Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Rutgers-Newark men’s soccer coach Kevin East knew that his standout midfielder Nick Kyprianou had a ton of potential and that he was on the cusp of being a major player for the Scarlet Raiders.

If only Kyprianou could do one thing – keep a level head.

“He was a little hot headed,” East said. “He had the tendency to lose his composure, get a few yellow cards and then we’d lose him to a suspension. He would constantly get himself into trouble. The cards were adding up in September.”

So then East and Kyprianou had a heart-to-heart conversation.

“I just realized that I had to be smarter for the team,” said Kyprianou, a junior from Morganville, N.J. who attended Marlboro High School. “Each time I got a card, it was hurting the team. I was too into the game and let my emotions get the better of me. I had to change my ways for the team.”

Kyprianou said that he had somewhat of an epiphany when he sat out a one-game suspension due to yellow card infractions.

“I missed one game and couldn’t even watch,” Kyprianou said. “It was so hard to watch that game.”

Since he endured that transgression, Kyprianou has been a solid citizen and an even more solid player for the Scarlet Raiders. He currently leads the team in scoring with seven goals and three assists for 17 points, as the Scarlet Raiders await their fate in the upcoming ECAC Division III Metro tournament.

“He’s had a great year for us,” East said. “I personally think Nick is one of the better midfielders in the conference. He’s been our main offensive threat and scored some very important goals.”

East loves Kyprianou’s ability to create offensive chances from far away from the goal. If the Scarlet Raiders get a dead ball situation from anywhere inside midfield, Kyprianou is poised to make a play with his strong leg.

“He’s dangerous in set pieces,” East said. “He has a strong leg and he’s accurate with his services. He puts in dangerous balls into the scoring area and has scored some goals from far distances. Without a doubt, it’s a plus to have him and I feel confident that Nick can always make something happen. We have some aggressive guys going to goal and it gives us another dimension. It’s really a big benefit.”

Kyprianou said that his ability to hit long balls with accuracy has been a constant.

“It’s always been a part of my game,” Kyprianou said. “I think I’ve always had a strong leg. I think it comes from just practicing and repetition. Coach East and I work a lot on hitting long balls with accuracy. I think I’ve improved a lot in it. But whenever you can score a goal from that far out, it’s a huge help, because it makes the field a little smaller.”

Kyprianou came from a solid soccer program at Marlboro, where he earned a host of All-Shore and All-State honors. He had the chance to pursue some Division I offers, but was impressed with East’s persistence.

“I saw him play with his club team (the Howell Strykers) and I also saw his team play in high school a couple of times,” East said. “I thought he had a chance to help us.”

It also helped that the Kyprianou family had friends that attended Rutgers-Newark, including another that worked in the R-N admission’s office.

But according to Kyprianou, East was the determining factor.

“Coach East is a very good recruiter,” Kyprianou said. “It was a little bit of an adjustment coming to Newark and it was totally different from what I was used to at home.”

East has enjoyed the way Kyprianou has developed, going from his sophomore season, where he tallied two assists, to emerging as the Scarlet Raiders’ leading scorer and an All-New Jersey Athletic Conference honorable mention selection.

“He’s matured tremendously and has a greater understanding of the game,” East said. “He’s turned into a strong presence in our midfield. He has some skill, but his maturity is a big part of why he’s improved and he’s a big part of what we’ve done this season.”

East believes that there are only better things ahead for Kyprianou.

“Every year, he’s become more of a factor,” East said. “I think next year, he’ll be even more so. He’s progressed responsibly every year and I can see that continuing. It will be his role to take the team on his own.”

Kyprianou is majoring in finance at R-N. He hopes to get into investment banking in the future.

For now, he’s enjoying the success he’s had with the Scarlet Raiders this season.

“I am having so much fun,” Kyprianou said. “I love playing with the guys on the team. We are going to have high hopes for next year and hopefully bring our first NJAC title. We’re looking forward to the ECAC and we’re going in with the expectations of winning the whole thing. I just want to win. As long as we win, then that’s achieving the ultimate goal.”