The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) announced its selections for the 2012-13 College Division All-State Men’s Soccer Teams on Tuesday. Twenty-two players representing eight different North Carolina Colleges and Universities were selected to the first and second teams.
Mars Hill College leads the way with three selections on the first team, while Wingate University has two players named to the first team. UNC Pembroke, Guilford College, Catawba College, Barton College and Greensboro College each had one player grace the first team.
Greensboro College’s Manbi Nyepon is the 2012 all-state team goalkeeper after recording an 11-5-4 record between the posts. The junior has also been named this season to the NSCAA S All-Region team and USA South First Team All-Conference team after appearing in 18 games. The Liberia, West Africa native found himself among the nation’s elite players as he ranked 10th nationally in saves (97) and 42nd in goals against average (0.77), while also leading the USA South in save percentage (.874), goals allowed (14), saves and goals against average.
In the back, Victor Tozelli is one of the two defenders from Wingate University that anchored a defense that led the Bulldogs to its first-ever NCAA Elite Eight appearance and ended the 2012 campaign with a 13-6-1 record. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native collected a spot on the all-SAC team and was an NSCAA All-Region selection. He put in three goals, including scoring in the victory over Montevallo in the NCAA Tournament and dishing out his only assist of the season in the win at then No. 8 Lander during the NCAA Tournament.
Defender Gregg Munn from Mars Hill College was named to the first team after assisting the Lions in reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season following the capture of the first SAC title in school history. The Falkirk, Scotland native played and started in all 20 games this season. He notched two of his three assists in postseason competition. The Capital One Academic All-District selection and First Team All-SAC award winner anchored a back line that held opponents to 0.85 goals per game.
Wingate’s Corey McCollom grabbed the final spot on the first team as a defender after concluding the season with two goals and one assist for five points. The senior earned all-SAC honors, as well as all-region honors from Daktronics and the NSCAA. The Bulldogs relied on a strong defensive unit, which included the Monroe native, to take home the first-ever regional title and make it to the Elite Eight.
Midfielder Alex Mullen of Mars Hill College was named to the first team following a season in which he posted five game-winning goals. The sophomore finished the year with a team-best 27 points including 10 goals and seven assists. The Adelaide, Australia native was named an honorable mention All-American and also brought in all-region honors from the NSCAA and Daktronics as well as all-conference honors.
Catawba College’s lone representative on the team, Carson Smith, was a previous all-state selection in 2010 and now makes his way onto the team after leading the SAC in assists (9) and ranking seventh in points (19). The Mooresville native drilled five goals on the season. The senior rounded out his final campaign with all-conference honors along with ranking 15th nationally overall in assists and seventh in school history with 26 career assists.
Gui Andrade makes his second appearance on the All-State team and joins two others on the team that were on the list in 2010. A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Andrade scored two goals and dished out five assists during the season. The junior earned all-SAC and Daktronics All-Region honors. He had a pair of assists in the 3-1 victory at Montevallo in the NCAA Tournament.
Dante De Luca of Barton College is the final midfielder selection for 2012 as the sophomore finished the season with 14 goals and five assists for 33 points. The All-Conference Carolinas selection led the Bulldogs to the conference championship game. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, De Luca was named to the Daktronics All-Region team after leading Conference Carolinas in goals and points.
Senior Sean Hoek of UNC Pembroke adds to his collection of laurels that includes being named to the Daktronics and National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region teams and All-Peach Belt Conference team. The Little Rock, Ark., native sat sixth in the PBC in scoring and assists team-best nine goals and seven assists for 25 points. Pembroke matched its third-best finish in 20 years with 12 wins and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years.
Stephen Bivens is the third member of the first team from Mars Hill. He finished the year with 11 goals and three assists for 25 points. The Daktronics and NSCAA All-Region selection also collected a spot on the All-South Atlantic Conference team. The Douglasville, Ga., native concluded his time with the Lions with 32 career goals and helped the squad to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row following a conference championship for the first time in school history.
Guilford College’s Freddy Gomez clinched the only spot for the Quakers on the All-State first team. The Valaparaiso, Chile native finished the season with 25 points on 12 goals and one assist. The senior ranked second in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in goals and points. He concluded his career ranking 11th in school history in goals scored with 42, while also posting All-Conference honors for three-consecutive years. Gomez captured NSCAA All-Region honors in 2012 and was an NCCSIA All-State selection in 2010.
The NCCSIA All-State second team is comprised of UNC Pembroke’s Ryan Hanson, James Casserly and Sam Miles, Gulford College’s Drew Gunter and Ronnie Castellano, Greensboro College teammates Logan Paussa, Earl Floyd and Craig Gage, Queens University of Charlotte’s Kevin Anderson and Mars Hill’s Felipe Ferraro and Shadi Harb.
Nominees were submitted by North Carolina sports information professionals and voted on by the NCCSIA members.
Founded in 2002, The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of North Carolina. The purpose of the organization is to promote collegiate athletics at all schools. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of responsibility lies within sports information.
NCCSSIA selects all-state teams in the University (Division I) and College (Division II, III, NAIA) divisions for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, softball and baseball.
North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association
2012 College Division All-State Men’s Soccer Teams
First Team Pos. Name Class School Hometown GK Manbi Nyepon Jr. Greensboro College Liberia, West Africa D Victor Tozelli So. Wingate University Sao Paulo, Brazil D Gregg Munn Jr. Mars Hill College Falkirk, Scotland D Corey McCollom Sr. Wingate University Monroe, N.C. M Alex Mullen % So. Mars Hill College Adelaide, Australia M Carson Smith % Sr. Catawba College Mooresville, N.C. M Gui Andrade % Jr. Wingate University Sao Paulo, Brazil M Dante De Luca So. Barton College Rio de Janeiro, Brazil F Sean Hoek Sr. UNC Pembroke Little Rock, Ark. F Stephen Bivens Sr. Mars Hill College Douglasville, Ga. F Freddy Gomez Sr. Guilford College Valaparaiso, Chile Second Team Pos. Name Class School Hometown GK Ryan Hanson Jr. UNC Pembroke Cary, N.C. D Drew Gunter Sr. Guilford College Kernersville, N.C. D James Casserly Fr. UNC Pembroke Galway, Ireland D Logan Paussa So. Greensboro College Cary, N.C. M Kevin Anderson So. Queens University of Charlotte Mooresville, N.C. M Ronnie Castellano Sr. Guilford College San Pedro Hula, Honduras M Earl Floyd Jr. Greensboro College Norfolk, Va. M Craig Gage Fr. Greensboro College Knightdale, N.C. F Sam Miles & So. UNC Pembroke Christchurch, New Zealand F Felipe Ferraro Jr. Mars Hill College Sao Paulo, Brazil F Shadi Harb Sr. Mars Hill College San Andres, Colombia & - Named to 2011 All-State Team % - Named to 2010 All-State Team