Dec. 10, 2009
Center Valley, Pa.—Twelve student-athletes from five Patriot League schools were named to the 2009 NSCAA Men’s Soccer All-Mid-Atlantic Team. Leading the way were First-Team selections Conor O’Brien of Bucknell and Lehigh’s Adam Welch.
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.
Welch helped the Lehigh defense limit its foes to just six goals during the seven-game Patriot League season. Welch and the Mountain Hawks allowed just 66 shots and 29 shots-on-goal during League play. Welch also led Lehigh with 15 points (five goals, five assists). He was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
On the Second Team were players from American, Bucknell, Colgate and Lafayette. Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Philip Nelson and his teammate, junior forward B.J. Glenn, were the representatives from Lafayette. Nelson was also named to the ECAC First Team earlier this month. He had a stellar senior season to cap an impressive career at Lafayette. This fall, Nelson led the league in shutouts per game (0.64), goals-against average (0.61) and boasted a career-best nine shutouts to go along with his .862 save percentage in 14 starts. For the second consecutive season, Glenn earned a spot on the All-Region Team. He finished the fall with six goals and one assist for 13 points. Four of those six scores were game winners, second most in the Patriot League. Glenn's performance earned him a spot on the All-Patriot League Second Team, his first all-league honor.
Another pair of teammates, Colgate’s Alex Weekes and Jeff Leach, were named to the Second Team. Weekes, a senior forward, scored four of his seven goals this season during Patriot League play. For the year, he had 18 points (seven goals, four assists). Leach, a defender, was placed on the All-Patriot League Team for the second time in his career. He finished his junior campaign with two goals and four assists.
O’Brien’s teammate, senior defender Patrick Selwood, was placed on the Second Team. Selwood was named MVP of the Patriot League Tournament after leading the team to back-to-back 1-0 wins over Lafayette and American. He helped Bucknell break the school record for shutouts in a season with 12, with 10 of those coming by 1-0 margins. Selwood was a First Team All-Patriot League defender in 2009 after earning Second-Team honors as a junior. He was also named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for the second year in a row.
Also named to the Second Team was American senior defender Cooper Bryant. Bryant was named a First-Team All-Patriot League selection for the second consecutive year. He anchored an Eagles’ defense that allowed just five goals during Patriot League play while also helping American reach the Patriot League Championship game.
Four Patriot League players were named to the Third Team, including two members of the Patriot League champion Bucknell Bison, giving them a League-high total of four All-Region selections. Defender Ross Liberati and forward Brendan Burgdorf received their first All-Region nods. An All-Patriot League selection, Liberati had two assists this season, and in his career he has five goals and three assists. Burgdorf was one of only two freshmen on the All-Mid-Atlantic Team. He finished with nine goals and two assists for 20 points. His goal and point totals ranked second in the Patriot League, behind only O’Brien. Most notably, he scored the lone goal against American in the Patriot League championship match, then did the same thing in a 1-0 victory at Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. His nine goals were the most by a Patriot League freshman and ninth-most among all Division I freshmen in 2009.
Also on the Third Team were Lehigh midfielder Adam Gazda and American forward Mike Worden. A three-time All-Patriot League selection, Gazda notched three goals and seven assists during the season, including five assists in Patriot League contests. Worden had four goals and one assist during the 2009 season. Of his nine points, five came in Patriot League contests.
Bucknell claimed the 2009 Patriot League Championship. The Bison defeated Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by second-seeded Virginia in the second round.
