College Roundup Elliot’s OT heroics lift Rhode Island

By John Manley

Gareth Elliott would have been happy scoring just one goal in Rhode Island’s

2-1 overtime victory against Massachusetts in an Atlantic-10 Conference soccer tournament semifinal contest. The junior from Belfast found the net in the 50th minute and as the clock wound down, it appeared as if the goal would hold up.

But UMass was awarded a penalty kick with 41 seconds to play and the Minutemen converted the attempt to send the match into overtime. Elliott then saved the day for the Rams with another goal in the fifth extra minute to send them on to the championship match with Dayton.

Rhode Island (15-5-1) beat the Flyers, 3-1, for the crown and the right to play Georgia State this Sunday in Atlanta in an NCAA Div. I play-in match. Elliott was named to the All-Tournament team.

Christian Brothers (16-4-0) won the Gulf South Conference tournament with some timely scoring by junior Barry Gibney. The Dubliner won the semifinal match for the Buccaneers over Alabama-Huntsville in the 22nd minute of overtime, when he found the net from about 18 yards out after engaging the keeper in a one-on-one. The final score was 1-0.

Gibney then assisted on the first goal and scored the next two in the championship tilt against Montevallo. The final score was 3-0. Gibney’s first goal came on a penalty kick. CBU, coached by Ballina, Co. Mayo, native Gareth O’Sullivan, awaits word of where it will be slotted in the NCAA Div. II tournament.

Derek Cobbe, a senior from Dublin, had two assists in Providence’s 4-2 victory over Quinnipiac. The Friars ended the season 4-13-1.

Jason Allen assisted on the goal that saw Vermont tie Towson in an America East tournament semifinal match. Roy Patton’s Catamounts went on to win, 3-2, and meet Hofstra at home this Sunday for the championship. Both Allen,a junior, and Patton are from Belfast.

Dale Jordan scored the first goal of the match, but that was all that Penn State would put on the board in a 3-1 loss to Hartwick. The 12th-ranked Nittany Lions, coached by Belfast native Barry Gorman, are 11-5-2.

Colm Kierans scored a goal in North Florida’s 3-2 overtime loss to South Carolina-Spartanburg in first round action of the Peach Belt Conference tournament. Kierans is a junior from Dublin. The Ospreys end the season with an 11-7-0 record.

San Diego enjoyed back-to-back victories over Santa Clara and Gonzaga by identical 1-0 scores. Donegal native Seamus McFadden coaches the eighth-ranked Toreros (13-1-2, 4-0-1 West Coast Conference).

Dartmouth improved to 12-4-0, which is the second most wins in the program’s history. The Big Green defeated Providence, 2-1, and Cornell, 3-1. Dubliner Fran O’Leary coaches Dartmouth.

Sixth-ranked Clemson has prepped for this weekend’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament with wins over Furman, 2-0, Maryland, 3-2, and North Carolina-Charlotte, 4-0. The Tigers, coached by Belfast’s Trevor Adair, are 13-3-1.

Old Dominion tuned up for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament with a 4-0 victory over North Carolina-Wilmington. Belfast native Alan Dawson coaches the 10-5-2 Monarchs.

Boston College won its way into the Big East Conference tournament with a 2-1 overtime victory against Georgetown. The Eagles, coached by Dublin native Ed Kelly, are 10-6-1.

Mercyhurst ended the regular season with a 4-1 victory over Findlay. The Lakers, ranked 15th in Div. II, now look forward to the NCAA tournament. John Melody, a Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, native, coaches Mercyhurst.

Women’s soccer

Christian Brothers won the Gulf South Conference championship with victories over Alabama-Huntsville, 4-0, and West Florida, 3-2. The latter match, which was for the championship, was won on an own goal. CBU’s women, also coached by Gareth O’Sullivan, are 17-3-0.

Keene State ended the season with a 5-0 thumping from Williams in the first round of the ECAC tournament. Earlier, Keene advanced to the championship match of the Little East Conference tournament by defeating Plymouth State, 2-0. Keene lost the title contest to Western Connecticut State, 1-0, in overtime. Keene, coached by Denise Lyons, a native of Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, finished with a 13-7-3 mark.

Sue Kelly has resigned as coach of South Carolina’s women’s soccer team. The

Gamecocks finished the season 4-16-0 and were just 1-8-0 in Southeastern Conference play. The 1998 squad earned the school’s only NCAA tournament bid, while the 1999 team won a school-record 14 matches.

Kelly launched the women’s program at South Carolina in 1995, with varsity play beginning a year later. She leaves with a 55-57-5 record. Kelly, a native of Cork, played at West Virginia Wesleyan, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree. She also earned a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas.