ALBANY — When Steward Ceus first toured the University at Albany campus four years ago, he was hosted by the goalkeeper he ended up replacing. Passes Coundoul's goalie standard, is tied in shutouts Ceus, then a senior at North Rockland High, got a brief glimpse into what made Bouna Coundoul the first Great Dane to reach Major League Soccer.
Coundoul, a devout Muslim, showed Ceus the prayer section in his dorm room during the recruiting visit.
"I asked him, 'Do you go out?' He said, 'No,' '' Ceus recalled. "Do you get a lot of girls? 'No.' He really kept to himself, but he was really focused. He knew what he wanted to do and how he was going to get there.''
Coundoul graduated after that season and became a goalie for the MLS' Colorado Rapids. Ceus stepped into the starter's role as a freshman and on Wednesday night passed Coundoul with his 23rd career victory in a 2-1 UAlbany win at the University of Hartford.
Ceus and Coundoul were tied for first in the program's Division I history with 22 wins and 17 shutouts.
"It's meaningful just because Bouna made a big difference over here,'' Ceus said. "He kind of put soccer on the map here. I'm honored to be in company with Bouna. I've always worked to get to his level.''
It's worth noting Ceus has compiled his numbers in four years at UAlbany compared to three for Coundoul, who transferred after his freshman year at Bethel College in Tennessee.
However, Ceus has a shot at doing what Coundoul could not, which is lead the Great Danes to an America East championship and the NCAA Tournament. Entering Wednesday's match, UAlbany (9-3-1 overall, 3-1-1 league) had its most wins through 13 games since upgrading to Division I in 1999.
"I think we have a very good chance of getting to NCAAs this year,'' Ceus said. "We have the chemistry like no other year, and this year we're turning our solid defense into positive offense.''
And the last line of that defense is Ceus, whom UAlbany coach Johan Aarnio called "one of the top collegiate keepers in the country.''
Not as athletic as Coundoul, Ceus was blessed with imposing size at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, which allows him to dominate on balls in the air. He also played basketball and tennis in high school, which he feels helps his footwork.
But sometimes Ceus has been willing to coast on his physical gifts, according to Aarnio, who brought in freshman goalkeeper Adrian Foncette to compete with Ceus this season. "Not that I'm not self-motivated, but sometimes I just need someone to push me,'' Ceus said. "I need a little spark to make me go a little harder.''
Ceus held off Foncette in nonleague play to keep the job. The two have become good friends, and Ceus is grooming Foncette to replace him the same way he took over for Coundoul.
"He's confident in everything he does,'' Foncette observed.
The MLS is showing interest in Ceus, who feels he can follow Coundoul into the pros. If not, he could attend medical school.
"I'm open to playing in Europe or MLS, wherever I get the best opportunity for myself,'' he said. "But we have to see, though.''
Career statistics
Player Years G GAA Sv W-L-T Sho
Bouna Coundoul 2002-04 46 0.93 271 22-17-6 17
Steward Ceus 2005-08 62 1.34 311 23-27-11 17
By MARK SINGELAIS
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