{{short description|American soccer player (born 1986)}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Neal Kitson | image = | fullname = Neal Kitson | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|1|6}} | birth_place = Queens, New York, United States | height = {{height|ft=6|in=2}} | position = Goalkeeper | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = 2004 | youthclubs1 = Dowling Golden Lions | youthyears2 = 2005–2008 | youthclubs2 = St. John's Red Storm | years1 = 2008 | clubs1 = Newark Ironbound Express | caps1 = 5 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2010–2011 | clubs2 = Rochester Rhinos | caps2 = 43 | goals2 = 1 | years3 = 2012 | clubs3 = Northampton Town | caps3 = 8 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2013 | clubs4 = Jersey Express | caps4 = 5 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2013 | clubs5 = Phoenix FC | caps5 = 6 | goals5 = 0 | totalcaps = 67 | totalgoals = 1 | pcupdate = | ntupdate = }}
'''Neal Kitson''' (born January 6, 1986, in Queens, New York) is an American soccer player.
==Career==
===College and amateur=== Kitson attended Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, where he won the PSAL Heisman Wingate Award and was selected to the Newsday All-City first team in 2003, before beginning his college soccer career at Dowling College.
He transferred to St. John's University as a sophomore, redshirting his first season with the team, but went on to become the team's first choice goalkeeper after his junior year in 2007. In his senior campaign he set a school record by recording 15 shutouts in 24 starts, and was instrumental in helping the Red Storm to a No.4 ranking in the 2008 NSCAA/Adidas polls,<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/high_school/2008/10/21/2008-10-21_neal_kitson_leads_st_johns_soccer_to_lof.html Neal Kitson leads St. John's soccer to lofty perch]</ref> winning the Big East regular season title,<ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/college/2008/11/02/2008-11-02_st_johns_mens_soccer_captures_big_east_l.html St. John's men's soccer captures Big East, looks to make much more noise]</ref> and qualifying for the NCAA College Cup for only the fourth time in the school's history.
During his college years he also played for Newark Ironbound Express in the USL Premier Development League.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2008/roster/8986443.html |title=United Soccer Leagues (USL) |accessdate=2010-01-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907134323/http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2008/roster/8986443.html |archivedate=2008-09-07 }}</ref>
===Professional=== Kitson was drafted in the third round (42nd overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by Kansas City Wizards<ref>[http://ressports.com/news/index.html?article_id=7 Express Goalkeeper Neal Kitson Selected in MLS SuperDraft]</ref> but was not offered a professional contract by the team after doctors in Kansas diagnosed him with a sports hernia, a fractured pelvis, and a torn labrum in his hip.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110711004936/http://www.fiveborosports.com/ssp/news?news_id=3561 Injuries delay Kitson's professional soccer debut]}}</ref>
After spending much of 2009 recuperating, Kitson signed his first professional contract in 2010 when he signed with Rochester Rhinos.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://soccersceneusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/rhinos-sign-west-kitson-aguilar.html |title=Rhinos Sign West, Kitson, Aguilar |access-date=2010-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708063725/http://soccersceneusa.blogspot.com/2010/02/rhinos-sign-west-kitson-aguilar.html |archive-date=2011-07-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He made his professional debut on April 28, 2010, in a game against NSC Minnesota Stars.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ussf.demosphere.com/stats/2010/1634159.html |title=USSF Division-2 Pro League |website=ussf.demosphere.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526054722/http://ussf.demosphere.com/stats/2010/1634159.html |archive-date=2010-05-26}}</ref>
Kitson became of the few goalkeepers to score a goal when he netted a 90th-minute equalizer for the Rhinos in a 2–2 tie with Antigua Barracuda FC on June 5, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/532992.html |title=Late Equalizer Earns Rhinos A Point |access-date=2011-06-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328074853/http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/532992.html |archive-date=2012-03-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Rochester re-signed Kitson for the 2012 season on November 3, 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=174 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425062414/http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news/index.html?article_id=174 |archive-date=2012-04-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, in late January 2012 he exercised an escape clause in his contract and signed with Northampton Town of the English Football League Two on a free transfer.<ref>http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120127/SPORTS05/201270346/Rhinos-keeper-Kitson-joins-English-team?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports</ref>
He made his debut on 31 March against Crewe Alexandra, and with the scores tied at one each, saved a stoppage time penalty to secure a draw.<ref>{{cite news|title=Crewe 1-1 Northampton|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17497487|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=1 April 2012}}</ref> In his second match on 6 April, Kitson again saved a penalty during Northampton's 2–1 win over Oxford United.<ref>{{cite news|title=Northampton 2-1 Oxford|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17558723|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref>
He had his contract with the club terminated and returned home for personal family reasons in August 2012.
==Honors==
===Rochester Rhinos=== *'''USSF Division 2 Pro League''' Regular Season Champions (1): 2010
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/kitson_neal00.html St. Johns bio]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitson, Neal}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American men's soccer players Category:American expatriate men's soccer players Category:Men's association football goalkeepers Category:English Football League players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:Jersey Express S.C. players Category:Northampton Town F.C. players Category:Phoenix FC players Category:Rochester Rhinos players Category:Sporting Kansas City draft picks Category:Soccer players from Queens, New York Category:St. John's Red Storm men's soccer players Category:USL Championship players Category:USL League Two players Category:USSF Division 2 Professional League players Category:Benjamin N. Cardozo High School alumni