GREENWOOD, Ind. - Last week the 2020-21 Academic All-American Men's and Women's Soccer Teams were announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Among the honorees were a pair of Messiah student-athletes with
Trevor Goodling picking up First Team honors and
Esther Seeland named to the Second Team.
Less than a month after earning his first Academic All-District honor from CoSIDA, Goodling earns his first career Academic All-American accolade. Seeland on the other hand picks up her second Academic All-American honor, but first in soccer after earning a First Team Track & Field nod last year. She becomes the first Falcon to ever earn Academic All-American honors from CoSIDA in sports.
Trevor Goodling claimed his First Team Academic All-American honor after a breakout junior season in 2019 earning Second Team All-Region honors. Goodling led the Falcons and the MAC Commonwealth with 11 goals on the season en route to First Team All-MAC Commonwealth honors. He finished the campaign with 24 total points after scoring one goal and adding two assists in his first two seasons. Seven of his 11 goals were game-winning tallies. Following the 2019 season, the United Soccer Coaches named Goodling a First Team Scholar All-Region and Third Team Scholar All-American. Goodling holds a 3.94 cumulative GPA as a Finance major. After taking the spring semester off, Goodling plans on returning to the team for his fourth season this fall.
In June,
Esther Seeland became the first Messiah student-athlete to earn Academic All-District honors in two different sports. Just last week, she upped her honor, becoming the first to earn Academic All-American honors to two sports. Seeland helped anchor Messiah's defense as the Falcons claimed the 2019 National Championship, starting all 26 games at center back. The Falcons allowed just nine goals for a 0.338 goals against average in 2019, which was the fifth-best mark in the country. Seeland was also honored with the Elite 90 award at the women's soccer National Championship, for holding the highest cumulative GPA among the student-athletes competing at the National Championship site. In addition to helping claim the women's soccer National Championship in the fall of 2019, Seeland is also a two-time National Champion on the track, winning the Outdoor 800 Meter National Titles in 2019 and 2021. In the classroom, Seeland owns a 3.99 cumulative GPA after wrapping up her junior year as a biomedical engineering major.
Both the men's and women's 2020 soccer seasons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Falcons are scheduled to return to the pitch this fall for the 2021 season.
