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Knights Soccer

Picture of Knights Soccer Team

Front Row (L-R): Kirby Tadesse, Casey Thomas, Cameron Ford, Elliot Kowall, Major Robinson, John Francois, Assistant Coach Chris Neff

Second Row (L-R): Ryan Strous, Justin Curry, Patrick West, Jordan Barker, Zach Stivers, Jean Virgile, Ryan Knipp

Back Row (L-R): Head Coach David Messer, Manager Deborah Jones, Ryker Hill, Garion Dodrill, Andrew Costilow, Jason Haubner, Corey Fleig, Matt Shaffer, Michael Johnson, Assistant Coach Ryan Duncan

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Recruits may click here to contact Coach David Messer.

Recent News

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  • 09/13/2009 - Knight Soccer Begins Strong
    Grayson, KY - A great start for a new team. From last years roster of 23 comes 2 starters and a whole new team of eager young players. " KCU has a new look this year and the team is beginning to play well together." Stated Head Coach David Messer. The Knights started strong with wins over Southern State, Grace Bible and Appalachian Bible Colleges. They dropped a hard loss to NAIA school St. Catherines and lost to visiting Great Lakes Bible this weekend in overtime.

    The Knights are gaining momentum with each game and hope to improve their record this week against visiting regional teams Crown and Johnson.
  • 08/24/2009 - Knight Soccer Wins Season Opener
    Grayson, KY - Saturday's season opener against Southern State was a good outing for the new young Knights. Freshman Justin Curry from Cincinnati powered one in the goal off of a free kick from 30 yards out. "It was a great first match. Loosing 18 of last years 23 players has been a challenge, but there is some new talent on campus this fall." Head Coach David Messer continues: "We have some solid new freshman and several transfers that will truly help us this year. The look of our program has completely changed. It's exciting to see the enthusiasm of these young players. We look for great things to happen this season." The Knights roster is mostly freshman and sophomores, which makes the future look bright. KCU takes it on the road next week to St. Catherines.
  • 11/02/2008 - Knight Soccer Ends the 2008 Season at 7-11
    Knoxville, TN - On October 24th, the KCU Knights stepped out on the pitch with a will to win and brought their best game to the field. You could see that will to win in the eyes of every player on the field. At the end of the match the Crown College edged out the Knights with a 1-2 victory. The Knights had defeated Crown twice during the season and just could not sqeek another victory past them to move on to the Regional title game.

    This season was by far the best soccer the KCU Knights have played in recent years. Ending the season with 7 wins and 11 losses doesn't give you a full picuture of the quality of play that came from this years squad. We pay honor to those young men who represented the University well. Coach David Messer stated: "Not only did our young men represent the University well, but they were a powerful example of character and christian faith. We may not have won the ultimate prize of a regional banner, but our men finished the course...kept the faith...and showed character when it counted! I'm proud to be part of this legacy and look forward to beginning our new journey soon."
  • 11/02/2008 - THE BEST NEVER REST: Men's Soccer 2009 Off-Season Training
    - Training for the 2009 season will begin the first week of February. "The journey to any National Title begins in the off-season and we will begin that journey together when the new year arrives. The theme "THE BEST NEVER REST" is a way to challenge our athletes to never quit striving for the prize, even when the season ends. I've given the team several weeks off the intense training curcuit and put them on a self-maintainance program until we go full swing into the official spring training season. We will set our sights on a full fitness program when February arrives" stated Head Coach David Messer. "It's time to focus on the new year ahead and the great recuits that will make their way to campus this spring and summer as we begin a new journey to Florida's National Tournament in 2009! "
  • 10/22/2008 - Knight Soccer to Play The Crown College in Region Opener
    Knoxville, TN - Your KCU Knights will square off with The Crown College for the third time this season. Both matches were a successful win for KCU and they are determined to make it a third time charm. Their match will take place Friday afternoon at 5:30.
  • 10/19/2008 - Knights End as the Mideast Conference #2 Seed and High National Ranking
    Grayson, KY - The regular season for the KCU Knights Men's Soccer team came to a close as they ended their season on the road against Southern State in Hillsboro, OH. This has been a great season of soccer at KCU. The men have trained hard throughout the season and are headed into post-season play in a great position as the number 2 seed in the Mideast Conference. Throughout the season, the nights have been as high as 5th in the Nation and now stand in the 11th spot going into tournament play.

    The Knights will head to Knoxville, Tennessee to begin their bid for the Regional Title. They will square off with The Crown College on October 24th (5:00) for their first match. The Knights have handled Crown twice already in the season and will work hard to make it 3 for 3. The winner will advance to the final match on October 25th (1:00).

