ELKINS, W.Va. - On Thursday, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference 2013 Men’s Soccer Championships kicked off with the semifinal round, hosted by top overall seed Davis and Elkins College. Following a dominating performance by the Senators in game one of the semifinal double-header, the G-MAC announced and presented its 2013 All-Conference First and Second Team selections, as well as its Conference Individual Awards.

Highlighting the Championship event was the announcement of Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, which was swept by the top seeded Senators. James Pucci, the NCAA DII leader in goals and points, was named Offensive Player of the Year and proved by scoring a hat-trick in the teams semifinal round win over Salem International.

Teammate Dan Savory was named Defensive Player of the Year as the conference coaches voted him as the conference’s most effective defensive shutdown athlete. As a unit, the Senators are second in the conference defensively allowing just 20 goals in 16 games, that number drastically lowers in conference play - allowing just six goals in nine games played and posting four shutouts.

Trevecca Nazarene’s Jeremiah Wright was named the G-MAC Men’s Soccer Freshman of the Year. Wright ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points - or 1.47 points per game. His seven assists are tied for second best in the G-MAC, and his nine goals ranks fifth. Also of his statistics lead all freshmen in the conference.

Rounding out the individual awards, Cedarville Head Coach Brett Faro was voted G-MAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year. Faro, who began the season as the interim head coach after taking over in mid-July after two seasons as an assistant at Cedarville, guided the team to a 12-3-3 record and a #2 seed in the conference this season. Since his arrival at Cedarville, the team has compiled a record of 43-13-6.

All three individual awards winners were named to the 11-member All-Conference First Team. On the team (click here to see full list of all post-season honorees), Cedarville led the way with four first team selections, while Davis & Elkins had three, Trevecca Nazarene two, and Alderson Broaddus and Kentucky Wesleyan each had one. Combining the first and second teams, D&E led the way with eight selections, while Cedarville totaled six, and Trevecca Nazarene had five. Salem International had one second team selection, while AB and KWC did not add any second team selections.

The Men’s Soccer semifinals continues this afternoon with a game between Cedarville and Trevecca Nazarene, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s Championship Game against host and top seed Davis and Elkins. The game will kick off at noon and live stats will be available online.

 
G-MAC Honorable Menitons: Austin Halstead (TNU); Vukasin Terzic (SIU); Justin Virk (SIU); Joe Davison (CED); Daniel Ballard (KWC); Ryan Hughes (ABU); Travis Foreman (KWC); Matthew Esquivel (TNU); Jose Huergo (SIU); Christian Breaux (OVU); Peter McMenemy (ABU); Matt Raines (TNU); Travis Rowland (KWC); D’Arcy Turner (OVU); Braydon Brown (TNU); Jahannes Merz (SIU); Gary McMeekin (KWC); Mehmet Dogan (SIU); Javier Ruiz (SIU); Ryan Brewer (KWC); Jackie Flynn (OVU); Dillon King (CED); Todd McKinley(CED); Rodrigo Chang (ABU)