A Look Back on the 1999 Men's Soccer Season
By Ivan Hall '02
Guilford College's men’s soccer team finished the 1999 season at 9-10, 4-5 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). The nine victories marked the Quakers' most wins in a season since 1986 when the team finished with a 14-5 record. Guilford returned to the ODAC Quarterfinals following a one-year absence and fell to Hampden-Sydney, 3-1.
After failing to score in the first two games of the season, the Quakers went on a four-game winning streak that included wins against the top two ranked ODAC teams in the pre-season coaches poll (Virginia Wesleyan and Eastern Mennonite). Sophomore forward Ray King and freshman midfielder Noam Sorek scored three goals apiece during the streak as the Quakers outscored their opponents, 11-3. Three of the wins came against league foes, which gave the team a 3-0 start, its best ODAC start in school history. Rookie goaltender John Watson anchored a strong defensive effort during the streak with a 0.24 goals against average and 26 saves in the four games.
The Quakers snapped a three-game losing skid with a pair of wins, including a 3-2 triumph over Marymount, the 10th-ranked team in the NSCAA Division III South region poll. King scored all three Guilford goals and snapped the Saints' six-game winning streak.
The Quakers finished up the regular-season with non-conference wins over St. Mary’s and Warren Wilson. The victory against St. Mary’s came in double overtime when senior Dan Neville scored from 16 yards out after taking a long, looping lead pass from sophomore back Brandon Costilow in the 106th minute.
Guilford finished 4-5 in the ODAC and earned the seventh seed and a quarterfinal match at second-seeded Hampden-Sydney. Freshman back Steve Harrison gave the Quakers a 1-0 halftime lead when he converted a towering sideline throw from freshman back Damian Levy.
King and Sorek finished the season as Guilford's two top scorers with 30 and 13 points, respectively. Watson tallied three shutouts, 105 saves, a .761 saves percentage and a 1.74 goals against average.
The Quakers graduated four seniors this year, all of whom were among the team's top 10 scorers. Thanks to another aggressive recruiting effort from Coach Liam Behrens, the team looks to bring more young talent in and enjoy more success in the years to come.
