Coach Gene DuChateau, circa 1976

Coach Gene DuChateau, present day

Garden City, N.Y. – The Adelphi University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will induct six outstanding honorees and recognize a championship team at its 43rd annual Hall of Fame Ceremony on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at the Ruth S. Harley University Center in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom.

The dinner, which honors those individuals who have made significant contributions to the athletics program includes Chris Bernard ’99 (Men’s Basketball), Eugene DuChateau ‘76 (Men’s Soccer), Diana Lopez ’07 (Women’s Lacrosse/Soccer), Lauren Lopez ’07 (Women’s Lacrosse/Soccer), Charlie O’Donnell ’79 (Men’s Soccer), and Lisa Tunstall-Laurencin ’76 (Women’s Basketball)

The Panther Legendary Team award will be presented to the 1975-76 Cross-Country/Track and Field Team. That Panther became the first team in program history to compete in the NCAA Division II Championships in all three seasons, sending a full squad to the cross-country, indoor and outdoor track championships. In addition the harriers were the first to capture all three Collegiate Track Conference crowns in the same academic year.

Bernard is among the best rebounders in school history and also eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in just three years in an Adelphi uniform. An ECAC All-Star and East Coast Conference All-Tournament selection, Bernard was named the All-Met Division II Player of the Year in 1999 after leading Adelphi to an ECC Tournament title and an NCAA berth.

DuChateau, an National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American, helped the Panther to an NCAA Division II National Championship in 1974. In addition he is a two-time all-region honoree and holds career records for most wins and shutouts with totals of 58 and 31.

Diana Lopez was a two-sport athlete at Adelphi playing both lacrosse and soccer. She was a three-time IWLCA All-American on the lacrosse field and helped the Panthers to NCAA Division II National crowns in 2004 and 2006. Lopez was also a member of the women’s soccer team that appeared in the 2004 NCAA Championship contest.

Lauren Lopez was a four-time IWLCA All-American as a member of the women’s lacrosse team and a member of the 2004 NCAA All-Final Four team on the soccer pitch. In addition she helped the Panthers to NCAA Division II National Championships in lacrosse in 2004 and 2006 and was a two-time all-conference honoree as a soccer player.

O’Donnell is one of the best goal scorers to wear the Brown and Gold and is third all-time in points (124), goals (49) and assists with 26. In addition, O’Donnell was selected as a NSCAA All-American in 1975 and helped Adelphi to an NCAA Division II National Championship in 1974.

Laurencin-Tunstall was a pioneer in women’s athletics as she was one of the first women in the country to receive an athletic scholarship in 1974. A three-time women’s basketball MVP she was also named to the AIAW New York All-Tournament team and helped the Panthers to a fifth place finish that same year.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, special recognition awards will be presented. Wendy Hilliard, founder of the Wendy Hilliard Foundation and USA Gymnastics Hall of Famer will be honored with the Woodruff Award, presented for excellence in coaching, teaching and educating young adults. The Frank Cassell Memorial Award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions made to Adelphi Athletics, will be presented to Assistant Dean of The Robert B. Willumstad School of Business Brian Rothschild.

The Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1961 to honor those athletes, coaches and friends who have distinguished themselves during their time at the university and thereafter. For more information, please contact Adam Siepiola, Assistant Athletic Director, at (516) 877-4293 or siepiola@adelphi.edu. The cost of the dinner is $100 per person and reservations are required. The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.

Placer United is pleased to announce Matt Bernard as Placer United Director of Goalkeepers. “Matt brings a great goalkeeping resume to our Club,” says Boys Coaching Director, Paul O Brien. “He is currently the U14 U.S. Boys National Team Goalkeeper Coach, the Goalkeeper Coach for US Club’s ID2 Identification Program and the Goalkeeper Coach for NorCal PDP program, which says it all.”

“Matt brings a ton of technical goalkeeper information to our Club and will be a valuable member of our staff,” said Ron Benjamin, Girls Director of Coaching. “He will help bring out the best in all our goalkeepers.”

