Five SAC Men’s Soccer Players Earn NSCAA All-American Honors

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Five men's soccer players from the South Atlantic Conference, including three from conference champion Tusculum College, have been named to the on the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America Division II All-America Teams.

Tusculum forward Bruno Conceicão, the SAC Player of the Year, was named to the first team. Tusculum goalkeeper Lance Moore and midfielder Anteneh Lemma were named to the second team, as was Carson-Newman College defender Thomas Ostvald, who earned his second All-American recoginition. Wingate University sophomore midfielder Luke Mulholland was named to the third team.

The All-America selections are invited to be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon in January. The gala will be held in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 17, as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention. For more information, please visit NSCAA.com.

Tusculum

Bruno Conceicão

Lance Moore

Anteneh Lemma

Thomas Ostvald

Luke Mulholland

Three members of the 2008 South Atlantic Conference champion Tusculum men's soccer team were recognized on the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America Division II All-America Teams, including First Team selection and SAC Player of the Year Bruno Conceicão. Goalkeeper Lance Moore and midfielder Anteneh Lemma earned Second Team honors, as the Pioneers are one of five teams with three NSCAA All-Americans.

Tusculum posted a school-record 20 wins this season en route to a NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship, capturing the program's third South Atlantic Conference and Food Lion SAC Tournament titles along the way. The Pioneers advanced into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, falling to the University of Tampa 3-2 in extra time after holding a 2-0 halftime lead.

Conceicão garners the first NSCAA All-America honors of his career, having been named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region First Team each of the last two seasons. A native of Valenca, Bahia, Conceicão posted the highest point total in Division II with 60 markers this season, scoring 24 goals (3rd in nation) and tallying 12 assists to become the first player in program history to earn Daktronics All-America First Team honors. The 5-10, 165-pound forward was also named the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Player of the Year this season, and garnered conference player of the week honors three times.

Moore posted one of the best seasons in program history for the Pioneers this fall, setting a single-season school record with 12 shutouts en route to a Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention selection. The junior goalkeeper finished the season ranked among the top 30 in the nation with a 1.02 goals against average, which ranks second all-time at TC. A native of Morristown, Tenn., Moore also set new program career marks in shutouts (18), goals against average (1.27), and save percentage (0.770), while playing a school record 2198 minutes this season. The 6-1, 185-pound goalkeeper notched two consecutive shutouts in the Food Lion SAC Tournament to earn Tournament MVP honors. Moore was also named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team, as well as the All-SAC Second Team and Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team this season.

This is the first time Lemma has earned NSCAA All-America honors in his career, as the midfielder has been an All-Region selection in each of his two seasons with the Pioneers. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Lemma set new career highs in every statistical category this season, including goals (14), assists (10), points (38), and match-winners (4). The sophomore halfback garnered All-SAC First Team honors this fall after posting the third-highest point total in the conference. Lemma was also earned Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention and All-Southeast Region First Team honors this season.

This marks the first time since 2002 that a TC player has garnered NSCAA All-America honors, and Tusculum's three selections is the most in program history. The black and orange is expected to return eight of its top 10 scorers and nine starters from this season's squad, including SAC Freshman of the Year Nick Rich, which boasted the ninth-best scoring offense in the nation.

Wingate

Wingate University sophomore midfielder Luke Mulholland (Preston, England) adds his name to a prestigious list, as he was named to the NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II All-America third team this week. Mulholland is the 12th student-athlete in the school's senior college history to earn All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Mulholland is only the third Bulldog sophomore to earn this distinction. Previously, he was named to both the NSCAA and the Daktronics men's soccer All-Southeast Region first teams. He is two-time NSCAA regional honoree, as he was selected for the NSCAA All-Appalachian Region first team in 2007.

In 2008, Mulholland had eight goals and seven assists. On the South Atlantic Conference charts, he ranked seventh in points and seventh in assists. Mulholland has earned first team All-SAC laurels two years in a row.

Mulholland started the 2008 season by scoring the match-winner in Wingate's 1-0 win at Florida Tech. Mulholland also netted the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory over St. Andrews Presbyterian.

In 2007, Mulholland was second on the Bulldog scoring charts with 10 goals and six assists. Mulholland registered either a goal or an assist in 12 of his 19 matches as a first-year performer.

Wingate advanced to the finals of the Food Lion SAC tournament this year. The Bulldogs qualified for the 2007 NCAA Division II Appalachian Region men's soccer tournament, Wingate's second appearance in the NCAA's big dance. During Mulholland's two seasons, Wingate is 28-12-3 overall.

2008 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II Men's All-America Team

First Team
Pos., Name, Class, School, Hometown
GK, Chad Becker, Sr., Rockhurst University
D, Doug Carr, Sr., Sonoma State University
D, Kevin Gallaugher *, Jr., Cal State Dominguez Hills
D, Tony Ray, Sr., Northern Kentucky University
MF, Steven Beattie, So., Northern Kentucky University
MF, Eric Lafon, Sr., Sonoma State University
MF, Cory Mastey, Sr., Lewis University
F, Bruno Conceicao, Sr., Tusculum College
F, Tom Heinemann *, Jr., Rockhurst University
F, Jonathan Maloney *, Sr., University of Montevallo
F, Ross Middlemiss, Sr., Sonoma State University

Second Team
GK, Lance Moore, Jr., Tusculum College
D, Dominic Casciato, Jr., Limestone College
D, Thomas Ostvald *, Jr., Carson-Newman College
D, Lee Porter *, Sr., Lynn University
MF, Adam Arthur, Jr., Lander University
MF, Anteneh Lemma, So., Tusculum College
MF, Matt Pele, Sr., Western Washington University
F, Nestor Hernandez *, Jr., Lewis University
F, Kyle Holland, Sr., Cal State Dominguez Hills
F, Kellen Johnson, Sr., Metropolitan State College of Denver
F, Lee Squires *, So., Lees-McRae College

Third Team
GK, Ryan Vickery, Sr., Metropolitan State College of Denver
D, Jason Decker, Sr., Colorado School of Mines
D, Joey De Francesco, Jr., Lewis University
D, Nolan Intermoia, Sr., University of West Florida
MF, Ahmad Ihmedian *, Sr., Midwestern State University
MF, Moussa Keita, Jr., Dowling College
MF, Eusebio Montoya, Sr., Saint Leo University
MF, Luke Mulholland, So., Wingate University
MF, Anthony Peters, Sr., West Virginia Wesleyan
MF, Kyle Samuelson, Jr., Rockhurst University
F, Jean Alexandre, Sr., Lynn University
F, Pascal Milien, Jr., University of Tampa
F, Lamine Traore, Jr., Dowling College
F, Ola Sandquist, Sr., Metropolitan State College of Denver
* indicates prior selection