Men's Soccer 2009 Season Recap
The Royal Crusaders had a great season with a final record of 8-8-1. The team recorded big wins over Berea College, Johnson Bible College, Kentucky Christian University, and many other teams. In the region, the Crusaders finished the regular season in second place with a record of 6-2; they defeated every team twice but Ohio Christian. The Crusaders finished the regular season as the number 12 team in the NCCAA divison II in the nation. The Crusaders were known especially for their Christian testimonies on and off the field. Many of the players were involved with outreach ministries such as Teens for Christ Bible Clubs, University of Tennessee Ministries, the Great Knoxville Children Ministries, and many more. The Crusaders had six players named to the All-Region Teams. Sam Knickerbocker, Charlie Schenck, Houston Sherrod, and Andrew Weber were named to the First Team All-Region, and Jordan Begley and James Houghton were both named to the Second Team All-Region. The Crusaders also are thankful that Sam Knickerbocker was named as an NCCAA II All-American for the 2009 season. We congratulate Sam on this tremendous achievement! The 2009 Royal Crusaders' Soccer Team would like to thank our fans for coming out and supporting us this season. Most importantly, we want to give all the glory and honor to Jesus Christ for everything He did for us this season.
Individual Awards this Season
Sam Knickerbocker
Jersey #: 12
Class: Junior
Hometown: Orleans, France
Awards: Sam was named to the NCCAA Mid-East First Team All-Region. He also received this award in 2007 and 2008. Sam was also awarded NCCAA Division II Player of the Week for the week of October 5-11, 2009. He led the team with a total of 17 goals and 9 assists. He averaged 2.73 points per game this season. He was 8th in the nation in points per game and goals per game. He was 11th in the nation in assists per game. He served as co-captain with Jordan Begley. Sam Knickerbocker was also named as an NCCAA II All-American for the 2009 season. We congratulate Sam on this tremendous achievement!
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Charlie Schenck
Jersey #: 4
Class: Senior
Hometown: Richmond, VA
Awards: Charlie was named to the NCCAA Mid-East First Team All-Region. He also received this award in 2008. He was a scholar athlete in 2007. He was the team's best defender.
Houston Sherrod
Jersey #: 7
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Corryton, TN
Awards: Houston was named to the NCCAA Mid-East First Team All-Region. He was second in assists this season for the team. He finished 20th in the nation in assists per game.
Andrew Weber
Jersey #: 1
Class: Sophomore
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Awards: Andrew was named to the NCCAA Mid-East First Team All-Region. He finished 7th in the nation for Goalkeepers. He was named player of the week by the NCCAA for the week of September 28-October 4, 2009. He was the heart and soul of our team.
Jordan Begley
Jersey #: 6
Class: Senior
Hometown: Ferguson, KY
Awards: Jordan was named to the NCCAA Mid-East Second Team All-Region. He also received this award in 2007. He was awarded the NCCAA Scholar Athlete award this season. He received this award in 2008 as well. He was tied for second in goals for the team. He served as co-captain with Sam Knickerbocker.
James Houghton
Jersey #: 19
Class: Senior
Hometown: Keswick, ON, Canada
Awards: James was named to the NCCAA Mid-East Second Team All-Region. He was tied for second in scoring this season for the team. He brought a lot of experience to the team this season.
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Stephen Knickerbocker
Jersey #: 15
Class: Senior
Hometown: Orleans, France
Awards: Stephen was named as a NCCAA Scholar Athlete. Stephen was not only a leader in academics, but he was also a leader on the soccer field.
Highlights from this Season
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 9
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 8
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 7
Crown vs Ohio Christian University 10/17/09
The Royal Crusaders traveled to Berea College for their game against Ohio Christian on Saturday. In the first half, the Crusaders fell behind 0-3. In the second half the Crusaders struggled to score, and came up unsuccessful. Ohio was able to score another goal before the end of game to give the final score of 0-4. The Crusaders finished the regular season with a record of 8-6-1 and a region record of 6-2.
Crown @ Johnson Bible College 10/13/09
The Royal Crusaders traveled across town to face Johnson Bible College on Tuesday Evening. In the first half the Crusaders came out ready to play. Both teams fought hard to score. The Crusaders were successful in scoring about 23 minutes into the half. Nathan Castleberry passed the ball to Sam Knickerbocker, who was able to put it in the back of the net. Ten minutes later Jordan Begley took a shot that deflected off of James Houghton resulting an the Crusaders' second goal. Sam Knickerbocker scored the Crusaders' third goal. At half time the Crusaders were leading 3-0. In the second half, the Crusaders came out ready to defend their lead. The defense stepped it up, but the Preachers of Johnson were able to score their first goal with a header by Nick Miller. The score was 3-1. Johnson fought hard to attempt another goal, but in the end, the Crusaders were able to hold onto their lead and get the victory with the final score of 3-1. Coach Sexton said it was the effort of the team working together to obtain this exciting win.
Sam Knickerbocker Named Player of the Week
Sam Knickerbocker, junior forward captain for The Crown College of the Bible (TN), helped the Crusaders go 2-0 this week. Friday, against Kentucky Christian University (NCCAA II Region game), Sam scored two goals in the second half to help get the 4-2 win. On Saturday, he led the Crusaders again by scoring two goals and having one assist, giving the Crusaders another 4-2 victory. Sam was involved with 5 of the 8 goals scored this past week.
