Tony Meola Joins List Of Stars For Charity Game
August 23, 2008 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
New Jersey Ironmen News Release
Newark, N.J. (Saturday, August 23, 2008) - On February 11, 2008, Ketih Engelhardt finally succumbed to complications from an automobile accident that left him paralyzed six years ago. The legacy of his strength and fight, however, will live on.
At 8:00 p.m. tonight, the 4th Annual Keith Engelhardt Charity Game will kick off at the Vanderberg Soccer Complex in Marlboro. While it will be the first time the game will be played without Engelhardt in attendance, an All-Star lineup will be on hand to celebrate the life of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team reserve goalkeeper. Among the participants will be three-time World Cup and New Jersey Ironmen goalkeeper Tony Meola.
"I am happy to participate in an event for such an inspirational person who obviously affected the lives of so many," Meola commented about his involvement. "It will be fun to play with old teammates, and it is all for a great cause."
Among the players in the friendly exhibition will be former MetroStar and Venezuelan National Team forward Giovanni Savarese, 2005 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Tab Ramos, and three-time MLS champions Marco Etcheverry and Ritchie Williams. The event was organized by Frank Rizzi, a former Tampa Bay Mutiny player and founder of the Campioni Soccer Camps, along with the assistance of the PASCO Soccer Club.
Keith Engelhardt was a two-time All-State goalkeeper for Freehold (NJ) Township High School, including a junior season that he recorded 14 shutouts. He then attended Mercer County College where he backstopped the 1991 national championship team, registering 20 shutouts along the way. His play there led to an induction into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2002. After junior college, he attended Penn State and Virginia Commonwealth where he earned All-Metro Conference honors. After training with the U.S. National Team in 1991, he was named a reserve on the 1992 Olympic Team. He then proceeded to play professionally in Europe, as well as with the Pittsburgh Stingers of the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) and the Philadelphia KiXX of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In an unfortunate turn of events, Engelhardt was involved in an automobile accident in 2002 that caused him to permanently hang his boots and enter an extensive course of rehabilitation.
Proceeds from the charity game will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Those interested in mailing a donation to the foundation can make their contribution out to Marlboro Soccer Booster Association and mail it to P.O. Box 436, Marlboro, New Jersey 07746.
The New Jersey Ironmen are currently underway in their inaugural summer camp programming. Camps are conducted by the Ironmen coaching staff and players, offering participants the rare experience of learning directly from the pros. All players also receive a t-shirt, soccer ball and a ticket to the 2008-09 New Jersey Ironmen home opener at Prudential Center this fall. For more information regarding camps, call camp contact Mike Milich today at 973-757-6322 or email him at mmilich@njironmen.com.
The New Jersey Ironmen Dance Team is holding auditions for their 2008-09 squad on Monday, September 8, at Prudential Center. Those selected from the tryouts will perform at every Ironmen home game as well as representing the dance team at numerous promotional appearances throughout the forthcoming year. For more information regarding auditions, contact Dance Team Director Jacqueline Ritchie at jritchie@njironmen.com.
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from August 23, 2008
- Tony Meola Joins List Of Stars For Charity Game - New Jersey Ironmen
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