HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford College's men's soccer team is welcoming back the program's NCAA tournament teams of the 1976, 1977 and 1980 seasons. An on-campus reception is scheduled for Friday evening followed by a formal recognition of the squads at halftime of Saturday's 1 p.m. game at Walton Field against visiting Gettysburg College.
The long and storied program at Haverford -- the birthplace of collegiate soccer with the Fords' team of 1901 and the first collegiate soccer game in 1905, a 1-0 victory over visiting Harvard -- put together winning records throughout its history but it wasn't until the 1976 season that the Fords earned a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament.
For years the NCAA, started in 1910, was comprised of University and College divisions with the difference being the offer of financial aid in the University division. In 1973 the College division split into a scholarship-offering D-II and a non-scholarship group of institutions, D-III.
Three years later the Fords earned their first NCAA bid in a season that finished with a 12-4-1 record. David M. Felsen '66 piloted the Fords into the tournament after taking over as head coach in 1971 following one of the school's most revered coaches, Jimmy Mills.
Felsen's 1976 squad won the Middle Atlantic Conference Northeast/Southeast Division championship and its wins on the year included victories over Villanova (5-1), La Salle (3-2) and Swarthmore (2-1).
A repeat appearance in the NCAA tourney followed in 1977 with Felsen's Fords posting a 10-3 record which included a 2-1 win over Princeton in overtime, a 5-3 defeat of Villanova and a 2-0 win against Lafayette. This proved to be Felsen's final year at the helm of the Fords as he gave way to another Haverford grad, Stanley "Skip" Jarocki '69.
Though Jarocki's initial teams posted winning records in his first two years on the sideline -- 8-6-1 in '78 and 9-4-1 in '79 -- it wasn't until the 1980 campaign that Jarocki and the Fords were able to find their place at the NCAA table again.
The 1980 team posted a 10-6-2 mark on its way to capturing the MAC NE/SE Division championship. That team opened the year with a narrow 3-2 loss to visiting Harvard, but posted wins over Lafayette (1-0) and Swarthmore (2-1 OT) among its double-digit win total.
The Fords continued play in the MAC until 1993 when Haverford joined the Centennial Conference. Current head coach Shane Rineer led the Fords of 2011 into the Centennial tournament -- and championship game -- for the first time since joining the league, but understands the rich heritage of the program.
"We are honored to have members of the 1976, 1977 and 1980 teams back with us to share and celebrate a great weekend," said Rineer. "Our team strives for the level of excellence that was achieved by these legendary teams."
TEAM ROSTERS:
1976 Varsity Soccer
- David Cowhey '78
- Peter Doan '77
- Timur Galen* '77
- Adam Goodman '78
- James Hopper '79
- David Leveille '78
- Rusty Lewis '77
- Tim O'Neill '80
- Jon Propper '77
- William Reynal '80
- Paul Schroy* '77
- Brian Shuman '78
- Parker Snowe '79
- Charles Vincent '77
- Robert Weiss '80
- Robert White '80
- Matt Zipin '78
- Phil Zipin '78
* denotes Captain
Head Coach: David M. Felsen '66
1977 Varsity Soccer
- David Cowhey '78
- David Fairchild '81
- Steve Greenbaum '78
- Jim Hopper '79
- Ken Kivensky '80
- Ken Leopold '78
- David Leveille '78
- Tom Loeser '79
- Steve Novek '81
- Tim O'Neill '80
- William Reynal '80
- Carl Sangree '79
- Brian Shuman '78
- Parker Snowe '79
- Robert Weiss '80
- Ned Welbourn '78
- Robert White '80
- Matt Zipin* '78
- Phil Zipin* '78
- Doug Zlock '80
* denotes Captain
Head Coach: David M. Felsen '66
1980 Varsity Soccer
- Don Berger '81
- Matt Baird '84
- Rob Cosinuke '83
- Tim Cronister* '82
- John Doan '82
- Walter Einhorn '82
- David Fairchild* '81
- David Herman '83
- Steve Hoffman '81
- Shin-il Lee '82
- Rich Marks '81
- Chris M. Meyer '81
- Ray Monto '82
- Nino Muniz '82
- Steve Novek '81
- Mike Rosen '82
- Mike Sargent '81
- Dave Shiffman '81
- Art Torsiglieri '81
- Conrad Turner '81
* denotes Captain
Head Coach: Stanley "Skip" Jarocki '69