ATH: Hall of Fame Inductee Spotlight - 1968 Men's Soccer Team

Hempstead, NY - Leading up to the 2015 Hall of Fame Dinner on April 12, GoHofstra.com will feature each of the eight individuals and two teams being inducted in the Class of 2015. Today the of the football team is 1968 men's soccer team is highlighted.

"Well, one thing for sure it didn't happen all of a sudden. The 1968 championship year, the "Hofstra Lightning Strike", was made up of incremental steps which really began in the fall of 1965. Coach Vanderwarker, in a sense, said to himself that this is not going to happen again (meaning the 0-17-1 record in 1965 – his first year at Hofstra). And it didn't, he plodded along, and slowly developed a plan and a strategy year after year with a group of young men, mostly inexperienced soccer players. He mixed this athletic group with some seasoned players. We practiced, played, learned, won, lost and devoted ourselves to him and each other. He scouted and ultimately recruited a few excellent players that were either college transfers or from community colleges. He built this team brick-by-brick. He had a vision and he imparted that vision to us. All along the way he taught us the game by any means possible. His perseverance and our tenacity showed in subsequent years as the team improved its win total year after year. The 1968 championship season was a concerted effort by all coaches and players over a long period of time. The team played summers, winters when possible and intercollegiate level during the fall. We became a close knit group of young men who were all business come game day." – Dan Destefano, Team Captain

The 1968 men's soccer team posted a 15-2-1 record, winning the Metro Athletic Conference (MAC) and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The appearance was also the first NCAA Division I appearance for any Hofstra Athletics program. The 15 wins and .861 winning percentage are the top marks in program history. Coached by Bob Vanderwarker, the squad was led by All-American and Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2009 inductee Ed Gaffney (18 goals) and Walt Beebe (12 assists). Gaffney became the first All-American in program history after posting a program record 18 goals, while Beebe's total of 12 assists is also a school record.

Team members included: Walt Beebe, Kenneth Bruce, John Burns, Raymond Cavaliere, Wellington Chan, Donald Crosby, team captain Dan DeStefano, Ed Gaffney, Dennis Hanney, Patrick Hunt, Stephen Mason, Thomas McGinley, Anthony Noto, William Place, David Purnhagen, Henry Rose, Alan Siegel, Alan Stolzberg, Edip Tahir, Ethem Tahir, John Weissman, Paul Wermelinger, Assistant Coach Steve Nisenson and Head Coach Robert Vanderwarker.

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