Before taking the position at Placer United, Matt was the  executive DOC at North Bay Elite FC for two years, and was also the Director of Goalkeepers for Sereno Soccer Club, one of Arizona’s biggest and best known clubs.

A word from Matt…

“I am extremely proud and excited of being appointed the Director of Goalkeepers for Placer United. I first played for Placer United in 1989 when my family moved to Roseville from Sacramento. The club was in its infancy at that point and they have come so far in almost a quarter century. I laugh when I think back to the Placer United Board of Directors meeting in my parent’s living room many years ago, and now the club has over 40 teams, top notch facilities and an overall quality program that has state, regional and national respect.

I have been lucky to be involved in some very good clubs over the past twelve years and I know Placer United, under the direction of Ron and Paul, will be a great place for me to call home. One of the main attractions for me to join the club is the desire to compete at the highest level of youth soccer in the United States. I am looking forward to helping in any way I can to help Placer United continue to develop and grow. 

I have personal relationships with many of the coaches at the club and look forward to working with them all on a regular basis. The camaraderie of the coaching staff is second to none and I look forward to being a part of the team that has been working hard to develop the top players who are coming out of Placer County.

I look forward to my new role within the club and getting started with the players on the field”

Matt Bernard, Director of Goalkeepers

Many of the Placer United Girls teams were in action this past weekend.

National Premier League

The U14G Red brought home the National Premier League Winter Championship by defeating FC Elk Grove Navy 1-0. The girls went undefeated in the league, going 6-0 with 15 goals for and only 2 goals against.

Norcal State Cup

The U11G Red won the Premier 2 State Cup Championship on Sunday defeating Livermore 2-1 on Sunday. In the semi-final on Saturday, the girls defeated the Santa Rosa Waves, 4-1 to reach the final.

The U12G Red played in the State Cup 1-8 quarter-finals on Saturday versus San Juan Holmes. The girls leveled the score at 1-1 with a few minutes remaining and took the game to golden goal overtime. A few minutes into extra time, the girls conceded a goal in a hard fought battle. On Sunday the girls defeated Diablo FC 1-0 and move on to the 5th/6th place game next Sunday versus Mustang Fury.

The U12G White had a pair of shutout victories in the Silver 1 Cup. In the quarters they defeated Los Gatos 4-0 and in the semi-final upended the CV magic White 1-0.  They now face the Dublin Strikers next weekend in the Final.

The U13G Red played in the State Cup 1-8 quarter-finals and were upended by San Juan Blue. In the semi-final on Sunday the girls lost a hard fought battle, 1-0 to Mustang Pride. The girls now move on to the 7th/8th place game next Sunday versus the DeAnza Force.

The U13G White played in the Silver 1 Quarter-final on Saturday versus Burlingame and were defeated 1-0.  The game went back and forth with scoring chances for both teams.

Tournament

The U14G White took the 3rd place trophy at the JJ Minor tournament in Stockton this past weekend. They opened up the event with a 1-0 victory over Union City and then had a pair of draws versus Tracy and Roseville.  In the consolation game, the girls met up with Tracy once again and won convincingly 4-0.

Congrats to all teams on a fabulous weekend!

Placer United U15B Red, U16B Red and U17B Red teams enjoyed a great weekend in NorCal State Cup. All three teams won their brackets and qualified for the next round as top seeds in their age groups.

The U15B Red team had a 2-0 win against Sac United to top their bracket with goals coming from Hunter Loomis and Andres Preito. The U16B Red team had a 5-1 win against Sac United with some great goals coming from Brayden Sullivan, Brandon Powers, two from Diego Buenrostro, and a 30 yd. pile driver from Isaul Bautista. The U17’s had a 2-0 win over Davis to clinch top place with a Brandon Powers goal and a really top drawer effort from Mark Caliguire.

Great Job Guys!

Placer United 2012 alumni, Christy Cooper, has received Rookie of the Year honors at the Air Force Academy.

The life of a cadet can be very challenging.  Trying to balance studies, cadet training and soccer trainings/games is a tall task.  Christy played good minutes and left back during the season and earned a starting position in the final game of the season versus Wyoming.  Christy also earned a place on the Athletic Directors All Academic list earning her Falcon Lightning Bolt pin and earning a set of Varsity AF letters for her A-Jacket.

