Genesis Of Family Rivalry
Regans to square off as coaches

Wheeling, WV, September, 9, 2009---Wheeling Jesuit University men's soccer program (1-1-1) will play host to area rival Bethany College (0-3) on Wednesday. This event will be much more than your traditional soccer match as the Wheeling Eagles Soccer Club will showcase its talents before the Regan family, father and son, square off for the first time in separate uniforms.

The Eagles will start the community event at 5:30 p.m. The youth soccer program will play on James LaRosa Field before the varsity soccer match. There will be a hundred T-shirts and other promotional items given away throughout the evening for the students and fans.

Wheeling Jesuit will take the field immediately following the Eagles game for warmups, and will kick off at 7:30

Jim Regan is in his 27th season leading the Cardinals program, and has compiled a record of 295-156-41. He is responsible for elevating the men's program to national prominence, with three Top-25 finishes including a NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance in 2000.

Regan was inducted into the Bethany Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for his achievements on the soccer field after he was a two-time, first team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference selection and helped guide Bethany to four conference titles during his playing career.

The Cardinals fought hard in their home opener against University of D.C., which ended in a 1-1 draw. They return to James LaRosa Stadium with a 1-1 road record, securing a 1-0 victory against Lake Erie College and dropping a 2-0 decision to the University of Philadelphia.

''This is a great night for me and my family,'' Regan said. ''I'm proud of Sean and what he has accomplished on his own laurels."

''He loves the game and will do well as a head coach. Having said that, he will come here (today) and have to work hard to get a result.''

Sean Regan, a 2005 graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University, helped the Cardinals claim two WVIAC regular-season titles (2001, 2003) and WVIAC Tournament championship (2003) as a player. He was a member of the first two Cardinals teams to be ranked in the top 25 nationally, which included a No. 15 ranking in 2003. Individually, Regan was a two-time WVIAC Player of the Week and all-conference selection, as well as an NSCAA Division 2 Regional All-American in 2005.

He was named head coach for the Bison on Dec. 22, 2008. He owns coaching badges from the Irish Football Association and United States Soccer Association, and came to Bethany after serving as an assistant for three seasons at PAC rival Washington & Jefferson.

The Bison are off to an unfortunate start after being riddled with injuries, dropping their first three matches. Frostburg rallied late for a 3-2 victory in Game 1, and a pair of losses came in Virginia against No. 8-ranked Christopher Newport (6-1) and the defending ODAC Champions, Virginia Wesleyan (8-0)

''It has always been a dream of mine to be a head coach,'' Sean Reagan said. ''Most people dream of playing professionally, but when I was little, I never missed one of my dad's games and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.''

''Now to be the head coach at Bethany, where he played, and run the program that John Cunningham, who was like a second grandfather to me, started, is a dream come true.''