Sterling named CAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year; seven Sea Gulls named to All-CAC team
YORK, Pa. - The Salisbury University men's soccer team was the beneficiary of seven All-Capital Athletic Conference players after the league office released its 2009 All-CAC men's soccer teams on Tuesday. Senior forward Kyle Sterling (Salisbury, Md.) was named the CAC Player of the Year; he was also honored as a member of the All-CAC first team for the third consecutive season. He was joined by senior midfielder Alex Hargrove (Clarks Summit, Pa.) and senior defender Justin McGrath (Perry Hall, Md.) on the first team. Senior forward Nick Malone (Salisbury, Md.), junior forward Chris Finney (Columbia, Md.), and junior defenders Justin Lambert (Silver Spring, Md.) and Casey Rector (Ellicott City, Md.) received All-CAC second team honors.
The seven men have led Salisbury (14-3-1) to the regular season CAC title and to a third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Under their guidance, SU has posted nine shutouts this season while amassing a 67-11 scoring advantage. Their efforts have pushed SU to win seven out of its last eight contests heading into the NCAA tournament.
The seven first-team selections ties the program record for most selections in a single season; Salisbury has had at least three players on the All-CAC first team every season since 1997.
Sterling received his third consecutive spot on the All-CAC first team but added to his trophy case with his first CAC Player of the Year award. The senior led the CAC in seven different statistical categories including goals (15), goals per game (0.83), assists (eight), game-winning goals (four), shots (84), shots per game (4.67), points (38) and points per game (2.11). His numbers stand up across the nation as well as Sterling is ranked 19th in points per game and 20th in goals per game. His award marks the eighth time in school history, and first since 2005, that a Sea Gull has been named CAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year. His efforts have propelled SU to third in the nation in goals per game (3.72). He was named CAC Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 12. In his four-year career, Sterling has 49 goals and 28 assists.
Hargrove makes his second consecutive All-CAC first team as he ranked seventh in the CAC in assists (six) and eighth in assists per game (0.33). His assists per game rank 159th in the nation. The Clarks Summit, Pa., native began the year with a hot hand as he tallied points in four of SU's first six games. In his four-year career, Hargrove has tallied 19 goals and nine assists.
McGrath is honored to the All-CAC first team for the third consecutive season. Under his guidance, the Sea Gulls rank 23rd in the nation in team goals against average (0.6) and 39th in shutout percentage (0.5). The Perry Hall, Md., native also exemplifies what it is to be an excellent student-athlete as he was just recently named to the 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Men's Soccer Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The defender was named CAC Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 8 and was honored as the Elmer Lord Memorial Classic Most Valuable Player on Sept. 6. He has been a full time starter since his sophomore year and has been a part of 51 shutouts as SU has limited the opposition to just 0.60 goals per game since 2007.
Finney picks up his first All-CAC honor with a second team spot in '09. For the year, he totaled four goals and six assists. His assist per game (0.35) total ranks 133rd in the nation. In his three-year career, Finney has totaled 15 goals and 12 assists. The Columbia, Md., native started off the season in excellent form as he scored four goals and five assists within SU's first nine games. He contributed a career-high three assists in Salisbury's 7-1 victory over Randolph-Macon on Sept 13.
Malone was named to the All-CAC second team after posting eight goals and seven assists. The Salisbury, Md., product was consistent for the Sea Gulls all year as he posted points in 10 different contests. He ranks second in the CAC in points (23) and points per game (1.28), fourth in assists (seven) and fifth in goals (eight). His totals span across the nation with a 105th-place ranking in assists per game (0.31) and a 156th-place ranking in goals per game (0.56).
Lambert is honored to the All-CAC second team for the first time in his three-year career. The junior posted three goals, two assists and eight points on the year. The Silver Spring, Md., native came up big for the Sea Gulls in their 2-1 victory over Christopher Newport when he tallied the game-winning goal.
Rounding out the All-CAC selections for Salisbury was Rector. The Ellicott City, Md., product set a career record this season with three goals. He has been a mainstay for the SU defense in his three-year career as opponents have scored just 27 goals against the Sea Gulls since his freshman year.
The CAC Rookie of the Year award went to Stevenson's Ansger Otto while Mary Washington's Roy Gordon and John Plevyak were both distinguished as CAC Co-Coaches of the Year. York led all schools with eight players honored while Mary Washington had five.
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