Nov. 9, 1999
EASTON, PA - Lafayette men's soccer head coach Tim Lenahan
has been named the recipient of the "Spirit of the Game" award
presented by the Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association of New
Jersey (ISOANJ).
Lenahan is being presented with the award tonight at a banquet in
West Long Branch, NJ. He is the first out-of-state coach to win the
honor which is awarded at the discretion of the ISOANJ. Lenahan was
nominated for the award by George Wescott, a New Jersey referee
with over 20 years of experience in the collegiate officiating ranks.
"The way he approaches he game is what earned him the award,"
said Wescott, president of the ISOANJ. "Tim plays within the limits
and doesn't let anyone take advantage of the officials. He goes
beyond the level of sportsmanship to what we call 'Spirit of the
Game'."
Lenahan has guided Lafayette to a large measure of success in two
seasons. In his first campaign (1998) he led the program from the
doldrums of a 4-12 season in 1997 to a 16-5 overall mark and the
Patriot League regular-season and postseason tournament titles. His
Lafayette team capped the seventh-best turnaround in NCAA history
with a berth into the NCAA Tournament where Lafayette faced
Clemson, the No. 1 team in the country. For his remarkable season,
Lenahan was voted by his peers as the 1998 Patriot League Coach of
the Year, NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and a finalist for
NSCAA National Coach of the Year.
This season, Lenahan and his Lafayette squad were at their best in
crunch time. Lenahan pushed the fourth-seeded Leopards to wins
over No. 1 seed Holy Cross and No. 2 Navy to claim the Patriot
League Tournament title. He now has Lafayette one win away from a
return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to coming to Lafayette, Lenahan led Richard Stockton College of
New Jersey to four appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament,
and he developed the program into a national power. Lenahan was
named the New Jersey Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year in
1990, 1993, and 1996.
Lafayette returns to action on Sunday for an NCAA Tournament
Play-In game. The Leopards host No. 19 Maryland-Baltimore County
on to determine an automatic bid into the 32-team field in the NCAA
Tournament. Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. at Metzgar Fields.
