Stockton University Athletics

Experienced Osprey Team Won 10 Games

Men's Soccer | 12/12/2019 2:43:00 PM

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The Stockton men's soccer team was deep, balanced and experienced this season. The Ospreys captured 10 wins (10-6-4 record) and allowed just 16 goals all year, one off the school record of 15 set in 1995. Twenty different players saw action in 10 games or more for head coach Greg Ruttler, with seven playing in all 20 games
 
Stockton qualified for the NJAC Tournament for the fifth consecutive season under Ruttler, earning the No. 6 seed and reaching the semifinals on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie with No. 3 seed Rutgers-Camden. Defense was the team's strength, with the Ospreys leading the NJAC in goals against average (0.76) and tying for second in shutouts (9).
 
Stockton relied heavily on their defense this season. Sophomore transfer James McCombs started all 20 games in his first season as an Osprey and earned an NJAC Second Team spot. Seniors Kyle Leach and Ryan Cheslock also started all 20 contests, providing stability in the back.
 
Senior Larry Abanilla was Stockton's lone NJAC First Team selection and his play on the flank as a back/midfielder was a key to the defense all year. Abanilla also scored a pair of goals with three assists for seven points, five of which came in league games. Junior Max Bond bookended Abanilla on the flanks and equaled him with two goals and three assists for seven points.
 
Senior Drew Ruble contributed defensively and also scored his first three career goals. Freshman Colby Rumpf and sophomore Eduardo Puerta added to the team's depth on defense, playing in nine and six games respectively.
 
Goalkeeper Dino Gromitsaris had a breakout year in net for Stockton this season. The junior, an NJAC Honorable Mention selection, posted an outstanding 0.82 goals against average (2nd in NJAC), six shutouts (T-2nd in NJAC) and 52 saves. Gromitsaris was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Week on two occasions as well.
 
Sixteen different Osprey scored goals this season, led by Ervin Gjeli with six goals and five assists for 17 points. Gjeli, an NJAC Honorable Mention player, tied for fourth in in the NJAC in assists. In addition, he potted two game winning goals, one of which came with 18 minutes remaining for a 1-0 upset of #17 Franklin & Marshall.
 
Senior John Maxted tied Gjeli for the team goal-scoring lead with six. An NJAC Second Team selection, Maxted potted a team-high three game-winners, tying for fifth in the league, and dished one assist for 13 points. He also was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Week once this season.
 
Stockton also received valuable contributions from junior transfer Michael Echeverria who finished third on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists. Seniors Andrew Griggs (3 goals) and Christian Bik (1 goal, 3 assists) contributed to the offense with six and five points respectively.
 
Players who hit the net twice were Bobby Riordan, Dante Montesinos, Joel Burgos and Darnell Lopez. Stockton also received fine play from Jon Schwab, who played in all 20 games and started nine, plus freshmen Ian Byrne (17 games) and Brendan Deal (12 games) and senior Justin Ruiz (15 games).