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 6
Crown vs Southern State Community College 10/10/09
On Saturday the Crusaders played Southern State Community College despite the muddy conditions on the field. In the first half, the Crusaders dominated. Sam Knickerbocker scored about 25 minutes in after receiving a pass from Houston Sherrod to give the Crusaders an early lead. A few minutes later Houston Sherrod got his first goal of the season with the pass from Sam Knickerbocker. The Crusaders went up 2-0. In the last couple of minutes Southern State was able to put one in. The score at half time was 2-1. By the second half, the conditions on the field had become much worse. Southern State scored off of a penalty kick to tie the game up, 2-2. The Crusaders fought hard to take the lead back. A few minutes later, Crown was able to score another goal going up 3-2. Sam Knickerbocker got his second goal of the game. He was assisted by his brother Stephen Knickerbocker. Crown got their last goal in the final seconds of the game. James Houghton kicked the ball from about 25-yards out to Stephen Knickerbocker who was able to put the ball in the goal. The final score was 4-2. Coach Sexton was excited about another win despite the terrible field conditions.
Crown vs Kentucky Christian University 10/9/09
The Royal Crusaders played at home on Friday against Kentucky Christian University. In the first half, the Crusaders were able to score their first goal at about 42 seconds into the half. Stephen Knickerbocker scored that goal with an assist from James Houghton. Eight minutes later, KCU answered back, tying the game to 1-1. Shortly after, James Houghton scored a goal assisted by Houston Sherrod, bringing the score up to 2-1. Kentucky was able to put another goal in, making the halftime score 2-2. In the second half the Crusaders came out ready to take control of the game. The Crusaders shut down KCU and were able to score two more goals before the end of the game. Sam Knickerbocker scored the first goal with the assist from Nathan Castleberry. The second goal was scored by Sam Knickerbocker and Houston Sherrod got the assist. The Crusader won the game with the final score of 4-2. Coach Sexton was glad the team played well and were able to get another region win.
Andrew Weber Named Player of the Week
Andrew Weber, sophomore goalkeeper from The Crown College of the Bible (TN) had an amazing weekend. He helped the Crusaders go 2-0 with big wins over Berea College (KY) an NAIA team and Appalachian Bible College (NCCAA DII Mid-east region game). On Friday, Andrew played a total of 109 minutes against Berea College. He had 15 saves in the game. One of the saves was stopping a penalty kick which would have given Berea the win in overtime. He only gave up one goal to a tough Berea team who took 25 shots. On Saturday, he had 3 saves and got his first shutout of the season. Andrew had a total of 18 saves, 1 goal scored against him (GAA 0.54), and 1 shutout.
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 5
Crown vs Appalachian Bible College 10/3/0
After an exciting win on Friday, the Crusaders were excited to play Appalachian Bible College on Saturday. In the first half, the Royal Crusaders took an early leading going up 2-0. James Houghton scored the first goal with a pass from Steven Scoggins. The second goal was the result of a corner kick taken by Houston Sherrod, who kicked the ball to Steven Scoggins, allowing Steven to score the goal. The score at halftime was 2-0. In the second half the Crusaders continued to dominate the game. Crown was able to score another goal before the end of the game. James Houghton got his second goal of the game with the assist from Stephen Knickerbocker. The final score was 3-0, giving Crown their first shutout all season. Coach Sexton was glad that everyone on the team was able to play.
Crown vs Berea College 10/2/09
On Friday afternoon, the Royal Crusaders faced a tough Berea College team. In the first half Berea College took an early lead, going up 1-0. The Royal Crusaders fought hard and were able to even the game up at about 34 minutes into the half. Sam Knickerbocker scored the goal with the assist from his brother, Stephen Knickerbocker. The score at half time was 1-1. In the second half both teams fought to win the game. Neither team was able to score another goal. The score at the end of regulation was still tied, 1-1. In the first overtime period both teams continued to go back and forth, but the score remained 1-1. In the second overtime period, Berea College got an penalty kick inside the 18 yard box. Crown’s goalkeeper, Andrew Weber was able to stop the penalty kick and allow the Crusaders another shot at the win. With about 30 seconds left, Sam Knickerbocker scored, assisted by Nathan Castleberry. The Crusaders won with the final score of 2-1. The Crusaders won with the final score of 2-1. Coach Sexton was very pleased how the guys played.
Crown @ Tennessee Temple University 9/29/09
The Royal Crusaders traveled to Chattanooga on Tuesday afternoon to play Tennessee Temple University. In the first half both team fought hard going back and forth. TTU was able to score first to take a 0-1 lead. Near the end of the half, TTU was able to score another goal. At half time, the score was 0-2. In the second half, the Royal Crusaders came out fired up to play. Crown finally put one in the goal about thirty-five minutes into the second half when Houston Sherrod threw the ball in to Johnny Omerod, who was able to score his first goal of the season. The Crusaders fought hard but could not get another one to go in. The team ended losing with the final score of 1-2.
NCCAA D2 Soccer Stats Week 4
Crown vs Johnson Bible College 9/22/09
The Royal Crusaders played at home against their local rival Johnson Bible College. In the first half, the Crusaders took an early lead scoring within the first minute of the game. James Houghton scored with the assist from Sam Knickerbocker. The Crusaders continued to control the game and were able to score again at about thirty minutes into the half. Sam Knickerbocker scored the goal, receiving the pass from James Houghton. At halftime, the Crusaders were up 2-0. In the second half, the Crusaders had trouble generating offense, but continued to fight defensively. About 20 minutes into the half, Johnson caught the Crusaders off guard by scoring from a corner kick. The Crusaders still held onto their lead and were able to pull off their first home win, with the final score of 2-1. The Royal Crusaders were excited to get another region win, bringing their region record to 3-1.
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