  • 10/15/2008 - Knight Soccer: Ready to Explode Into Regional Play!!!!!!
    Grayson, KY - Tuesday night's game -vs- #3 Nationally Ranked Ohio Christian was a great example of the powerful play the Knights have been producing here in the last weeks of the regular season. "I am proud to be able to coach a group of athletes like we have here at KCU who play with heart!" stated Head Coach David Messer. The Knights played with heart and soul to the very end. KCU dominated play against their rivals and went up in the second half to lead the match until the 89th minute of play when OCU tied it up to go into overtime. After 107 minutes of hard play, OCU put the tie breaker in to end the crueling battle. Senior Captain Ryan Duncan stated after the match: "This is not the end of the season, but the beginning of our trip to the National tournament. It's not how you start, but how you finish." The Knights will wait out the week to see where they are seeded in the Regional Tournament to be held at Johnson Bible College next week. Coach Messer went on to state: "KCU is the team to watch in this tournament! The momentum my young men have is about to explode into victory!"
  • 10/10/2008 - Knight Soccer Net Big Win Against Crown on the Road
    Powell, TN - If you were on the road with the Knights this weekend you would see fans in the stands who traveled South to watch the Knights down the Crown Crusaders 4-3 at their home field. The Knights stepped out early in the first half to put in two goals to Crowns 1 as they ended the first half. Senior Brian Elkins had the boot for both. The second half saw Crown scratch back with two goals and a Penalty kick given to the home team to put Crown up 3-2 with 25 minutes to go in the game. Holding Fenelus broke the ice with his goal in the 68th minute to tie up the game. With less than 10 minutes, Elkins added 1 more goal for the hat-trick to put an end to the Crusaders hopes for a win.!
  • 09/18/2008 - Knights Soccer Jump to #5
    Grayson, KY - The Knights are now on the downslope of the season. Although they are half way through the regular season, their success is still growing by the day. The Knights have jumped two spots over the past week to the #5 spot nationally. Even after suffering a close loss to OCU (nationally ranked # 2) the Knights are still on the upswing. "Every game is one step closer to the Regional tourament...We are ready to make a statement this year!" said Knights senior Matt Lama. The Knights start the second half of their season with a 7-3 record. Come out and support the Knights as they strive to bring the Regional Title home to Grayson.
  • 09/17/2008 - Knights Drop One to OCU
    Circleville, OH - On Tuesday night, KCU lost their first region game of the season. In a close matchup against the Trailblazers of OCU, the Knights could not seem to find the goal. Several opportunties were available, but KCU could not capitalize. At the half, OCU led by a score of 1-0.

    The Knights completely dominated the second half of play, but allowed OCU's captain, Emmanuel Harris to score his second goal of the game. KCU did not quit. In the 75th minute of play, Dave Tadesse received a cross from his teammate and put the ball in the back of the net. Ian Evans scored a goal that would have tied the game, but the officials made a very controversial call, claiming the ball went out of bounds before Evans scored.

    The 2-1 final score at OCU was the same as the game at OCU in the 2007 campaign. The Knights will play their toughest match of the season as the Campbellsville Tigers come to Grayson this Saturday. The Knights now have a record of 6-3 (3-1 region play).

Schedule

Roster

Name # Position Height Year Hometown
Jordan Barker  0  Goalkeeper    Sophomore  Morehead, KY 
Justin Curry  18  Midfielder  5' 8"  Freshman  Cincinnatti, OH 
Garion Dodrill  9  Midfield  5' 11  Freshman  Portsmouth, OH 
Cameron Ford  7  Midfielder  5'8"  Junior  Cloverdale, IN 
John Francois  16  Striker  5' 9"  Sophomore  Haiti 
Jason Haubner  8  Midfielder  6' 2"  Freshman  Covington, KY 
Ryker Hill  21  Forward    Sophomore  Martins Ferry, OH 
Ryan Knipp  12  Defender    Sophomore  Grayson, KY 
Matt Shaffer  16  Defender  6' 2"  Sophomore  Grayson, KY 
Zach Stivers  6  Defender  5' 10  Sophomore  Glenmont, OH 
Ryan Strous  17  Midfield  5' 10  Sophomore  Millersburg, OH 
Kirubel Tadesse  7  Striker  5' 8  Sophomore  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
Casey Thomas  14  Defender  5' 8"  Junior  Grayson, KY 
Jean Virgile  20  Forward    Sophomore  Haiti 

Coaching Staff

Picture of Coach David Messer

Coach David Messer

Head Men’s Varsity Soccer Coach David Messer took over the helm at KCU in January 2006. Messer comes to the University with a long tradition of soccer. As a player, his Heritage Christian High School club of Indianapolis was 2-time State Champion and 2 time State Runner-up, where he was selected in 1976 to the first team All-State as a goalkeeper.. College soccer lead him to NCCAA Division I Tennessee Temple University and NCCAA Division II Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri where he served as player and coach and was awarded Most Valuable Player in 1979 and 1980. Messer played for Club team British United of Indianapolis as a striker after graduation.

The 2009 Season will be Messer's 30th year of coaching and he is pressing toward the 400 win mark with 391 in his career as a coach.  His High School coaching experience netted 4 District Titles, 3 Regional Titles and a 1982 Michigan Boys State Runner-up title.  He is the co-founder of the Carter County Youth Soccer League and founder of the East Carter High School soccer program from 1987-2005.

"We are looking for the best and the brightest as we begin to build a strong tradition of soccer at Kentucky Christian University. If you are looking for a place to make your mark in the game of soccer and are willing to commit to hard work and determination, KCU is the place for you!"

Picture of Coach Chris Neff
  • Chris Neff
  • Assistant Coach

Assistant Coach Chris Neff

Chris Neff is a long time resident of Grayson, KY and began playing the game of soccer as a youth and moved his way through both club and varsity soccer programs throughout his career. He is a graduate of East Carter (KY)High School where he was a four year varsity starter and MVP his senior year. Neff is also an Alumni of Kentucky Christian University and played soccer under Coach Steve Pattison. He obtained his Masters Degree in Education from Morehead State University. His coaching career began with a YMCA U10 team, Assistant coach to David Messer at East Carter High School and currently Head Coach of the boys team at East Carter Middle School since 2000.

"I have considered myself very lucky to be a part of the successful and growing soccer programs in Carter County and now at Kentucky Christian University. I look forward to continued service to my community and now KCU."