ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Senior
Mohammed Ahamed and freshman
Alex Manchev each earned first-team honors Thursday with the announcement of the 2009 Empire 8 Conference all-star teams for men's soccer. Ahamed was selected to the first team for the third time, while Manchev also was recognized as the E8 Rookie of the Year. The teams were selected through voting by the league's head coaches.
Nazareth also had four second-team selections in midfielders Christopher Löfgren,
Rikesh Kotak and
Mark Van Thof plus goalkeeper
Ryan Platt. Defender
Chris Mitchell made honorable mention and
Liam Connolly was Nazareth's representative as E8 Sportsman of the Year.
Ahamed, of the Bronx, N.Y. and a graduate of Martin Luther King High School, has been a four-year standout for the Golden Flyers and helped steady a defense that yielded just one goal in seven conference matches. He also contributed two assists.
Manchev, of Sofia, Bulgaria, leads the Golden Flyers with seven goals in 2009, including the game-winning goal in last Saturday's 1-0 win at RIT to clinch the top seed in this weekend's Empire 8 Conference Tournament.
Löfgren, of Vellinge, Sweden, and Kotak, of Leicester, England, each have started regularly for the Golden Flyers in 2009 and have contributed 10 points on four goals and two assists. Kotak also has converted three penalty kicks.
Van Thof, of Fairport, N.Y., has played regularly in his first season with the Golden Flyers after transferring to Nazareth from Monroe Community College. He has two assists.
Platt, of Preston, England, has made nine starts in goal for the Golden Flyers and has allowed just three goals for a 0.33 goals-against average, a .948 save percentage and six shutouts.
Mitchell, of Hooksett, N.H., has one goal and three assists for Nazareth in 15 games.
Nazareth won the regular-season E8 title with a 5-0-2 record. The Golden Flyers host St. John Fisher Friday in an E8 semifinal game at 2 p.m.
Empire 8 2009 Men's Soccer All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Nolan Sandberg, Stevens
Rookie of the Year: Alex Manchev, Nazareth
Doug May Memorial Coach of the Year: Jeremiah Kneeland, Elmira
First Team
Backs
Mohammed Ahamed, sr. Nazareth
Chris Faustino, sr. Stevens
Michael Jordhamo, sr. Ithaca
Midfielders
Dominic Colaprete, jr. RIT
Jeff Diaz, sr. RIT
Nolan Sandberg, jr. Stevens
Forwards
Brian Haschke, sr. Elmira
Terrance Johnson, sr. Stevens
Luke Lennox, sr. St. John Fisher
Alex Manchev, fr. Nazareth
Goalkeeper
Zach Carr, jr. Stevens
Second Team
Backs
Bryan De Faria, jr. Stevens
Andrew McIntosh, jr. St. John Fisher
Chris Somers, sr. RIT
Midfielders
Rikesh Kotak, jr. Nazareth
Erik Lee, fr. Elmira
Christopher Löfgren, sr. Nazareth
Mark Van Thof, jr. Nazareth
Forwards
Zach Adler, fr. Stevens
Jeff Geyer, sr. Ithaca
Francesco Mannino, fr. Alfred
Goalkeeper
Ryan Platt, so. Nazareth
Honorable Mention
Backs: Nathan Broedel, Utica; Bret Dietz, RIT;
Chris Mitchell, Nazareth
Midfielders: Matt Baluzy, Ithaca; Dave Garabedian, St. John Fisher; Sean Fishel, St. John Fisher; Jon Radvany, Stevens; Jonathan Wood, Utica
Forwards: Fernando Casanova, Ithaca; Oluwaseun Ilebani, Utica
Sportsman of the Year
Mike Buisman, sr. Alfred
Kevin McKearney, sr. Elmira
Mike Jordhamo, sr. Ithaca
Liam Connolly, so. Nazareth
Jeff Diaz, sr. RIT
Alex Salter, jr. St. John Fisher
Pete Bednarsky, so. Stevens
Jonathan Wood, so, Utica