UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - After a slow start to the season, Richmond men's soccer (5-12-1, 4-5-0 A-10) bounced back down the stretch to finish with four wins in conference play, including three straight to end the year. Below we recap the highlights of the Spiders' 2011 campaign.
ALBRIGHT AND OLDHAM
HONORED BY A-10
Junior midfielder Houston Oldham (Nashville,
Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) and freshman forward Timmy Albright (Richmond,
Va./Collegiate School) earned Atlantic 10 postseason honors, as announced by
the conference office on Nov. 8. Oldham was named to the A-10 Academic
All-Conference team, while Albright was selected to the league's All-Rookie
squad.
THIS KID'S ALBRIGHT
In his first year as a Spider, freshman Timmy Albright turned
in a team-best 12 points on five goals and a pair of assists en route to
earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie accolades. The Spider standout closed out his
inaugural campaign tied with junior Houston Oldham for tops on the team with
five scores. He also ranks ninth in the league in goals and 10th with 0.80
points per game.
HOUSTON, NO PROBLEM
HERE
Junior midfielder was selected to the Academic
All-Conference squad for the first time this season. After being restricted to
the sidelines for the early part of the fall, the Spider captain and Business
Administration major returned to the pitch to tally 10 points on a team-leading
five goals in 13 matches. Oldham scored four of his five goals in
four-consecutive matches to close out the season and ranks sixth in the A-10
with 0.38 goals per game.
OVERACHIEVING
UNDERCLASSMEN
In addition to Timmy Albright, a slue of other underclassmen
also made their presence known on the Spider side this season. Sophomore midfielder
Spencer Schiff (Clemson, S.C./D.W. Daniel) led the team and ranks fifth in the
A-10 with five assists to go with three goals, while freshman midfielder Sean Baker
(Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) finished the year with four goals on an efficient 11
shots (.364 shooting %). Sophomore midfielder Luis Perez (Pittsboro,
N.C./Jordan-Matthews) secured six points on three goals and a team-high 41
shots, while freshman defender Colby Abrahamoff (Davie, Fla./American Heritage
School) ended his rookie campaign with two scores and a pair of assists.
TOM HAND, ZAC BROWN BAND TOGETHER IN NET
Freshman goalkeeper Thomas Hand (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) recorded 6.64
saves per game in nearly 1,000 minutes in net this season, an average that
ranks third nationally. Zac Brown went the distance between the pipes in the Spiders'
final five matches, coming away with a 3-2 record over this span. Brown allowed
just a pair of goals to lead the team to three-consecutive conference wins to
end the season, including the squad's lone shutout of 2011 in the season-finale
against St. Bonaventure.
BOUNCING BACK IN A-10
PLAY
After ending a grueling nonconference slate with a single road
win over Pitt and a draw with nationally-ranked NC State, Richmond regrouped to
finish the fall with four wins in league play. The Spiders wrapped up the
opening weekend of A-10 play with a 3-2 victory over Saint Joseph's in two
overtimes before closing out the season with three-straight wins over
Massachusetts, Duquesne and St. Bonaventure. The team, which suffered five of
its setbacks by just one goal, tallied a 3-1 conference record at home in the
friendly confines of Robins Stadium.
SPIDERS PRIMED FOR 2012
Only two Spiders in seniors Ben Brewster (New Hampton, N.H./New Hampton School)
and Jayson Perez (Pittsboro, N.C./Jordan-Matthews) will graduate from the
program. The future is thus very bright for head coach Clint Peay's Richmond squad, which will welcome back its
entire backline and the vast majority of its offensive production in 2012. Statistically,
next season's Spider returnees recorded all but three (96%) of the team's
points, all but one (96%) of its goals and all but one (94%) of its assists
this season.
