SAC Places 19 On NSCAA/adidas Men’s Soccer All-Appalachian Region Team

MISSION, Kan. -- The South Atlantic Conference dominated the 2007 NSCAA/adidas All-Appalachain Region men's soccer team, claiming 19 of the 22 spots, including the entire first team.

Regular-season co-champion Tusculum College, co-champion and tournament champion and national runner-up Lincoln Memorial University and Wingate University each had four selections. The Railsplitters and Bulldogs each had three named to the first team, while the Pioneers had one.

Lenoir-Rhyne College had three All-Region selections, placing a pair on the first team. Carson-Newman College had two All-Region selections, with one first team member.

Newberry College's Debola Ogunseye, a first-team selection, and Catawba College's Ryan Villiard, selected to the second team, round out the South Atlantic Conference's representatives.

Tusculum College

Bruno Conceicão, a junior from Aruba Dutch Caribbean, led the Pioneers in scoring with 21 goals and four assists for his 46 total points. He finished second in the South Atlantic Conference in goals (21) and points (46). His 21 goals were also the seventh-best in the nation (NCAA II) and ninth most in a season by a Pioneer.

Conceicão scored five goals in the final two matches of the Food Lion SAC Tournament. He notched four goals in Tusculum's 6-2 semifinal win over eighth-ranked Wingate. He added another scoring tally in the Pioneers' 3-1 loss to eventual national runner-up Lincoln Memorial in the SAC Tournament final. He was named to the SAC All-Tournament team and was a First Team All-Conference selection. His eight match-winning goals were a new school single-season record.

Lucas Paulini, a freshman midfielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina, led Tusculum in his rookie season with 10 assists, to go along with his seven goals. His 10 helpers were tied for the most in the SAC and 24th in the country (0.45 apm). He was named the SAC Freshman of the Year, while earning All-Conference First Team accolades. He also started in all 22 matches for the Pioneers where he tallied 24 points (9th in SAC).

Anteneh Lemma, a freshman midfielder from Stockholm, Sweden, finished fourth on the team with 10 points, including eight assists, which were fifth in the league. Lemma was named to the All-SAC Second Team.

Gareth Williams, a junior midfielder from Wrexham, Wales, recorded six goals and six assists for his 18 total points, which were fourth on the team. Williams also added a match-winning goal in his 19 appearances. His six assists were tied for ninth in the league.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Brett Teach, the Pioneers posted an 11-9-2 record, while capturing the program's second South Atlantic Conference Championship. Tusculum advanced to the finals of the Food Lion SAC Tournament and earned a berth to the NCAA II Tournament.

Catawba

Villiard started all 19 matches for the Indians and led Catawba this season with 16 goals. Three of the goals were game-winners. The senior midfielder added four assists. Over his career, Villiard scored 23 goals with 23 assists. He was twice named all-region and All-South Atlantic Conference.

During his career, Catawba posted a 47-33-2 record and earned three berths in NCAA II Regional play. In 2005, Catawba advanced to the regional final match where it lost in a penalty kick shootout.

Villiard was also named to the fifth annual North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) College Division All-State team.

Wingate

The Wingate men's soccer team captain, Ben Clark is a three-time NSCAA All-Appalachian Region first team honoree. In addition, he earned his third All-South Atlantic Conference award this year. In 2007, he was named to the All-SAC first team. In 2005, he earned All-SAC second team laurels. While a student-athlete at Lenoir-Rhyne, Clark was selected to the first team in 2004.

Earlier this month, Clark was named to the Daktronics All-Appalachian Region Men's Soccer second team. The Daktronics All-Appalachian Region Men's Soccer teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Clark's leadership has been crucial for the Bulldogs, as Wingate started as many as eight freshmen in 2007.

Sophomore forward Junior Nyemb (Douala, Cameroon) repeats on the NSCAA All-Appalachian Region first team, as he earned first team laurels as a freshman in 2006. A two-time All-SAC performer, Nyemb led the Bulldogs with 13 goals this year. He added five assists.

