USC Men's All-Region Teams |
USC Women's All-Region Teams
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches Association released the 2017 NCAA Division III All-Region teams this week, and Messiah men's and women's soccer were well-represented among the honorees. The Falcons' men's team received three All-Mid-Atlantic honors, and the women's team received four honors.
The women's team finished the season with a record of 17-2-4, and they advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 before falling 1-1 (2OT, 3-0 PK) to No. 1-ranked TCNJ. The Messiah men are currently 22-2 and will play in the NCAA Final Four this Friday in Greensboro, N.C. The Falcons will face Brandeis at 5:00 p.m.
The full teams are linked above, with a snapshot of each Messiah honoree below.
Men's All-Mid-Atlantic Region
Kirby Robbins – Named First Team for the second-straight year … leads Messiah in points (34) thanks to career-best numbers in goals (14) and assists (6) … Robbins is also tied with
Nick West for second on the team with five game-winners … earlier this season Robbins was named the MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year.
Dakota Rosenberg – Named First Team for the second-straight year … defensive leader has helped Messiah allow just 12 goals all season while registering a goals against average of 0.492 that is No. 10 in the nation … the Falcons' have also collected 16 team shutouts thus far, just the seventh time in program history they've reached the mark … earlier this season Rosenberg was named the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year.
Colby Thomas – Named First Team for the first time in his career … has career-best marks in goals (9), points (29), and game-winners (7), and he's tied his career-high in assists (11) … his seven game-winners are No. 7 in the nation … has tallied at least one point in 18 of 24 games in 2017 … earlier this season Thomas was also named First Team All-MAC Commonwealth.
Women's All-Mid-Atlantic Region
DJ Cole – Named First Team for the second-straight year … after shifting to centerback Cole helped Messiah allow just four goals to opponents in 2017, with a nation-leading 0.166 goals against average that is second all-time in program history … Messiah also collected 19 shutouts for just the sixth time in history … earlier this season Cole was named the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year.
Lydia Ewing – Named Second Team for the first time in her career … the MAC Commonwealth's Rookie of the Year leads the nation with a 0.194 goals against average, which is second all-time in program history for keepers with at least 600 minutes played … she was also No. 16 in the nation with a 0.875 save percentage and No. 20 in the nation with 1859:15 minutes played … Ewing also collected 16 solo shutouts.
Brooke Firestone – Named First Team for the first time in her career … led Messiah in goals (10), assists (12), and points (32) in a breakout sophomore campaign … became the 20th player in program history to tally at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a single season, and just the 10th player in program history to do so with at least 12 assists … Firestone led the team with four game-winners.
Sunny Gelnovatch – Named First Team for the first time in her career … followed up last year's conference Rookie of the Year honor with a career-high in assists (7) and three game-winning goals … her two-way play in the midfield helped Messiah both lead the nation in goals against average (0.166) and finish No. 17 in the nation with 181 total points.
