Throughout the 2018-19 academic year, the Great Lakes Valley Conference will celebrate its 40th anniversary by recognizing 40 teams that made a significant impact both on campus and at the Conference level.
40 TEAMS | 40 YEARS
WEEK 7: 1999 IPFW Men’s Soccer
SEASON SUMMARY
The 1999 IPFW men’s soccer team completed the 11-game Conference slate tied for first with Lewis with an 8-1-2 record. En route to what would end with an 18-3-2 overall record, IPFW opened the season by stunning No. 6 New Hampshire 2-1 in the semifinals of the Best Western-Ballbox Classic. Throughout the season, the Mastodons extended their home winning streak to 19 contests, which spanned over the past three years. One of the team’s two ties came to Lewis, but the Mastodons garnered the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the GLVC Championship Tournament. IPFW, which entered the postseason ranked 12th nationally and first in the region, blanked No. 4 UW-Parkside 1-0 in the semifinals and then ousted No. 7 Missouri-St. Louis 4-0 to win the Conference crown. The victory vaulted the Mastodons to the NCAA Championship Tournament, where they defeated Truman State 3-2 in the first round before falling 5-0 to Charleston (WV) in the national quarterfinal. Chris Kramer led the team with 11 goals, while Mark Watson and Mark Hein followed with 10 goals each. Both Kramer and Hein dished four assists, second only to the five of team leader Braden Butler. Between the posts, Jeff Richey registered 91 saves and 13.5 shutouts while only allowing 15 goals in 2,093 minutes of play over the course of 23 games.
IMPRESSIVE INDIVIDUALS
Matt Hein
- NSCAA All-American
- GLVC Player of the Year
- All-GLVC First Team
Chris Kramer
- All-GLVC First Team
- All-GLVC First Team in 2000
Jeff Richey
- NSCAA All-American
- All-GLVC First Team
Dave Smith
- All-GLVC First Team
- All-GLVC Second Team in 1998
Mark Watson
- All-GLVC First Team
- All-GLVC Second Team in 1997
Brian Knitter
- All-GLVC Second Team
- All-GLVC First Team in 2000
Terry Stefankiewicz
LASTING LEGACY
In what would be its 10th and final GLVC Championship Tournament appearance, IPFW captured its first and only Conference crown in 1999, and earned its only bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament shortly thereafter. Matt Hein was named 1999 GLVC Player of the Year and proved to be the only Mastodon to earn the league’s top honor in program history. Head coach Terry Stefankiewicz also picked up GLVC Coach of the Year accolades in 1999, becoming just the second IPFW mentor to earn the award as Troy Rushing first accomplished the feat in 1991. Following the 2000 campaign, in which the Mastadons were 10-8 overall and 7-4 in league play, IPFW resigned from the league and reclassified as a NCAA Division I member of the Summit League.