecourt (New York Red Bulls), Salvatore Barone (New York Cosmos), Dominick Falanga (New York Cosmos), and Leo Folla (Chattanooga Red Wolves SC).

After the 2017 season, Giovatto has had to rebuild his team due to losing high impact players to graduation. In 2018 and 2019, the Terriers failed to qualify for the NEC Tournament.

Elimination of Athletic Program (2023)

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On March 20, 2023, St Francis announced that their athletics programs would be eliminated following the Spring 2023 semester, with the college citing tight financial issues. In a statement, the college noted that the COVID-19 pandemic “left an indelible impact on St. Francis College, and as a result, Terrier athletics.”

Seasons

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St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers annual win percentage from 1968 to 2018. Bars specify the win percentage per year, with blue bars indicating above 50% win seasons and red bars indicating at or below 50%.
St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers
Season Head coach Season results Tournament results
Overall[12] Conference[12] Conference[12] NCAA[13]
Record Record Finish
1968 Carlo Tramontozzi 2–8–1
1969 5–6–0
1970 7–5–2
1971 8–5–2
1972 8–5–1
1973 10–4–1
1974 12–2–1 First round (0–1)
1975 9–4–1
1976 12–2–1 Round of 16 (1–1)
1977 10–2–2 First round (0–1)
1978 14–4–0 Quarterfinal (2–1)
1979 11–3–2
1980 7–6–3
1981 12–4–2
1982 11–4–4 First round (0–1)
1983 13–5–1
1984 6–11–1
1985 6–10–1 3–3–0 4th
1986 9–7–1 4–2–0 3rd
1987 8–11–1 2–4–0 6th
1988 10–8–2
1989 Sam Carrington 9–8–1 4–2–1 3rd Semi-final (0–1)
1990 8–10–2 4–2–1 3rd Semi-final (0–1)
1991 14–4–2 6–1–0 1st Champion (2–0)
1992 7–10–1 4–3–1 5th DNQ
1993 8–7–1 4–4–0 6th DNQ
1994 5–11–2 3–5–0 T-5th DNQ
1995 14–7–1 4–3–1 3rd Champion (2–0) Play-In
1996 13–8–0 6–2–0 2nd Champion (2–0) Play-In
1997 14–6–1 5–1–0 1st Semi-final (0–1)
1998 15–6–1 7–1–1 1st Champion (2–0) Play-In
1999 5–13–2 4–5–1 5th Semi-final (0–1)
2000 10–6–1 7–2–1 2nd Semi-final (0–1)
2001 5–10–1 4–6–0 7th DNQ
2002 Carlo Acquista 3–11–3 3–5–2 7th DNQ
2003 1–14–2 0–9–0 10th DNQ
2004 8–9–1 5–4–0 5th DNQ
2005 4–11–2 1–8–0 10th DNQ
2006 2–13–2 2–5–2 7th DNQ
2007 Tom Giovatto 4–9–5 2–5–2 8th DNQ
2008 11–4–3 4–3–2 5th DNQ
2009 10–6–2 7–2–1 2nd Semi-final (0–1)
2010 5–9–3 3–6–1 8th DNQ
2011 10–5–3 5–3–2 6th DNQ
2012 7–10–1 4–6–0 8th DNQ
2013 12–6–1 4–3–0 4th Champion (2–0) First round (0–1)
2014 11–6–4 4–1–2 3rd Champion (2–0) First round (0–1)
2015 10–4–4 3–2–2 4th Semi-final (0–1)
2016 12–5–3 6–0–1 1st Champion (2–0) First round (0–1)
2017 14–5–1 6–0–1 1st Champion (2–0) First round (0–1)
2018 7–10–0 4–4–0 T-5th DNQ
2019 7–6–2 3–5–1 T-6th DNQ
2020 7–2–1 5–1–1 1st Champion (1–0) Second round (1–1)
53 Seasons   462–367–89 142–118–27 6 NEC titles
(Regular Season)
17–7 in NEC Tournament
9 NEC tournament titles
4–10 in NCAA Tournament
10 bids
Legend
  Conference regular season champion          Conference tournament champion

  Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
  Post-season tournament invitation               Post-season tournament champion
  NCAA national champion

Players

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2019 roster

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As of May 3, 2021.[14] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
00 GK   RUS Ruslan Nigmatullin
0 GK   USA Mateo Green
1 GK   WAL Callum James
3 DF   USA Mamadou Diallo
4 DF   NOR Harald Sollund
5 DF   USA Vicente Gallardo
6 MF   CAN Xavier Laneuville
7 MF   SRB Ivan Tapuskovic
8 MF   USA Dennis Coke, Jr.
9 FW   USA Khaled Abdella
10 FW   MAR El Mahdi Youssoufi
11 FW   ARG Nicolas Molina
12 DF   SUI Michael Nwokeabia
14 DF   AUS Ridwan Hannan
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF   USA Domenico Pugliese
17 FW   USA Corrado Carbone
18 MF   ENG Jaydon Humphries
19 MF   USA Ramchwy Saint Vil
20 MF   ALB Sokol Ymeraj
21 MF   MAR Badr Mesrar
22 MF   USA Omar Gawish
23 MF   USA Andrew Adelhardt
24 DF   USA Derek Martinez
25 MF   USA Austin Rafter
27 DF   USA Johan Grande-Rojas
28 MF   USA Tyler Swaby
30 GK   ESP David Alcalà

