Aug. 22, 2011
RICHMOND, Va. - Sophomore Gideon Asante along with juniors Chris Harmon and JordanLeBlanc have been selected pre-season All-CAA, as chosen by the league's head coaches. ODU also ranks 25th in SOCCER AMERICA'S pre-season poll.
Asante (Sunyani, Ghana)was selected to the All-Pre-season squad while Harmon (Downingtown, PA.) and LeBlanc (Haverford, PA.) were honorable mention picks.
ODU's upcoming schedule will feature three opponents in SOCCER AMERICA'Stop 25. North Carolina, who ODU defeated last season at home is 3rd. The twosquare off in Chapel Hill on Sept. 27. ODU plays 17th ranked West Virginia onSept. 4th in Morgantown. Monmouth is 21st and they will be part of this year'sStihl Soccer Classic here at ODU, Sept. 9 and 11. The Monarchs play Monmouthon Sunday at 2;30, Sept. 11th.
Asante is among 42 players on the 2011 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List, and included in TopDrawerSoccer.com's 100 college players to watch.
Hofstra sophomore defender Shaun Foster, who became the first men's soccer player in CAA history to earn Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season in 2010, has been chosen as the conference's preseason men's soccer Player of the Year for 2011 in voting by the league's head coaches.
Foster was the only freshman selected to the All-CAA first team in 2010 and was also named to the All-South Atlantic region second team. He contributed two goals and one assist while anchoring a Hofstra defense that posted shutouts in six of its 11 conference matches. Foster is one of 42 players on the Watch List for the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top collegiate soccer player at the end of the season.
Joining Foster on defense on the preseason All-CAA men's soccer team were Delaware senior Darren O'Connor and George Mason senior Eric Zuehsow. O'Connor earned third-team All-CAA honors last season after scoring one goal and leading a Blue Hens' defense that recorded six shutouts in 11 CAA contests. Zuehsow garnered second-team All-CAA accolades in 2010 as the top performer on a Patriots' defense that compiled five shutouts in 11 league matches.
Joining Asante on the preseason All-CAA team at forward were,Towson sophomore Olakunle Banjo and Northeastern senior Mike Kennedy. Asante was a member of the All-CAA second team and the CAA All-Rookie team a year ago after tallying four goals and two assists for the Monarchs. He joins Foster on the preseason Watch List for the Hermann Trophy. Banjo also made the All-CAA second team and CAA All-Rookie squad following a season in which he compiled seven goals and five assists for the Tigers. Kennedy moved up to the All-CAA second team last year after making the third team in 2009. He had a team-high seven goals and two assists for the Huskies.
Chosen to the preseason all-conference squad in the midfield were William & Mary senior Nicolas Abrigo, Delaware senior Evans Frimpong, UNC Wilmington senior Daniel Roberts and James Madison junior Paul Wyatt. Abrigo tallied seven goals and two assists for the Tribe last season and was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the CAA Men's Soccer Championship after recording a hat trick in the title game. Frimpong contributed three goals and an assist for the Blue Hens last season and was a second-team All-CAA pick. Roberts made the All-CAA third team in 2009 after compiling four goals and five assists, but was limited to only three games a year ago due to a hamstring injury. Wyatt compiled five goals and three assists for the Dukes in 2010 and earned second-team All-CAA honors.
Georgia State junior Vincent Foermer was tabbed as the goalkeeper on the preseason all-conference team. He was a second-team All-CAA honoree in 2010 after leading the league with 84 saves. He posted a 1.43 GAA and recorded four shutouts.
The 2011 CAA men's soccer season gets underway on August 26.ODU opens up at homeagainst Navy on Sunday night, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m.
2011 PRESEASON ALL CAA MEN'S SOCCER TEAMGideon Asante, ODU F So.Olakunle Banjo, Towson F So.Mike Kennedy, Northeastern F Sr.Nicholas Abrigo, W&M MF Sr.Evans Frimpong, Delaware MF Sr.Daniel Roberts, UNCW MF Sr.Paul Wyatt, JMU MF Jr.Shaun Foster, Hofstra D So.Darren O'Connor, Delaware D Sr.Eric Zuehsow, George Mason D Sr.Vincent Foermer, GSU GK Jr.
Honorable Mention: Ben Anderson, MF, William & Mary; Don Anding, F, Northeastern; Ryan Gracia, MF, George Mason; Chris Harmon, MF, Old Dominion; Christian Hofer, D, Towson; Jason Johnson, F, VCU; Jordan LeBlanc, MF, Old Dominion; Brandon Miller, GK, UNC Wilmington; Nathan Page, MF, Drexel; Roshan Patel, D, William & Mary
PRESEASON CAA MEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Shaun Foster, Hofstra,
Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25TEAM (2010 RECORD)1. Louisville (20-1-3)2. UCLA (16-5-1)3. North Carolina (16-4-4)4. Akron (22-1-2)5. Connecticut (12-2-6)6. Creighton (13-5-2)7. SMU (16-2-2)8. Maryland (19-3-1)9. Notre Dame (10-6-4)10. UC Santa Barbara (14-5-3)11. Virginia (11-6-3)12. Duke (10-6-4)13. Wake Forest (8-9-2)14. Brown (12-4-4)15. Ohio State (11-6-3)16. USF (9-6-4)17. West Virginia (11-8-2)18. Indiana (10-8-2)19. UCF (12-5-3)20. California (14-2-4)21. Monmouth (14-2-4)22. FGCU (13-3-2)23. Boston College (10-5-5)24. Loyola Marymount (12-6-2)25. Old Dominion (10-7-2)