KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Led by five first-team selections, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference placed 10 student-athletes on the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Men's All-West Region selections, the organization announced. Complete NSCAA Men's All-West Region Team
Trinity University placed a league-high six players on the All-West region team. Colorado College had three players earn All-West honors while Southwestern University placed one player on the All-Region team.
Earning first-team honors were Trinity's Matthew Cardone, Denny Mask, Darren McAfee, Yuri Ribeiro, and Colorado College's Matt Fechter.
Fechter, the league's 2011 Offensive Player-of-the-Year, 2012 Co-Offensive Player-of-the-Year and a 2011 Second Team NSCAA All-America selection, led the league in both goals scored (16) and assists (15) and tied for second in the nation in assists per game at 0.68.
Fechter is the first player since 1993 to lead the league in both categories and his 47 points are tied for the ninth-most in conference history in a single-season and ranked ninth in the nation this season.
A senior forward from Westfield, N.J., Fechter is just the 14th player in league history to post the rare single-season double/double of double digit totals in both goals and assists, and he is one of just eight players to earn First Team All-SCAC honors all four years of his career.
The Tiger captain had two assists in Colorado College's 3-1 victory over Babson (Mass.) College in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, the program's first postseason appearance since 2004.
Ribeiro, who was recently named to the NSCAA All-America First Team, led Trinity (19-1-4) to its 15th SCAC men's soccer championship. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 11th straight year. Trinity advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament where they fell 2-1 to Montclair State.
The Salvador, Brazil native ranked among the SCAC leaders in nearly ever offensive category includuing shots (117 - 1st), shots per game (4.88 - 1st), goals (14 - 3rd), assists (11 - 2nd), points (39 - 2nd) and points per game (1.62 - 3rd). Ribiero was a First Team All-SCAC selection this season, and he was a Second Team NSCAA All-America selection as a freshman in 2010.
Cardone, a sophomore goalkeeper, was recently named to the NSCAA All-America First Team, ranked at or near the top of most goalkeeper statistics. He led the SCAC in goals against average (0.45) and shutouts (11) and ranked second in the league in save percentage (.873).
McAfee, a junior midfielder, scored three goals and added six assists for 12 points this season. He also totaled 14 shots (eight on goal) and scored the game-winning goal in the Tigers' 2-0 win at Southwestern on Oct. 6.
A senior defender, Mask anchored a Trinity defense that allowed just 14 total goals in 24 games (0.58 per game). He also chippied in offensively on occasion as he scored two goals, including the game-winning goal in Trinity's 2-0 win over Texas-Dallas on Sept. 7.
Second-team All-West region selections included Colorado College senior defender Nick Lammers, Trinity senior defender Michael Micheletti and Southwestern senior forward Evan Perkins.
Perkins, the 2012 SCAC Co-Offensive Player-of-the-Year, finished the season with 15 goals (second in the SCAC) and eight assists (tied for third in the SCAC) for 38 points, the most points scored in a single season by a Southwestern men's player since the Pirates joined the conference in 1994.
He had the game-winner in the Pirates' 1-0 quarterfinal win over Centenary College in the SCAC tournament and led his team to a second-place finish. Perkins is a four-time All-SCAC selection (Third Team in 2009 and 2010, Second Team in 2011) and he was a NSCAA Third Team All-West region selection last season.
He is the first men's soccer player from Southwestern to earn one of the league's Player-of-the-Year awards. Last month, Perkins was named a first-team Capital One Academic All-District® selection.
Lammers, a senior center back from San Antonio, Texas, anchored a Colorado College defense that had 12 shutouts and only 10 goals against during the regular season. A NSCAA Second Team All-West Region selection in 2011, Lammers was a pillar of strength and exuded calm under pressure in helping lead the Tigers to an undefeated mark at home and a second-place regular season finish.
The CC defense allowed just 13 goals in 22 contests and Lammers'
ability to win almost every head ball and 1-on-1 situation was
vital in the team's defensive dominance. Lammers is the first
Colorado College player to win SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year
honors since the Tigers joined the conference in 2007.
Lammers received three votes in the tightly contested SCAC
Defensive POTY vote, followed by senior center back Denny Mask of
Trinity, who received two votes. Junior center back Matt Nickell of
Southwestern earned the remaining first-place vote. Last week,
Lammers was selected as a Capital One Division III Academic
All-America® honoree.
Micheletti helped a Trinity defense that allowed just 14 total goals in 24 games (0.58 per game). He played in 24 games (17 starts) while scoring two goals and picking up two assists (six points). Micheletti notched the game-tying goal in Trinity's 1-1 draw at Redlands on Sept. 14.
Colorado College's Kyle Buchwalder and Trinity's Thomas Carwile were each named to the All-West region third-team.
Carwile, a first-year defender from Tulsa, Okla., started every game for the conference champion Tigers, playing at the heart of the team in the holding midfielder role and showing the maturity and composure under pressure of a veteran.
Carwile is a key figure on a Trinity defense that has allowed a league-low 12 goals through 23 contests while posting 14 shutouts. But the versatile freshman also provides an offensive spark – taking 39 shots and scoring five goals while assisting on two others for 12 points, tying him for 12th in the conference in that category.
Carwile is the third consecutive Trinity player to earn the league's Newcomer-of-the-Year award and the fifth overall since the award was introduced in 2001.
Buchwalder, a senior from Yellow Springs, Colo., teamed with Lammers to spark the Tiger defense to 12 shutouts and only 10 goals against during the regular season. Buchwalder tallied one assist during the year in Colorado College's 4-1 win over visiting Austin College on Oct. 5.
Buchwalder not only performed on the pitch, but off the pitch as well. He joined teammate Lammers on the Capital One Division III Academic All-America® team last week.
