Pair of former Wheaton soccer stars prospering in professional leagues

June 1, 2007

NORTON, MA- Former Wheaton College men's soccer standouts Dan Antoniuk '03 and James Greenslit '06 have each been prospering this year as members of teams in the United Soccer Leagues (USL). Antoniuk has been a star scorer for the Atlanta Silverbacks, while Greenslit has appeared in every minute of every game in the backfield for the New Hampshire Phantoms during his initial full pro campaign. He was also recently named an assistant coach at Division I Northeastern University.

Antoniuk, a 1999 All-American who tallied program records of 144 points and 54 goals during a four-year soccer career, has been the main offensive catalyst for Atlanta, a member of the 12-team USL First Division. The league leader with four assists, Antoniuk was named USL First Division Player of the Week on April 24 after netting a pair of goals in the Silverbacks' opener. He is tied for second in the league with 10 points and is tied for fourth with three goals.

At 3-3-2, Antoniuk's club has just started its 28-game slate, which will bring the Silverbacks as close to Norton as Montreal for a September 5 contest at Claude Robillard Sports Complex. Antoniuk was brought over from the Montreal Impact in a January trade after playing there last season and from 2003-05 in Oregon with the Portland Timbers. As a Timber, Antoniuk turned in his best pro campaign in 2005 by tallying 28 points and 13 goals and landing on the USL First Division All-League second team.

After spending part of the summer of 2006 as a member of the reserve squad for Major League Soccer's (MLS) New England Revolution, Greenslit joined the Phantoms this year. Through six games, Greenslit has played all 540 minutes for 0-4-2 New Hampshire, a USL Second Division squad that calls Manchester Memorial High School's pitch its home field. The Phantoms, who play a 20-game schedule in the 10-team USL Second Division, travel as far away as Bermuda but as close to Norton as Springfield, where New Hampshire takes on the Western Mass Pioneers on June 30 at Lusitano Stadium.

In early April, Greenslit was introduced as a new assistant coach for the Northeastern University men's soccer team. The Huskies went 6-4-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) last season before dropping a 1-0 decision in the opening round of the CAA Tournament, their first since joining the league in 2005.

Greenslit capped his four-year career at Wheaton in the fall of 2005 by earning an All-America honor for the third straight season and being named New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Year for the second consecutive campaign. Greenslit led the Lyons to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of conference tournament titles as a member of the Blue and White.

Antoniuk and Greenslit are among five former Wheaton men's soccer players who have turned pro. Jim Manganello '99 and Oscar Medina '97 spent time with the Cape Cod Crusaders of the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), while Jeremy Long '99 played for the USL's Boston Bulldogs.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 6/1/07.
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