Kyle Ransom makes All-conference team as team's leader Goal Scorer.
Ransom and all the men all improved or equalled their individual goal scoring output from the previous season even though the team had a difficult season in their new conference.
Golden Goal Scoring student, COURTNEY
BALTIZAR SCORES IN OT in Shepherd
University's winand Kasey Canterbury
scores for 3rd game in a row.
http://www.shepherdrams.com/page.cfm?story=33495&cat=exclusive
Follow the team’s fortunes by liking John’s Facebook "The Last 9 Seconds" page or following him on Twitter @JohnD_Soccer to get updates.
PRESS RELEASE Sept 1, 2013
Jonathan Thayil, head coach of both the Women’s and Men’s varsity teams at Shepherd University a Division 2 NCAA school, is one of the top defensive coaches in the country. Both his teams recorded shutouts in practically half their games last season (2012). The Women’s varsity team actually broke the all-time record for fewest goals allowed in a season, at only 22.
Unfortunately, even with such a stellar defensive record, both Shepherd University teams came away with a .500 season or poorer. Coach Thayil said, “We missed too many scoring chances to take advantage of the great defensive effort both teams gave. A few goals at the right time would have made a huge difference for us.”
The records for both teams were:
Men’s Record 9-9-1 (21 Goals For) (28 Goals Against with 8 shutouts)
Women’s Record 7-8-3 (25 goals for) (22 Goals Against with 7 shutouts)
With both teams, if you take away a couple of games where they ran up the score against inferior opponents, their goal production was dismal. For example, the women’s team had two 6-0 victories, but when you take away those games, they only scored 13 goals in the remaining 16 games. Similarly, when you take away 6 goals in one game, the Men’s team only scored 15 goals in their remaining 18 games. Both Shepherd University teams played good enough and created enough chances to win most of their games based on their excellent defensive record.
Coach Thayil was the at the 2013 NSCAA convention in Indianapolis where one of the speakers was John DeBenedictis, author of the book, The Last 9 Seconds. DeBenedictis has based his book on a course he developed where he works on a player’s psychological aspects of scoring goals. His course called “The Golden Goal Scoring Course” is an intense 3-day course where DeBenedictis claims he can change a player’s mental mindset enough to instantly help him or her score more goals. To date, his results have been incredible so Thayil has booked DeBenedictis to come and work with his team at their pre-season training camp to see if he can help them score more goals to compliment his team’s strong defensive record.
Thayil said, “At this level, there are many games where the opportunity to score goals does not present itself frequently. We want to try and take advantage of these opportunities in games and improve our goal scoring. After hearing him speak at the NSCAA Convention, it appears that DeBenedictis might have something that is different. I’m looking forward to his course to see if his psychological approach will help our team score a few more goals. It’s going to be challenging for the men’s team because we are losing our top goal scorer and one of our top defenders. Also, both are teams have been moved to a different and more difficult conference. We’re hoping DeBenedictis’ course will have a positive effect.”
Check out Shepherd’s teams by by following them on Facebook or Twitter (@shepherdsoccer) or by going to their web site at http://www.shepherd.edu/.
Follow John on Facebook or Twitter (@JohnD_Soccer) for updates on Shepherd University's progress!
Shepherd University is an NCAA Division 2 school and plays in the Mountain East Conference. The University is located in the Shenandoah Valley, on the banks of the Potomac River, in historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia.Shepherdstown is a quaint university community, with the town and campus combining to offer a unique learning-living environment. Located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Shepherdstown is within 20 miles of nearby Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It is only 65 miles from the metropolitan areas of Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland.
Shepherd University is a state-supported institution within the West Virginia system of higher education. From its beginnings over 130 years ago, the University has evolved into a comprehensive center of higher learning, serving a number of related, yet distinct roles. Shepherd University creates a community of learners who integrate teaching, scholarship, and learning into their lives. In order to create challenging, relevant experiences, inside and outside of the classroom, the University continually evaluates and assesses student learning. The University recognizes and accommodates diverse learning styles and perspectives necessary for global understanding.
For more information on the school, or soccer team contact Jonathan Thayil at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .