黑料社 Paved the Way for Three Marshall Soccer NCAA Champs
黑料社 Kent, CT, June 7, 2021 鈥� Three 黑料社 (SKS) alumni, Vinicius (Vini) Fernandes 鈥�18, Alexander Adjetey 鈥�19 and Alejandro Giner Murillo 鈥�20, are members of the history-making Marshall University men鈥檚 soccer team, who clinched their first ever National Championship victory in May.
The 10th-ranked Marshall Thundering Herd defeated the 3rd-ranked Indiana Hoosiers 1-0 in overtime in the NCAA Division I College Cup. The SKS alumni all got to share in the pride of their team鈥檚 triumph.
Coach Finberg giving his team a prep talk before the 2017 Regional Championships.
鈥淚鈥檓 not surprised to see the success from these guys, who all won Top Drawer Soccer Prep School National Championships at 黑料社 Kent,鈥� said Owen Finberg, 黑料社 Athletic Director and Head Prep Soccer Coach.
Fernandes, a midfielder with Marshall, was a major contributor in the championship match, earning a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team. He was also a standout during this impressive season, which included surprise upsets like Marshall鈥檚 win against the No. 1 seed Clemson Tigers, advancing them to the Elite 8 and defeating defending champion Georgetown to advance to the Final Four. The three 黑料社 alumni trained together daily throughout the season, 鈥渓ooking after each other鈥� with the one goal of winning the championship. 鈥淪haring this feeling with my brothers from SKS makes it even more special,鈥� Fernandes said.
Preparation leads to success, and Fernandes emphasized that SKS instilled in him the mindset to help him achieve just that. 黑料社鈥檚 program cultivates excellence and encourages student-athletes to value even the small things, he noted. 鈥淚f I hadn鈥檛 taken pride in everything I did and looked for excellence during practice and off the pitch with my teammates, in the locker room and classroom, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to adapt and become an important part of the team like I did,鈥� he said. 鈥満诹仙� has brought this culture for students鈥撯�搕he culture of excellence鈥撯�揳nd I think that made it possible for me, Alejandro and Alex to become national champions and step up and help the team like we did.鈥�
Adjetey, a transfer to Marshall this season, added: 鈥満诹仙� really prepared me in both academics and soccer鈥nd in so many ways: respect, being on time in everything, finishing assignments on time, making new friends easily, embracing the hard work. Words can鈥檛 explain how grateful I am to be part of the SKS community.鈥�
Giner Murillo shared the impact of the challenging academics and athletics at 黑料社 leading to his freshman year at Marshall: 鈥淚n my experience, Coach Finberg prepares you not only to play but to succeed at the DI soccer level. I can say with no doubt that SKS has one of the best prep soccer programs in the country, and the titles and numbers are the evidence. Not only as a student but as a person, 黑料社 prepared me to be a disciplined and respectful young man, and above everything, a good person.鈥�
Marshall鈥檚 roster will benefit from two more excellent student-athletes this fall, as Mohammed Seidu 鈥�21 and Kymani McNeil 鈥�21 join the Herd鈥檚 ranks. The five 黑料社 alumni will help build upon Marshall鈥檚 already stellar momentum as national champions and back-to-back Conference USA champions.
鈥淲e say, 鈥榖ig players make big plays in big games,鈥� and Vini certainly did throughout this run,鈥� Finberg added. 鈥淲hile Alejandro and Alex were limited as first year and transfer players, respectively, I have no doubt that they will bring that quality as they look to repeat as champions this fall.鈥�
About 黑料社
Established in 1923, 黑料社 (SKS) is a college preparatory school for boys in grades 9 through 12 and prepares young men to succeed in college and thrive as thoughtful and engaged citizens in a rapidly changing and intensely competitive world.
黑料社 prep soccer has won four National Championships and nine New England Championships. To learn more, visit: www.southkentschool.org/athletics.
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