Empire 8 Announces Men's Soccer All-Conference Team
October 30, 2007
ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 announced its 2007 Men’s Soccer All-Conference team with sophomore forward Luke Lennox of St. John Fisher College being selected as Player of the Year.
Lennox, a transfer from Denison, leads the conference in goals and points overall (14 goals, 35 points) and in conference play (nine goals, 19 points). He helped lead the Cardinals to the third seed in the conference tournament after a 3-14 record last year.
Senior forward Evan Dufault of Utica College was named to the all-conference first team for the third straight year. He has scored six goals with a conference-high 12 assists.
Junior back Chris Somers of Rochester Institute of Technology was the only other repeat first-team selection. He scored twice and totaled five points, while leading the Tigers’ defense that yielded just over one goal per game.
Five players from top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology were named to the all-conference first team in their first year in the Empire 8, including senior back Sean Bliss and senior forward Mike Kaiser. Sophomore forward Terrance Johnson was named to the first team and is second in the conference with 12 goals with Kaiser right behind him with 11 goals. Junior midfielder Jeremy Lippel (five goals, 18 points) and freshman goalie Zach Carr, with his conference-best 0.45 goals against average, were also first-team selections.
Freshman Andrew McIntosh of St. John Fisher, who has scored six times and tallied 15 points, was named 2007 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and chosen on the all-conference first team. Senior teammate Carlos Martinez earned first-team accolades as a back.
Sophomore Chris Lofgren of Nazareth College (two goals, eight points) was named to the all-conference first team for the fourth-seeded Golden Flyers.
Steve Christenson of Utica was unanimously named the Doug May Memorial Coach of the Year after leading the Pioneers to the second seed and their first appearance in the conference tournament. The coaching award is named after May, who coached RIT from 1980 to 1996 and Nazareth from 1997 to 2003 before passing away in April 2004.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2007 Men’s Soccer Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Empire 8 2007 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Luke Lennox, St. John Fisher College
Rookie of the Year: Andrew McIntosh, St. John Fisher College
Doug May Memorial Coach of the Year: Steve Christenson, Utica College