Additionally, Christy made it through the 6-week basic training course where she was also awarded and honored as the Best Cadet (Boy or Girl) in the Academy assault course.

“Christy was an unbelievable player and person for the soccer club,” said Ron Benjamin, Director of Girls Coaching. “I am not surprised that she received all of the awards and accolades this year. She is a very intense player and always demands the best of herself and her teammates.  Her work rate, dedication and leadership are second to none. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments in her freshman year and look forward to more great things!”

Placer United is both pleased and excited to announce that we have been accepted into the USSF U14 Boys Academy for the 2013/14 season. Boys Coaching Director, Paul O’Brien, received word today from officials at US Soccer Federation. The new U14 program will feature current USSF Academy clubs plus some hand selected Clubs from outside the Academy system that meet the criteria as laid out by the US Soccer Federation.

For more information on the USSF Academy please visit:

http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/Development-Academy/U-13-14-Program-Application.aspx

Players born in 99/00/01 can register for upcoming Placer United Academy tryouts:

http://portal.placerunited.com/tryouts/

Go Placer United!

Cody Sunquist

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 29, 2013) – In a video announcement, head coach Gerry McKeown unveiled the roster of 18 players for US Club Soccer’s 2013 id2 National Selection International Tour in advance of the team’s journey to Spain from February 28 to March 11.

Head of Delegation Phil Wright, McKeown and assistant coach Benjamin Ziemer will lead the squad, which consists of boys born in 1999 selected from the id2 Program events held in 2012. Seventeen clubs and 11 states are represented on the team.

While in Madrid and Barcelona, the id2 National Selection will play matches against youth academy programs from some of the world’s most well-known professional clubs, in addition to conducting daily training sessions and gaining the unique educational and cultural experience of life in another country.

The schedule for this year’s tour will be released soon.

The 2012 edition of the tour included competitive matches against academy teams from FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, as well as attendance at a pair of La Liga matches, one of which brought the chance to see Lionel Messi score four goals in FC Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Valencia CF at L’Estadi Camp Nou.

“We are very excited to be returning to Spain with another roster of some of the best young players in this country,” said Gerry McKeown, US Club Soccer’s id2 Boys’ Program Director. “This trip will be a great opportunity for them to experience different cultures, grow as players and build on the success this program has had during our previous three tours.”

This will mark the fourth straight year for the id2 National Selection International Tour, following on the heels of very successful trips to Germany and the Netherlands in 2010, England and Scotland in 2011, and Spain in 2012. Consistent with US Club Soccer’s philosophy that identification and development should be free for players, the organization will fund the trip in conjunction with the strong support of Nike, with no cost to players.

Aided by their time at id2 National Selection International Tours and id2 Program Training Camps, numerous alums have advanced into U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs. The id2 Program is an Olympic Development Program as approved by the United States Olympic Committee and U.S. Soccer Federation.

Once again, fans will be able to follow the id2 National Selection International Tour through video journals and other updates via the US Club Soccer website and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and KYCK.

The 2013 id2 National Selection International Tour is again being coordinated in conjunction with Premier International Tours.

The Placer United U11-U13 girls teams had a very successful weekend in the Norcal State Cup at various locations across the state. Two teams made it to the TOP 8 in the State! Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played the weekend of February 9-10, 2013.

The U12G Red won two games in the second round to advance to the Top 8. The girls earned an early draw to North Bay Elite in December. They then went on to defeat Juventus 7-0 and then a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Central Valley Magic. They now move on to the quarter-finals versus San Juan Holmes.

The U13G Red also advanced to the Top 8.  They had a 1-0 victory over 49er United in December. The girls were upended on Saturday 1-0 by Diablo FC after having numerous scoring chances. The girls showed their resiliency and came back to win 3-0 over Santa Clara Sporting to advance to the quarter-finals.

