Former St. Bonaventure men’s soccer player Tyler Bellamy has been named the Rochester Rhinos Rookie of the Year in his first season as a professional soccer player in the D2 league.
The Hammonton, N.J. native was a star defenseman in his time with the Bonnies. When he joined the Rhinos in February after signing a free-agent contract, he made an immediate impact. Helping anchor the defense, Bellamy played in 22 games this season for the Rhinos, ranking seventh on the team in playing time, going the full 90 minutes in 16 games.
The backline for Rochester has only allowed 22 goals in 28 games this year, which is good for third in the league out of 12 teams. Bellamy has been a key part in the Rhinos’ push for second place in the league, just one point behind the first-place Austin Aztex with two games remaining.
As a member of the Bonnies, Bellamy made the transition from forward to defense. He impressed his sophomore season when he was named to the University at Buffalo All-Tournament team. Bellamy continued to grow as a defenseman and by his senior season was the leader of the Bonnies backline. That 2009 season, Bellamy was named Second Team All A-10 and First Team All-Region, helping St. Bonaventure record five shut-out victories.
In addition to winning the Rhinos’ Rookie of the Year award, Bellamy is now eligible for the United Soccer Leagues’ Rookie of the Year honor. The award is given out after the first week of the postseason, which begins on Oct. 4.
SLU stays in mix
Nick Maglasang’s game-winning goal with 57 seconds left propelled Saint Louis to a 1-0 victory over Drake Saturday night in a thrilling double-overtime game at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
Teammate Alex Johnson headed a cross in the box to Maglasang who finished a one-time left-footed shot in the corner of the net. Both teams had great scoring opportunities throughout the game with the Billikens out-shooting the Bulldogs, 21-10. The goal marked Maglasang’s second score of his career and first of the season.
Maglasang’s clutch goal earned him the Player of the Week award as announced by the league office Monday. The 5,266 fans in attendance were the sixth-largest crowd in SLU history.
The Billikens’ win moved them to a record of 2-2-1, giving the team seven points which is good for sixth place out of 14 teams. SLU is just above the middle of the pack in the league and will host Missouri State at home under the lights.
Rookie of the week
Freshman midfielder Ryan Bradbury of Temple recorded five points this past week to win the Rookie of the Week award.
Bradbury scored two goals and had one assist to help lead the Owls (1-4-2) to a 1-1 record on the week. In last Wednesday’s match with Rider, Bradbury assisted on the eventual game-winning goal to junior Tyler Witmer. He also tallied his first-ever goal on a ball played through the box by Max Kinderwater. Bradbury one-timed the shot into the upper left hand corner of the net.
In his next game, Bradbury scored the lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Siena in the second half off a feed from sophomore Cody Calafiore. The Exton, Penn. native now leads the team with two goals and five points.
The Owls will host Big East foe Rutgers on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Chris Noreika can be reached at [email protected].
