MILTON, Mass. - Student-athletes from 12 different institutions in The Commonwealth Coast Conference were represented on the 2009 All-TCCC Men’s Soccer Team, it was announced today by Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye.
In addition to the all-conference team, four major individual award winners and the team sportsmanship award winner were also selected. Anna Maria College senior George Markopoulos was named TCCC Player of the Year, Endicott College freshman Colin Doody was chosen TCCC Rookie of the Year, University of New England’s Ryan Tarr was honored as TCCC Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, Western New England College’s Erin Sullivan was honored as TCCC Coach of the Year and Eastern Nazarene College was the recipient of the Team Sportsmanship Award.
Voting for the All-TCCC team and each of the major awards was conducted among TCCC men’s soccer coaches.
Joining Markopoulos on the first team were forwards Kiel Hiller (U. of New England), Matt Horth (Gordon), and Jason Sabia (Western New England), midfielders Mark Capitanio (Nichols), Justin Martins (Western New England), and Sean McAllister (Salve Regina), backs Alex Dos Santos (Western New England), Marco Gomes (Western New England), and Justin Plourde (Roger Williams), and goalkeeper Kyle Bak (Western New England).
Joining Doody as second team selections included forwards Josh Deschene (Wentworth) and Liam Isleib (Roger Williams), midfielders Peter Koskores (New England College), Ben Nasman (Wentworth), and Tony Rosa (Western New England), backs Matt Boyle (Curry), Anthony Berntsen (Wentworth), Ian Jentgen (Salve Regina), and Micah Linn (Gordon), and goalkeeper Peter Plate (Roger Williams).
Receiving honorable mention were forwards David Johnson (Nichols), Ken Johnson (Salve Regina), Noah McGarr (Gordon), Ben Radzicki (Curry), and Kagan Sinclair (New England College), midfielders Andres Daza (Roger Williams), Shawn Fitzpatrick (Western New England), Mike Schell (Nichols), and Sam Schwarz (Curry), backs John-Michael Cascio (U. of New England), Kevin Hand (Roger Williams), and Bryan Lee (Endicott), and goalkeeper Brian Newsome (Curry).
Markopoulos, a senior forward from Worcester, Mass., closed out his college career in style, leading all TCCC players during conference play with 11 goals scored and 22 total points in 13 games. In all games played in 2009, Markopoulos was equally as impressive, as he tallied a conference-best 15 goals and 30 total points in 18 games. His play helped Anna Maria generate the fifth-most goals of all TCCC teams (32) in all matches played this season, as the AMCATS completed the 2009 season with an impressive 10-8 overall record – just one win shy of the program single-season record — and a 6-7 mark in TCCC play, a program record for TCCC conference wins. Markopoulos concludes his distinguished career as Anna Maria’s all-time leading scorer with 37 goals.
Doody, a freshman forward from Wethersfield, Conn., has been a very strong addition to the Endicott attack. The first-year sensation led all Gulls players with nine goals, four assists and 22 total points in 16 games played. During conference-only play, Doody once again topped the Endicott ledger with seven goals and 15 total points. Against TCCC competition, Doody led all conference players with four game-winning goals, tied for third place in the league in goals scored (7) and ranked sixth in total points (15). Against all competition, Doody tied for the league-lead with four game-winning goals, ranked second in goals scored (9) and third in total points (22).
Tarr, a senior back from Hermon, Maine, has been an integral member and a two-year captain of a UNE squad that finished above .500 in TCCC play for the first time in program history in 2009. A four-year starter who has started every game for which he has been healthy, Tarr has tallied six career goals from his position on the back line. Off the field, Tarr sports a stellar resume, carrying a 3.75 GPA as a Medical Biology-Med Sciences major and Chemistry minor as he prepares to attend medical school next fall. Tarr is extremely active in Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) affairs, serving as the UNE SAAC President and as the Utility Officer for TCCC SAAC. He also serves as Treasurer of the UNE Class of 2010 and has earned a spot on the Dean’s List every semester he has been at UNE. Tarr was selected to attend the 2008 NCAA National Leadership Conference and has volunteered numerous hours at Southern Maine Medical Center, as a teacher of English as a second language, and also at a retirement home.
Sullivan, in his tenth season as head coach at Western New England College, is being recognized as TCCC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. The Golden Bears enter the upcoming TCCC Championship having won the league’s regular-season title for the third consecutive year since joining the conference in 2007. The Golden Bears currently sport a 13-5-2 overall record, which includes a 10-2-1 conference mark. In conference-only play, the Sullivan-led WNEC side enters TCCC tournament play as one of the league leaders in most statistical categories, ranking first in goals allowed (5), first in shutouts (9), second in goals scored (26), and second in assists (23).
