Walleekendeh Named PSUAC Player Of The Year, Leads Seven On All-Conference Teams
MEDIA, Pa. -- For the second time in his four-year career, senior Bill Walleekendeh (Chester, Pa./Chester) was selected as the top player in Penn State University Athletic Conference men's soccer as he was named player of the year on Wednesday. Walleekendeh also landed his third consecutive First Team All-PSUAC award along with classmate Brad Jule (Chadds Ford, Pa./Salesianum).
Five additional Lions were also honored as junior Mike Usher (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) and sophomores Joe Opdenaker (Lenni, Pa./The Christian Academy) and Anthony Neufville (Wallingdale, Pa./Christ Academy) each earned second team laurels and sophomore James Cellucci (Rosemont, Pa./Radnor) and freshman Stevie DiSipio (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) both claimed honorable mention accolades.
Walleekendeh, the national scoring leader at all levels of collegiate soccer, shattered the program record single-season goals and points with 42 and 90, respectively. He owns 27 more points than his next closest competitor in the PSUAC and netted more goals than six of the nine teams in the conference.
A starter in 16 games, Walleekendeh produced six performances with at least five goals, including back-to-back six-goal games in September, setting a team record for single-game scores. Twenty-eight of his goals came in matches against league foes, with the most recent being the lone score during Brandywine's 1-0 conference championship triumph over Penn State Hazleton on Wednesday.
Walleekendeh is also the active career leader in scoring at all levels of collegiate soccer with 106 goals and 27 assists for 239 points over the last four years.
Jule, now a three-time First Team All-PSUAC standout, finished second on the team in scoring as he tallied 13 goals and 11 assists. He is one of eight players nationally to have reached double figures in both goals and assists and one of just four from the PSUAC to have accomplished those marks.
In 11 matches against conference opponents, Jule registered at least one point in 10 of those games and scored a pair of game-winning goals. His 37 total points stand sixth in the league.
With his top collegiate season coming as a senior this fall, Jule has produced 86 total points in four years at Brandywine with 30 goals and 26 assists.
Opdenaker was the top goalkeeper in the conference with 15 victories in 16 starts. He also led the league with five shutouts and a 1.08 goals-against average, while finishing fourth in save percentage (.726).
During Brandywine's 1-0 victory over Hazleton in the PSUAC title game, Opdenaker stopped all three shots he faced, including blocking a penalty kick from Hazleton's leading scorer, Kyle Venditti. Opdenaker posted shutouts during each of Brandywine's two conference tournament wins and enters the USCAA Tournament having not allowed a goal during his last 292:16 in net.
Usher tied for the PSUAC lead with 13 assists, while also adding seven goals. His 27 points were the eighth-highest total in the league.
During his first season at Brandywine, Usher recorded a three-goal game against Penn State Mont Alto and also produced four assists and one goal in an October victory over Penn State Wilkes Barre.
Neufville, one of four Lions to appear in all 17 matches this fall, finished third on the team with eight goals, while also tallying a pair of assists for 18 total points. Seven of his eight goals came in conference games, including two-score matches against Hazleton and Scranton.
Cellucci, who earned his second all-conference award in as many years, was one of the top defenders in the league, anchoring a Brandywine backline that surrendered the fewest goals in the PSUAC. He also chipped in three goals and one assist in 16 games.
DiSipio earned a starting spot as a freshman and was one of two Lions to start every match. He aided Brandywine's defense that allowed only 21 goals all season and posted the ninth-lowest goals-against average nationally.
After winning its third PSUAC crown in four years, Brandywine claimed the PSUAC's automatic bid to the USCAA Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., next week. Sixth-seeded Brandywine will battle Bryant & Stratton (N.Y.) and Maine-Machias in Pool B play.
