Soccer Claims Two All-Americans

Senior Clint Foster (Mt. Pleasant, TX) and Senior Kyle Kempinski (Milford, NJ) of the United States Merchant Marine Academy men’s soccer team were named NSCAA All-Americans. This is the first time that the Mariners have had two All-Americans in the same season since 2002 when the team went to the NCAA Sweet 16. Only three other schools (Stevens Tech, Trinity, Wesleyan) had multiple All-Americans on the season. Foster and Kempinski led the way for the Mariners as they finished the 2009 campaign with a 15-4 overall record and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Fitzgerald, Coach Sutton and I are very excited to have two players selected as All-Americans this season, said Head Coach Michael Smolens. We’re honored that Clint and Kyle were chosen, and it’s a reflection of the success the team had this season and the work the entire team put in.

Foster was named a Second Team All-American as a forward. He finished the season with a total of 30 points to lead the Landmark Conference. Foster also finished first in assists with eight, second in goals with 11 and had three game winning goals. For his efforts in the conference Foster was named Landmark Offensive Conference Player of the Year.

Clint Foster certainly is one of the most dynamic and creative players we’ve had at Kings Point in my 20 years here, said Smolens. He scored and assisted on some very big goals this season, and was certainly the focal point of our attack. Being an All-American was a goal of his entering the season, and the work he put in to prepare for soccer paid off with him reaching his goal.

Kempinski was voted a Third Team All-American as a defender. On the season he recorded two goals and helped the Mariners defense that only allowed 15 goals. The Mariners defense also registered seven shutouts on the year. As a strong defender, Kempinski was named First Team All-Landmark for the season.

Each season, Kyle Kempinski took on a larger role with our team and his improvement was a major reason for our success, said Smolens. “He did not start any matches as a Freshman and he worked hard to earn a starting spot in his second year and started every game he played for us in the last three seasons. A central defender this season, he anchored our young defense, which had two sophomores and two freshmen starting, and helped lead us to the NCAA tournament.

The Mariners finished the season ranked 26th (out of 377 teams) in the nation in winning percentage at .789. Foster and Kempinski finished their careers with an overall record of 51-21-1 for a .698 winning percentage.