Shippensburg Soccer Teams to Open Season Saturday With Rita's Italian Ice

Aug. 22, 2007

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The expectations for Shippensburg soccer are great, but the excitement for the upcoming season is even greater. The Shippensburg men's and women's soccer teams will open its seasons this Saturday, August 25 at David See Field and all spectators who attend the season opening contests against Millersville will receive a free sample Rita’s Italian Ice.

As always, admission to all regular season home soccer games is free. The first game of the doubleheader will take place at 5:00 PM and feature the men’s team under the guidance of 11-year veteran Guy Furfaro. The second game will begin at 7:30 PM and feature the women’s team, a group that advanced into the PSAC Women's Soccer Championship last season for just the second time in school history.

The Red Raiders are returning 22 players and will feature a seasoned group of athletes that will be contributing to what is likely the most experienced team in the PSAC.

Shippensburg, who ranked fourth in the PSAC in goals scored in 2006, will be led by its leading scorer and the PSAC Player of the Year, red-shirt senior Geoff Bloes (Middletown/Middletown). He returns to a potent offense along with senior Brad Jaindl (Quakertown/Quakertown), who has appeared in 46 games over the past three seasons, junior Austin Alfonsi (Phoenixville/Phoenixville), who has delivered six goals and four assists in two seasons for the Red Raiders.

Senior Jason Miller (Middletown/Middletown) joins the Red Raiders after spending two seasons at Philadelphia. At Shippensburg, he is reunited with Bloes, a high-school teammate at Middletown High School. As a senior in 2001, Miller totaled eight goals and 18 assists.

Under second-year head coach Rob Fulton, the Lady Raiders are gearing up to be perennial contenders in the conference. Despite losing nine veterans entering last season, Shippensburg improved its win total by three games and its goal total by 10.

Among the promising crop of returners is sophomore Gayle Kuntzmann (Hatboro/Hatboro-Horsham), the reigning PSAC Rookie of the Year and member of the NSCAA All-Northeast Region Second Team who posted 12 goals in her freshman season.

Another highlight of the 2006 Lady Raiders was its staunch group of defenders, and all the key figures return to help safeguard the backfield. Senior Beth Long (Berwyn/Conestoga), whose six shutouts last season was the second-best single-season mark in Shippensburg history, will be joined by senior defenders Sarah Tagye (Exton/Downingtown East) and Mallory Skipp (Exton/B.Reed Henderson) as well as sophomore defenders Brittany Oncay (Newark, Del./St.Mark’s) and Sarah Youse (Kutztown/Kutztown).

- Lady Raider Soccer -