Captains in bold

Coaching staff

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Position Staff
Head Coach   Tom Giovatto (2007–present)
Asst. Coach   Andy Cormack (2015–present)
Asst. Coach   Jason Orban (2019–present)

Last updated: August 26, 2019
Source: St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers Athletics Website

Terriers in professional leagues

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NCAA tournament results

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The Terriers have appeared in 10 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championships and in 3 play-ins. Their NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship record is 4–10, while their Play-In record is 0–3 and does not count towards the tally. Their best finish was in 1978, when they reached the Elight Eight.

Coaching history

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Overall Conference
Name Years Win–loss–tie Pct. Win–loss–tie Pct. Notes
Carlo Tramontozzi 1968–88 (21yrs) 190–116–30 61.0% 9–9–0 50.0% 5 NCAA Tournament appearances
Sam Carrington 1989–2001 (13yrs) 127–106–16 54.2% 62–37–7 61.8% 3 NEC regular season championships
4 NEC tournament championships
Carlo Acquista 2002–2006 (5yrs) 18–58–10 26.7% 11–31–4 28.3%
Tom Giovatto 2007–present 127–87–33 58.1% 60–41–16 58.1% 3 NEC Regular Season Championship
5 NEC tournament championships
5 NCAA Tournament appearances

Terrier records

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St. Francis College records
Season[20] Career[20]
Goals 22 Bernard Celestin (1983) 48 Dimitri Petrouniak (1995–1998)
Points 46 Bernard Celestin (1983) 124 Dimitri Petrouniak (1995–1998)
Assists 22 Daniel Benoit (1974) 28 Dimitri Petrouniak (1995–1998)
Saves 189 Mark Woseley (1990) 532 Dragan Radovich (1975–1978)
Shutouts 11 Dragan Radovich (1978)
11 Mario Flava (1988)
30 Dragan Radovich (1975–1978)

Record vs. NEC opponents

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St. Francis Brooklyn vs. Overall conference record
Bryant SFBK, 12–1–2
Central Connecticut SFBK, 18–7–4
Fairleigh Dickinson SFBK, 20–23–6
LIU SFBK, 22–25–4
Merrimack SFBK, 0–2–0
Mount St. Mary's SFBK, 2–1–0
Robert Morris SFBK, 21–13–2
Sacred Heart SFBK, 10–7–4
Saint Francis (PA) SFBK, 17–15
*As of May 3, 2021. Does not count NEC Tournament games.

Conference rivalry

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The fiercest rival of the Terriers are the Long Island University Blackbirds. Starting in 2013, the winner of the annual Battle of Brooklyn match is awarded the Ramirez/Tramontozzi trophy. The Trophy recognizes former coaches Arnie Ramirez and Carlos Tramontozzi, from LIU and St. Francis respectively. Both coaches were life-long friends and greatly influenced their respective programs.[21] St. Francis Brooklyn captured the inaugural trophy on LIU's field on November 10, 2013, behind a 4–0 performance. The formal Battle of Brooklyn ended after the 2018 season, when LIU Brooklyn merged with LIU Post to form LIU and host their games on Long Island, rather than Brooklyn. Their rivalry continues, but for soccer matches the Battle of Brooklyn moniker is no longer used.

Accolades

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NCAA Division I men's soccer First-Team All-Americans

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NCAA Division I men's soccer Second-Team All-Americans

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  • Miro Urlic, 1979[25]
  • Duke Shamo, 1998[26]

NCAA Division I men's soccer Third-Team All-Americans

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NCAA Division I men's soccer Honorable Mention

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  • Philip Laspisa, 1974[26]
  • Gregory Kourtesis, 1976[26]
  • Flavio Vozila, 1976[26]
  • Gaetano Messina, 1978[26]
  • Philip Klah, 1979[26]

