WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.—Lycoming head men’s soccer coach Scott Kennell was named 2007 Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year. Kennell led his Warriors to a 13-5-1 overall record and a first-round playoff berth.
Kennell, who is Lycoming soccer’s all-time winningest coach and the College’s assistant athletic director, more than doubled his win total from 2006 while simultaneously joining the more competitive Commonwealth arm of the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Perhaps the highlight of 2007 came when his Warriors knocked off regionally-ranked Elizabethtown for the second straight year. The 2-1 regular season-win saw Lycoming score two goals in the game’s final 15 minutes.
Over the past five season’s, Kennell has recorded an impressive .681 winning percentage (62-29-5) at Lycoming and has made four playoff appearances, including the 2004 Freedom Conference championship game.
This year, the Warriors placed four players on the All-Commonwealth first-team, equaling conference champ Messiah College’s total. Competition in the Commonwealth Conference is perennially among the best in the country. League members include Messiah, which has won four of the past five division III national championships, and 2006 conference champion Elizabethtown.
Next summer, Kennell will represent the United States as head coach of the USAAI national team sponsored by USA Athletes International. Kennell’s amateur squad will play Barbados’ national team in a three-game series in Barbados National Stadium. All three contests will be televised throughout Barbados. Earlier this year, the U.S. World Cup Team played the same Barbados squad and won 3-0.
However, Kennell’s focus is always on his Warriors. Lycoming looks to be in the thick of the Commonwealth title hunt again next year, despite graduating five seniors. Coach Kennell’s returning lineup is talented and hungry to join the nation’s elite.
|