The U11G Red had a draw and a loss in the second round. They moved on to the Premier 2 Cup quarter-finals and beat Sacramento United Red 2-0 to advance to the Premier 2 semi-final versus the Santa Rosa Waves.

The U11G White played some great soccer on the weekend but came up a bit short.  They had a draw and a loss in the second round and then fell 5-2 to Manteca in the Silver 1 quarter-final.

The U12G White had a convincing 4-0 win versus Argentina and then a tough 1-0 loss to Ceres. The girls move on to the Silver 1 quarter-finals and face Los Gatos.

The U13G White had an impressive 1-0 win over Cal Northstars and then were upended 1-0 by Central Marin. The girls will move on to the Silver 1 quarter-finals versus Burlingame.

Congratulations to all of the girls teams on a great weekend in State Cup!

Madalyn Schiffel, starting goalkeeper for University of San Francisco

2013 graduate and Placer United Alumni, Madalyn Schiffel, the starting goalkeeper for University of San Francisco, was called up to the U.S. Women’s Youth National Team Camp.

Madalyn Schiffel is among 24 players to be called into the US U18 Women’s National Team’s first training camp of the year, February 2-9, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.  The US U18’s will train concurrently with the US U20’s, and the two squads will scrimmage against each other on February 5th.  The U18’s will also scrimmage UC Irvine on February 8th.

Reached by phone on the “hilltop” at the USF campus, Madalyn said, “I am so grateful for this opportunity I have been given and I’m very excited to train with some of the best players in the country in my age group.”

Long time Placer United Coach, Gene DuChateau, was an integral part of Madalyn’s success. “It was about seven years ago that I was at a tournament with my team,” recalled DuChateau.

“After our game, I decided to stick around to watch our younger under 11 girls play. As a former professional goalkeeper, I first recognized the tallest girl on the team was the goalkeeper. It took less than 10 minutes of watching the game to find out her name was Madalyn, also known as Maddy. This tall, thin, statued girl stood out by how many times her Under 11 teammates played the ball back to her. Every time she received the ball or kicked it a mile you would say, oh my, did you see that? She was cool, calm and confident with every touch or collection. Madalyn looked the part of a goalkeeper and had the profile to become big time. I left that game saying that l would love to have the chance to coach her someday. That hope became a reality when I took over as coach of the Under 15’s and Madalyn was our goalkeeper. She was a natural who had it all and it was my job to insure that she continued to develop. There were times when we butted heads because I expected so much from her and knew she has what it takes to compete at the highest level. Well, the battles paid off with Madalyn now attending USF on a full athletic soccer scholarship. This young lady has it all and is without a doubt the most talented female goalkeeper that I’ve ever coached during my 19 year tenure with Placer United. After Madalyn accepted the offer to attend USF, a coaching change was made and Jim Millinder was named head coach. Jim and I had played professionally together and was excited to hear that Maddy would be attending USF. In a discussion with Jim, I said that I felt Maddy had the entire package and I would love to see her get a shot in the US Camp. Well as they say, good things come to those who work hard and are passionate about what they do.  We at Placer United look forward to following her path and look forward to seeing her in a USA jersey sometime in the near future. A big thank you to Jim and Maite from USF!”

“We are so proud of Madalyn and what she has accomplished thus far,” said Ron Benjamin, DOC Girls. “Madalyn is a great teammate and friend to many.  Gene and I fielded many emails and phone calls in regard to Madalyn during her college recruiting process.  She was heavily sought after by many collegiate programs.  Former USF head coach Mark Carr and assistant Maite Zabala made a real impact with Madalyn during the process.  Some say that she was the best GK recruit in the nation for the 2013 graduates.  We look forward to her continued development and look forward to the possibility of Madalyn representing our country in the sport that she loves.”

The U13 Girls Red have taken second place in the Norcal Fall League’s Region 6 Premier Division. The team went 3-0-1 over its last 4 matches, including back to back wins over top ranked MFC Newcastle, to solidify their second place position.

The girls play State Cup matches in Woodland this weekend and victories will place them in the Top 8 in the U13 Girls State Cup.

Congratulations Girls! Good luck this weekend!