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| Nate Gibboney earned his second career Robert Darrow Curry Coach of the Year award. |
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Lycoming College head men’s soccer coach Nate Gibboney received the eighth annual Robert Darrow Curry Coach of the Year award, presented Saturday, May 21, by longtime college administrator and assistant football coach Robb Curry '69 at Lycoming's 31st annual Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
After completing a magical rise to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Third Round in Gibboney’s third season at the helm, Lycoming rose to 10th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll. The ranking in the final national poll is the first in the history of the program, as the Warriors advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship for just the second time in the program's 59-year history.
The Warriors (18-2-2 overall) finished their season with a remarkable school-record 18 wins, a school-record 20-game unbeaten streak, as the team hosted a Division III regional for the first time, posting a 1-0 win over Johnson & Wales and a 2-1 win over Dickinson, and advanced to the Division III sectionals for the first time in program history, where they fell, 2-0, to the eventual national champion, Amherst.
The Warriors finished the year with 52 goals, the squad's most since the 2005 team scored 58, while the squad's 13 shutouts tied the mark set in 2015. The team had a pair of players that finished with 30 points for the first time in 12 years, with sophomoreJordan Logan (Oxford, Pa./Oxford Area) posting 13 goals, including a school-record seven game-winning goals, and four assists, and sophomore Abdullahi Abdi (Seattle, Wash./James Garfield) notching 11 goals and 10 assists.
Both Abdi and Logan were Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selections, while the Warrior defense also posted several accolades, led by the play of sophomore Kyle Thomas (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright), a Second Team All-American and the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year.
Lycoming's center back, the First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection was a key part in the team setting a school-record with a miniscule 0.57 goals-against average, which was the 10th-best mark in Division III. Junior goalkeeper Josh Gildea (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh) finished with a 16-2-2 record in net this year, tying the school record for wins set by David Kidd (16-5) in 1994. He also broke the school record in goals-against average, notching a 0.63 to surpass the mark of 0.69 set by his assistant coach, Connor Keenan '15 in 2014.
There was no shortage of personal accolades for the team, as it finished undefeated in conference play, 7-0-1, for the first time in school history, helping Gibboney, a Huntingdon, Pa., native earn his first Coach of the Year award from the MAC Commonwealth. Logan, Abdi and Thomas were all first-team all-conference selections while freshman defender Sainclair Tueno (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) was a second-team pick, and two were named honorable mention, sophomore forwards Duc Momo (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and Mateo Velasquez (Scotrun, Pa./Pocono Mountain East). Tueno was also named the MAC Commonwealth Championship MVP after scoring game-winning goals against both Widener in a 2-0 semifinal win and Messiah in the 1-0 championship game.
In three years as head coach, Gibboney has led the Warriors to two MAC Commonwealth championships, two NCAA Division III Championship appearances, one appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship sectionals, all while the team has racked up a 44-13-7 (.742) record with 36 shutouts. He also earned the Curry Coach of the Year award in 2014.
The award, given annually to a member of the Lycoming coaching staff, was established in memory of Robert (Robby) D. Curry '05, who was the son of Robert '69 and Susan Curry. Robb was Lycoming's football recruiting coordinator and associate athletic director for 36 years, and Susan was an educator in the Williamsport area for more than 33 years. Robby was also the brother of Jessica Curry '01.
Robby earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lycoming and was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Lycoming football was a way of life for him. As a youngster, Robby was a student manager/water boy for the Warriors. In high school, he served on the "chain crew" at home games. There was never a question in his mind about attending Lycoming and playing football for the Warriors. Robby achieved that goal as a freshman. During his final three years at Lycoming, Robby was the program's head videographer at all games.
The fund was created as a monetary award to be given annually. All head coaches, full-time and part-time, are eligible for consideration for this award. Based on performance during the academic year, criteria include a winning record, both overall and in the conference, and whether the coach achieved the recruiting and roster goals for the year.
If you would like to support the Robb Curry Jr. Coach of the Year fund, please contact Lycoming's development office at (570) 321-4036.
All-Time Robb Curry Jr. Coach of the Year winners
2008-09 – Mike Clark, Football
2009-10 – Guy Rancourt, Men's Basketball
2010-11 – Roger Crebs, Wrestling
2011-12 – Mike Clark, Football
2012-13 – Jerry Hammaker, Swimming
2013-14 – Nate Gibboney, Men's Soccer
2014-15 – Roger Crebs, Wrestling
2015-16 – Nate Gibboney, Men’s Soccer
