Pellegrino finalizes playoff roster
Five high school players add depth to the team
July 18, the day of the PDL "roster freeze", has come and gone and the Ocean City Barons have finalized their 2007 roster. The 21 individuals listed on the current roster are the players the Barons will have to play with for their run through the post-season. Among the new additions, first-year head coach Mike Pellegrino has added depth to the team by adding a handful of players from the Barons’ Under-20 team.
July 18, the day of the PDL "roster freeze", has come and gone and the Ocean City Barons have finalized their 2007 roster. The 21 individuals listed on the current roster are the players the Barons will have to play with for their run through the post-season. Among the new additions, first-year head coach Mike Pellegrino has added depth to the team by adding a handful of players from the Barons’ Under-20 team.
Two players who recently completed their senior year of high school were brought up to the senior side. Mike Moussaw (Marmora, NJ) from Ocean City High School and Hollis Irvine (Cumberland, NJ) from Cumberland Regional both made their PDL debuts as second half substitutes in the Barons’ 3-1 win over the Delaware Dynasty on July 18.
Both players made their first career starts at the Reading Rage on July 20. Moussaw scored his first goal in the 66th minute of that match.
Moussaw and Irvine are just two of the five high school players who have been added to the team in the home stretch of the 2007 season.
Stephen McCurdey (Rancocas, NJ) made his debut in the Barons’ 2-1 win over the Fredericksburg Gunners on July 14. Since then made two additional appearances, including his first start in the Reading game. McCurdey is a midfielder who played his high school ball at Rancoacas Valley.
A pair of Shawnee High School graduates from Medford, NJ have already made a big impact on the PDL squad. Drew Von Bargen made seven appearances for the senior side during the regular season. His biggest moment came in Ocean City’s 3-1 win over Delaware on July 18. His clearance off the line in the 77th minute prevented a Dynasty equalizer, and helped preserve the Barons’ victory that led to the club clinching a playoff spot.
Brad Franks made four appearances in the last five games, three of them starts for the Barons. He enjoyed his best game on July 20 at Reading when he assisted on two of the team’s four goals. His fearless play has drawn attention from the Barons’ coaching staff and could play a big role for the Barons in the post-season.
"I had the pleasure...or displeasure in some cases...of coaching against these guys [at Ocean City High School]," said Pellegrino. "They proved to me in practice, that they were ready to step up to the next level."
Since the initial roster was announced at the beginning of the season, Ocean City has lost 11 players. With reasons which vary between leaving the team for personal reasons, or to start preparing for their upcoming college season or simply because of injury.
"It was unfortunate to lose the number of players that we lost," said Pellegrino. "But in the grand scheme of things, we’re getting a chance to see these young players in action, and it’s a great sign for the future."
Coach Pellegrino’s team will now shift their focus to this weekend’s PDL Eastern Conference playoffs, which are being held at the Barons’ Carey Stadium in Ocean City, New Jersey. Friday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. will feature the Hampton Roads Piranhas against the Brooklyn Knights. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Barons will take on the Cape Cod Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. The winners of each game will play for the conference championship at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
Fans not able to make it out to Ocean City for this weekend’s playoffs can listen to a live online radio broadcast. For a link to the broadcast, and any other information about the Ocean City Barons, visit the official website at www.ocbarons.com.
| Final 2007 Ocean City Barons roster | |||
| * returning from last year | |||
| Goalkeepers | |||
| Adam Edwards* | Bucknell (’06) | Downingtown, PA | |
| Kyle Crego | Kean College | Ocean City, NJ | |
| Defenders | |||
| Hollis Irvine | Merchant Marines (NY) | Cumberland, NJ | |
| Neil Holloway* | Wheeling Jesuit (’02) | Ocean City, NJ | |
| Adam Brazitis | Villanova | Lititz, PA | |
| Leon Brown | Wheeling Jesuit (’04) | Siparia, Trinidad | |
| Jim Davis | LaSalle | Pittsgrove, NJ | |
| Billy Pinto* | Hofstra | Audobon, NJ | |
| Midfielders | |||
| Rob Youhill | Hofstra | Harrogate, England | |
| Adam Sternberger* | Rutgers | Mays Landing, NJ | |
| Mike Moussaw | Philadelphia Univ. | Marmora, NJ | |
| Kyle Evans | Lehigh | Seaville, NJ | |
| Brad Franks | Elon University (NC) | Medford, NJ | |
| Ryan Heins* | Temple (’07) | Medford, NJ | |
| Miles Harrison | Villanova | Louisville, KY | |
| Sean Buruschkin | Hartwick College | North Wales, PA | |
| Drew Von Bargen | Monmouth | Medford, NJ | |
| Stephen McCurdey | Lafayette | Rancocas, NJ | |
| Pat McCaffery | Drexel | Philadelphia, PA | |
| Forwards | |||
| Byron Carmichael* | Marshall (’03) | Lumberton, NJ | |
| Jeremy Ortiz* | LaSalle | Mt. Laurel, NJ | |
Both players made their first career starts at the Reading Rage on July 20. Moussaw scored his first goal in the 66th minute of that match.
Moussaw and Irvine are just two of the five high school players who have been added to the team in the home stretch of the 2007 season.
Stephen McCurdey (Rancocas, NJ) made his debut in the Barons’ 2-1 win over the Fredericksburg Gunners on July 14. Since then made two additional appearances, including his first start in the Reading game. McCurdey is a midfielder who played his high school ball at Rancoacas Valley.
A pair of Shawnee High School graduates from Medford, NJ have already made a big impact on the PDL squad. Drew Von Bargen made seven appearances for the senior side during the regular season. His biggest moment came in Ocean City’s 3-1 win over Delaware on July 18. His clearance off the line in the 77th minute prevented a Dynasty equalizer, and helped preserve the Barons’ victory that led to the club clinching a playoff spot.
Brad Franks made four appearances in the last five games, three of them starts for the Barons. He enjoyed his best game on July 20 at Reading when he assisted on two of the team’s four goals. His fearless play has drawn attention from the Barons’ coaching staff and could play a big role for the Barons in the post-season.
"I had the pleasure...or displeasure in some cases...of coaching against these guys [at Ocean City High School]," said Pellegrino. "They proved to me in practice, that they were ready to step up to the next level."
Since the initial roster was announced at the beginning of the season, Ocean City has lost 11 players. With reasons which vary between leaving the team for personal reasons, or to start preparing for their upcoming college season or simply because of injury.
"It was unfortunate to lose the number of players that we lost," said Pellegrino. "But in the grand scheme of things, we’re getting a chance to see these young players in action, and it’s a great sign for the future."
Coach Pellegrino’s team will now shift their focus to this weekend’s PDL Eastern Conference playoffs, which are being held at the Barons’ Carey Stadium in Ocean City, New Jersey. Friday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. will feature the Hampton Roads Piranhas against the Brooklyn Knights. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Barons will take on the Cape Cod Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. The winners of each game will play for the conference championship at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
Fans not able to make it out to Ocean City for this weekend’s playoffs can listen to a live online radio broadcast. For a link to the broadcast, and any other information about the Ocean City Barons, visit the official website at www.ocbarons.com.
