Buckley and Five Tars Garner All-SSC Accolades

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WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 5, 2009)- Rollins men's soccer head coach Dr. Keith Buckley was named Coach of the Year and senior J.D. Gruenewald was tapped as the league's top player, highlighting five Tars selected to All-Sunshine State Conference teams. Joining Gruenewald on the first team were Jack Clifford and Jacob Deloach, while Dennis Chin and Thomas Biddinger collected second team honors.

Head coach Dr. Keith Buckley currently in his 19th year at the helm of the Tars program, collected his fifth coach of the year award. Buckley has led the Tars to a 16-1-1 record and saw the Tars climb to No.3 in the rankings, their highest in program history. Rollins currently sits at No.5 in the latest national poll heading into the Sunshine State Conference Tournament after winning the SSC regular season title.

Gruenewald, a senior midfielder completed a stellar regular season as he tallied 31 points (10G 11A). Gruenewald was exceptional in conference play, and leads all scorers with 16 points. Nationally, he ranks fourth in assists per game with 0.61 and that has helped lead the Tars to the fifth best scoring offense in Division II with 2.94 goals per game.

Deloach, a senior defender for the Tars has been an important offensive catalyst all year long. He currently sits second in the nation in assists per game with 0.73. Deloach also has tallied three of his four goals off penalty kicks this season.

Clifford, an excellent defender and master of set pieces in the air tallied four goals in the regular season after missing the two previous seasons with a knee injury. Clifford also has commanded the back line and helped the Rollins goalkeepers to combine for nine shutouts in 18 games, which places Rollins 15th in Division II shutout percentage.

Garnering second team honors were Biddinger and Chin have compiled solid seasons for Rollins. Chin ranks second on the team with seven goals and puts pressure on opposing defenses with his speed and technical skills on the ball. Biddinger has had been a solid defender and poses a threat on set pieces with his size and his ability to win the ball in the air.

Twenty-four student-athletes represented the eight institutions, which comprised the 2009 All-Sunshine State Conference Men's Soccer Team. 

Rollins will start its march through the conference tournament as it prepares for the semi-final game against the Barry Buccaneers, Friday, Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m. from Tampa, Fla.  In their only meeting during the season the Buccaneers handed the Tars their only defeat, 2-0.  

Fans check out all the news and updates about Tars soccer throughout the postseason at RollinsSports.com.