SAC Places 13 On Men’s NSCAA All-Southeast Region Teams

MISSION, Kan. -- The South Atlantic Conference placed 13 men's soccer players, including five from Tusculum College, on the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America All-Southeast Region teams.

Carson-Newman College, Lincoln Memorial University and Wingate University each placed two on the team. Mars Hill College and Newberry College had one representative.

Tusculum

The No. 7 Tusculum College men's soccer team placed a program-record five players, including First Team selections Bruno Conceicão, Lance Moore, and Anteneh Lemma, on the NSCAA All-Southeast Region teams. Also earning All-Region honors from the Pioneers are Lucas Paulini (2nd team) and Scott Lucky (3rd team).

Tusculum posted a school-record 20 wins this season en route to a NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship, capturing the program's third South Atlantic Conference and Food Lion SAC Tournament titles along the way. The Pioneers advanced into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history, falling to the University of Tampa 3-2 in extra time after holding a 2-0 halftime lead.

Conceicão garners his second All-Region First Team selection of the season, as the senior forward was named Daktronics All-Southeast Region Player of the Year by the region's sports information directors earlier this fall. A native of Valenca, Bahia, Conceicão posted the highest point total in Division II with 60 markers this season, scoring 24 goals (3rd in nation) and tallying 12 assists to become the first player in program history to earn Daktronics All-America First Team honors. The 5-10, 165-pound forward was also named SAC Player of the Year this season, and garnered conference player of the week honors three times.

Moore posted one of the best seasons in program history for the Pioneers this fall, setting a single-season school record with 12 shutouts en route to a Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention selection. The junior goalkeeper finished the season ranked among the top 30 in the nation with a 1.02 goals against average, which ranks second all-time at TC. A native of Morristown, Tenn., Moore also set new program career marks in shutouts (18), goals against average (1.27), and save percentage (0.770), while playing a school record 2198 minutes this season. The 6-1, 185-pound goalkeeper notched two consecutive shutouts in the Food Lion SAC Tournament to earn Tournament MVP honors. Moore was also named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team, as well as the All-SAC Second Team and Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team this season.

This is the second time Lemma has earned NSCAA All-Region honors in his career, and the midfielder's first selection to the First Team. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Lemma set new career highs in every statistical category this season, including goals (14), assists (10), points (38), and match-winners (4). The sophomore halfback garnered All-SAC First Team honors this fall after posting the third-highest point total in the conference. Lemma was also earned Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention and All-Southeast Region First Team honors this season.

Paulini followed his SAC Freshman of the Year performance of 2007 with another solid season in 2008, recording two goals and a career-high 12 assists en route to the second All-SAC First Team selection of his career. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Paulini was one of a program-record seven Pioneers to earn Daktronics All-Southeast Region honors with his Second Team selection. In his two seasons with the Pioneers, Paulini has posted 22 assists to claim the 10th spot on the program's all-time list.

Lucky enjoyed one of the best statistical seasons in the midfield for the Pioneers this fall, posting a SAC-best 13 assists and adding four goals to finish the campaign with 21 points. A native of Orangevale, Calif., Lucky was one of five Pioneers to earn Daktronics All-America honors with his Honorable Mention selection, as the junior midfielder was named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region First Team. The 6-0, 175-pound halfback also garnered All-SAC Second Team honors as he was one of a school-record seven players on the all-conference teams.

The black and orange is expected to return eight of its top 10 scorers and nine starters from this season's squad, including SAC Freshman of the Year Nick Rich, which boasted the ninth-best scoring offense in the nation.

LMU

Lincoln Memorial University men's soccer defenders Felipe Nogueira (Uberaba, Brazil) and Aaron McKenna (Birmingham, England) have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region Second Team by the head coaches throughout the region.

Nogueira, a junior, 2007 Daktronics Frist Team All-American and 2008 Daktronics Honorable Mention All-American was a team captain this season and helped the Railsplitters achieve a 11-7-2 overall record while earning a trip to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament final four in Rock Hill, South Carolina. In back-to-back seasons Nogueira has been named First Team All-South Atlantic Conference, to the South Atlantic Conference All-Tournament Team and has been a Daktronics First Team All-Region selection.

McKenna, only a sophomore, became a crowd favorite this season and quickly caught the eye of not only head coaches throughout the South Atlantic Conference but throughout the entire region. In 2008 he was a First Team All-South Atlantic Conference selection and was named to the SAC All-Tournament Team before earning Daktronics Second Team All-Southeast Region this year and now NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team honors.

