Nov. 11, 2010
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (November 11, 2010) - Three ODU Soccer Monarchs were named to the All-CAA squad. Senior goalkeeper Evan Newton (Virginia Beach, VA.) on first team, freshman Gideon Asante (Sunyani, Ghana) on second, and junior Jordan LeBlanc (Haverford, PA.) on third team. Asante was also selected to the CAA's All-Rookie squad.
James Madison senior forward CJ Sapong was selected as the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer Player of the Year in voting by the league's head coaches. The award was presented Thursday night on the eve of the semifinals of the CAA Men's Soccer Championship in Williamsburg, Va.
Also receiving top men's soccer honors from the conference were Hofstra freshman back Shaun Foster, who was chosen as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and William & Mary's Chris Norris, who was voted as the CAA Coach of the Year.
Newton is ODU's all-time leader in saves (144) and shutouts(35). He had five shutouts this year and a 0.96 goals against average. LeBlanc scored five goals this season with two assists and two game
winning goals, while Asante scored four goals with two assists for 10 total points. Asante both two goals in ODU's win over second ranked North Carolina and was named to TopDrawer Soccer National team of the Week, and College Soccer News National Player of the Week.
Sapong was one of the nation's top offensive threats this season, leading the CAA and ranking third in Division I with 33 points. He shared the CAA lead in goals (12) and game-winning goals (4) and also topped the conference with nine assists. The senior forward was named the National Player of the Week by College Soccer News on Oct. 31 after scoring three goals, including both game-winners, in a pair of JMU conference victories. Sapong finished his JMU career ranked fifth all-time in points (95), seventh in goals (37) and fourth in game-winning goals (12). He is the first JMU player since 1994 to receive CAA Player of the Year honors.
Foster became the first player in conference history to receive Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year accolades in the same season. The freshman defender anchored a Hofstra back line that allowed 12 goals in 11 conference matches and posted six shutouts. The Pride surrendered only one goal and went 4-0-2 over its final six conference contests to earn a berth in the CAA Tournament. Foster also contributed two goals, both of which were game-winners, against CAA foes Georgia State and James Madison.
Norris earned CAA Coach of the Year honors for the first time after guiding William & Mary to its first CAA regular-season title since 2002. The Tribe enters this weekend's CAA Tournament with a 13-3-2 overall record and is ranked #12 nationally by College Soccer News and #20 in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com poll. W&M was unbeaten (8-0-2) in its final 10 CAA matches and earned impressive non-conference victories over West Virginia and Wake Forest.
William & Mary placed a league-high three players on the All-CAA first team with senior forward Alan Koger (9g, 2a), senior midfielder Nathaniel Baako (4g, 6a) and senior defender Derek Buckley (0g, 2a). VCU was the only other school with multiple first-team picks with senior forward C.J. Gehin-Scott (8g, 2a) and senior midfielder Lucas Paulini (0g, 2a).
Rounding out the first team were JMU's Sapong, Hofstra's Foster, Towson senior midfielder Marco Mangione (12g, 7a), George Mason senior midfielder Ernesto Marquez (7g, 5a), UNC Wilmington senior defender Indy Smith and Old Dominion senior goalkeeper Evan Newton (0.96 GAA, 64 svs., 5 ShO).
2010 CAA Player of the Year: CJ Sapong, James Madison
2010 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Shaun Foster, Hofstra2010 CAA Rookie of the Year: Shaun Foster, Hofstra
2010 CAA Coach of the Year: Chris Norris, William & Mary