NEC men's soccer

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Year NEC Player of the Year[30][31] NEC Defender of the Year NEC Coach of the Year[30][31] First Team All-NEC[30][31] Second Team ALL-NEC[30][31] NEC Rookie of the Year[30][31]
1986 Clint Marcelle, Lenny Leggard, Kurt Barrington, Mario Fava
1987 Clint Marcelle, Kurt Barrington, Mario Fava
1988 Clint Marcelle Clint Marcelle, Kurt Barrington, Mario Fava Andy Haynes
1989 Irvin Ellison, Andy Haynes Chiwale DaSilva, Leroi Wilson
1990 Chiawale DaSilva, Andy Haynes Irvin Ellison, Sherwin Besson
1991 Sam Carrington Chiawale DaSilva, Andy Haynes, Steve Mason Irvin Ellison, Sherwyn Besson Steve Mason
1992 Chiwale DaSilva, Sherwyn Besson Ron Mitchell Ron Mitchell
1993 Marlon Morris, Ron Mitchell
1994 Marlon Morris, Ron Mitchell
1995 Ron Mitchell Dmitri Petrouniak
1996 Duke Shamo Dmitri Petrouniak, Kevin Mooyoung
1997 Duke Shamo Sam Carrington Duke Shamo, Dmitri Petrouniak, Troy Mohney, Augustus Pokoo-Aikens
1998 Duke Shamo Sam Carrington Duke Shamo, Dmitri Petrouniak, Victor Avwontom, Agard Radoncic, Mersim Beskovic Jared Diehl, Michel Peters Agard Radoncic
1999 Agard Radoncic
2000 Agard Radoncic, Mersim Beskovic, Marcus Maurice Prince Ogodo, Agron Sokolki
2001 Joseph Afful Ricardo Ordain, Ron Azinge
2002 Joseph Afful
2003 Alessandro Acquista
2004 Alessandro Acquista, Jarron Brooks
2005 Carlos Moncaleano
2006 Anthony Matos
2007 Semso Nikocevic John Sallhag John Sallhag
2008 John Sallhag, Semso Nikocevic
2009 Semso Nikocevic, Anthony Matos Javier Gonzalez, John Sallhag
2010 John Sallhag
2011 Gabriel Bagot Adam Maabdi, Aldo Toma
2012 Kevin Correa Adam Maabdi, Gabriel Bagot Kevin Correa
2013 Kevin Correa, John Johansson Andy Cormack, Gabriel Bagot
2014 Riccardo Milano, Jack Binks Andy Cormack, John Makaya, Vincent Bezecourt
2015 Vincent Bezecourt, Harry Odell, Jack Binks, Cyril Coisne Paul Galimi
2016 Collyns Laokandi Tom Giovatto Salvatore Barone, Dominick Falanga, Collyns Laokandi, Robert Bazzichetto Yussuf Olajide, Fabian Suele Faouzi Taieb
2017 Faouzi Taieb Tom Giovatto Faouzi Taieb, Dominick Falanga, Collyns Laokandi, Robert Bazzichetto Federico Curbelo, Leo Folla
2018 Julien Remiti Anthony Gimenes
2019 Yoann Assoumin El Mahdi Youssoufi

References

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  1. ^ 2015–16 MBB Media Guide (PDF). Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Outdoor Fields". aviatorsports.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  3. ^ "NEC Men' Soccer History". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  4. ^ "NCAA Men's Soccer Participation". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  5. ^ "In the Bag: Bagot's Two Goals Seals Home Opener For Terriers on Tuesday Night". SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Carlo Tramontozzi (2006) - Hall of Fame".
  7. ^ "St. Francis Tops Lions in Soccer Final". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  8. ^ "Terriers Ousted by Clemson". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Upset by Brooklyn". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  10. ^ "St. Francis soccer takes third NEC title in four years". brooklyneagle.com. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Ranked and ready, Terriers soccer chases title three". brooklyneagle.com. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  12. ^ a b c "SFC Men's Soccer All-Time Results" (PDF). sfcathletics.com. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  13. ^ "Men's Division I Championship Brackets" (PDF). ncaa.org. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  14. ^ "2020 Men's Soccer Roster". Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Leo Folla Signs USL Contract with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC".
  16. ^ "Dominick Falanga Signs with New York Cosmos". sfcathletics.com. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Salvatore Barone Signs With NY Cosmos of the North American Soccer League". sfcathletics.com. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Red Bulls II's Bezecourt Signs MLS Deal". uslsoccer.com. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  19. ^ "Former Terrier Defender Javier Gonzalez Signs With Club Deportivo Nublense". SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  20. ^ a b "St. Francis Brooklyn Men's Soccer All-Time Records" (PDF). SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  21. ^ "St. Francis Brooklyn & LIU Brooklyn Play For More Than Bragging Rights This Sunday". SFCAthletics.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  22. ^ "All-America Awards Div SC (1976)". nscaa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  23. ^ "All-America Awards Div SC (1977)". nscaa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  24. ^ "All-America Awards Div SC (1978)". nscaa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  25. ^ a b "All-America Awards Div SC (1979)". nscaa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "All-America Awards". nscaa.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  27. ^ "2013 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Men's All-America Team". nscaa.com. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  28. ^ "Senior Midfielder Vincent Bezecourt Named Third Team All-American". SCFAthletics.com. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  29. ^ "SFBK'S TAIEB NAMED COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS ALL-AMERICAN". Northeastconference.org. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  30. ^ a b c d e "NEC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams (1997-2010)". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  31. ^ a b c d e "NEC Men's Soccer Recordbook" (PDF). northeastconference.org. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
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