Both Nogueira and McKenna will return in 2009 to lead the Railsplitters in their next effort to capture a South Atlantic Conference regular season and tourmament crown, a third regional title in four years and hopefully their next trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Final Four and National Championship as they did in 2007.

Wingate

Wingate University sophomore midfielder Luke Mulholland (Preston, England) was named to the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Southeast Region first team, NSCAA officials announced this week. Bulldog junior forward Junior Nyemb (Douala, Cameroon) was a second team selection.

In November, Mulholland was named to the Daktronics men's soccer All-Southeast Region first team. He is two-time NSCAA honoree, as he was named to the NSCAA All-Appalachian Region first team in 2007. Mulholland had eight goals and seven assists this year, ranking seventh in the SAC in points and seventh in assists.

A first team All-South Atlantic Conference performer two years in a row, Mulholland started the 2008 campaign by scoring the match-winner in Wingate's 1-0 win at Florida Tech. Mulholland also netted the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory over St. Andrews Presbyterian.

Nyemb was named to the Daktronics men's soccer All-Southeast Region second team in 2008 and 2007. In addition, he is a two-time NSCAA All-Appalachian Region first team selection. In 2008, Nyemb led the Bulldogs with 16 goals on the season. He was second in the league in goals scored.

A second team All-SAC selection in 2008, Nyemb was fourth in the league with 33 points. He netted three goals in Wingate's 4-2 win over Coker. He scored a pair of goals in a 3-2 win at Francis Marion. Nyemb also notched a hat trick in the Bulldogs' 8-0 victory at Chowan. He was second in the league with six match-winners on the year.

A stellar student, Nyemb was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III men's soccer second team for the second consecutive season. Nyemb is a three-time All-SAC selection (second team in 2006 and 2008 and first team in 2007).

Newberry

Newberry College men's soccer player Debola Ogunseye (Lagos, Nigeria) was selected to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team. Ogunseye, who earns his third consecutive all-region honor, was named to the second team due to his 40 point season in which he scored 15 goals and had a career high ten assists.

The last two seasons Ogunseye was named to the NSCAA All-Appalachian Region First Team, but Newberry moved to the Southeast Region in 2008. Ogunseye finished his Newberry career with 48 goals, 19 assists and 115 points all of which put him in second place in Newberry history.

The Newberry College men's soccer team finished their season a program high five victories in the SAC and finished third in the SAC.

Mars Hill

Mars Hill's Rondon Bacchus (Point Fortin, Trinidad ) has been selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region Third Team.

Bacchus started 17 games for the Lions this past season and was the centerpiece of a defense that allowed only 1.56 goals per game.

This selection marks the third postseason accolade for Bacchus in 2008. He was also named to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Second Team and the Daktronics Southeast Region First Team Defense.

2008 NSCAA/adidas
NCAA Division II Men
All-Southeast Region

1st Team
Pos. Name Year School
K Lance Moore Jr. Tusculum
D Dominic Casciato Jr. Limestone
D Thomas Ostvald Jr. Carson-Newman
D Dale Parker Jr. Lees-McRae
M Adam Arthur Jr. Lander
M Anteneh Lemma So. Tusculum
M Luke Mulholland So. Wingate
F Aaron Brittain So. Lander
F Bruno Conceicao Sr. Tusculum
F Omar Cooke Jr. Carson-Newman
F Lee Squires So. Lees-McRae

2nd Team
K Billy Hale So. Lander
D Willie Hunt Sr. Francis Marion
D Aaron McKenna So. Lincoln Memorial
D Felipe Nogiera Jr. Lincoln Memorial
D Chad Pennick Sr. Queens
M Miguel Ferrer Sr. UNC Pembroke
M Stephon Henry Sr. Anderson
M Lucas Paulini So. Tusculum
F Junior Nyemb Jr. Wingate
F Debola Ogunseye Sr. Newberry
F Lasse Sohrweide Fr. Anderson

3rd Team
K Sean Paradise Jr. Lees-McRae
D Rondon Bacchus Sr. Mars Hill
D Kyle Bennett Sr. Erskine
D James Owusu Sr. Belmont Abbey
M Tom Beattie Sr. Limestone
M Kyle Clinton Jr. Francis Marion
M Scott Lucky Jr. Tusculum
F Kofi Akyere Sr. USC Aiken
F Ali Benson Jr. Limestone
F Leighton Fredericks Fr. Clayton State
F Juan Rivas So. Francis Marion