In November, Nyemb was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III men's soccer second team. Nyemb recorded two hat-tricks this season, including a huge match against Davis & Elkins University. He scored all three Wingate goals in a 3-2 regional victory over the Senators. He led the 2006 Bulldogs in total points with 18. Nyemb notched six goals and six assists in 2006.

A true freshman, Luke Mulholland (Preston, England) was named first team All-South Atlantic Conference in 2007. He was second on the Bulldog scoring charts with 10 goals and six assists. In 12 of his 19 matches, Mulholland registered either a goal or an assist.

Mulholland scored two goals (this season) against national runner-up Lincoln Memorial. He registered one goal in a 3-0 Bulldog win over Oct. 27. Mulholland had Wingate's lone marker in a 2-1 NCAA Division II Appalachian Regional tournament game on Nov. 9.

Kerrin Sheldon (Moatsville, W.Va.) is a two-time NSCAA All-Appalachian Region selection, as he gained first team laurels in 2006. Sheldon is also a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® performer in men's soccer (college division). The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) voted him to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® first team in 2007. He was a second team selection in 2006.

Sheldon was voted Wingate's 2006 MVP by his teammates. Sheldon was named first team All-South Atlantic Conference in 2006. He was a second team All-SAC selection in 2005.

Statistically, Sheldon had seven goals, five assists and a team-leading five match-winning goals in 2007. During the 2006 season, Sheldon led the Bulldogs with seven goals. He was four-for-four on penalty kicks, tops on the 2006 team.

Under the direction of head coach Gary Hamill, the Wingate University men's soccer team compiled a 16-5-1 overall record in 2007. The Bulldogs qualified for the 2007 NCAA Division II Appalachian Region Men's Soccer tournament this year, Wingate's second appearance in the NCAA's big dance.

Lincoln Memorial

Sophomore forward Leandro Pereira, senior goalkeeper Brent Cole, senior midfielder Leonardo de Barros were named to the first team, while senior defender Nelson Pizarro was named to the second team.

Pereira ranked fifth in points per game and eighth in goals per game in Division II, guiding Lincoln Memorial to a 20-4-1 record and a berth in the national finals. The sophomore forward leads the Railsplitters with 23 goals and 55 points. Pereira was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year and Daktronics Appalachian Region Player of the Year and Daktronics All-America Player of the Year.

2007 NSCAA/adidas
NCAA Division II Men
All-Appalachian Region

First Team
Pos. Name Year School Hometown
K Brent Cole Sr. Lincoln Memorial Knoxville, Tenn
D Ben Clark Sr. Wingate Bolsover, Ala.
D Thomas Ostvold So. Carson-Newman Stavanger, Ala.
D Aaron Wheeler So. Lenoir-Rhyne Baltimore, Md.
M Leonardo Barros Sr. Lincoln Memorial Brasilai, Ala.
M Luis Carrizosa Jr. Lenoir-Rhyne� North Bergen, N.J.
M Luke Mulholland Fr. Wingate Preston, Ala.
F Bruno Conceicao Jr. Tusculum Greeneville, Tenn.
F Junior Nyemb So. Wingate Douala, Ala.
F Debola Ogunseye Jr. Newberry Newberry, S.C.
F Leandro Pereira So. Lincoln Memorial Sobradinho, Ala

Second Team
Pos. Name Year School Hometown
K Timothy O'Toole So. Davis & Elkins Arlington, Va.
D Gary Higgins Jr. Lenoir-Rhyne Hickory, N.C.
D Nelson Pizarro Sr. Lincoln Memorial Pembroke Pines, Fla.
D Kerrin Sheldon Sr. Wingate Moatsville, W. Va.
M Anteneh Lemma Fr. Tusculum Greeneville, Tenn.
M Lucas Paulini Fr. Tusculum Greeneville, Tenn.
M Ryan Villiard Sr. Catawba Holiday, Fla.
M Gareth Williams Jr. Tusculum Greeneville, Tenn.
F Makesi Bostic Sr. Davis & Elkins San Fernando, Ala.
F Omar Cooke Sr. Carson-Newman Vinton, Va.
F Kerdyn Moe Sr. Wheeling Jesuit Arouca, Ala.