Dec. 7, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.--Bucknell senior midfielder Conor O’Brien has been named to the Goal.com team of the year, once again placing him on a list of the nation’s elite college soccer players. Last week O’Brien, who was named to the third team, was one of 15 players placed on the ballot for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, given to the national player of the year.

This season, O'Brien became only the fourth player in Patriot League history to repeat as the league's Offensive Player of the Year. He was also a First Team All-Patriot League selection after leading the league in goals (11), assists (9) and points (31). More importantly, he co-captained the Bison to a school-record 17 wins, a Patriot League championship and an NCAA Tournament first-round win over Princeton.

It was O'Brien's third All-Patriot League certificate, as he was also a first-team selection in 2008 and a second-team pick as a sophomore in 2007. He enters this weekend's Patriot League Tournament leading the conference in goals (10), assists (8) and points (28). O'Brien had a point in 17 of the team's 23 games this season, and in 22 of 28 matches dating back to the end of the 2008 season. Seven of his 11 goals were game-winners, the most dramatic of which was his golden goal against Lafayette in the Patriot League Tournament semfinals.

O'Brien won the Jim Lennox Offensive Most Valuable Player Award at the Mayor's Cup early in the season. Bucknell won that tournament with two 1-0 wins over Hartwick and Syracuse, and O'Brien scored both goals. That was part of his school-record 11-game points streak.

O'Brien wrapped up a brilliant career ranked second on Bucknell's career list for assists (25), sixth in points (77) and ninth in goals (26). He is the highest scoring Bison player in the last 20 years.

Akron’s Teal Bunbury was named the national player of the year by Goal.com and was one of six first-team honorees from the four College Cup participants: Akron, Virginia, Wake Forest and North Carolina.