Messiah players sweep small college awards

• by Soccer America , Jan 15, 2009

After sweeping the Division III men's and women's titles, Messiah did the same with the NSCAA/adidas National Player of the Year awards. Senior defender J.D. Binger claimed the men's honor, while junior midfielder Amanda Naeher, whose twin sister Alyssa is a two-time Soccer America MVP for Penn State, took the women's award. For all the winners, who will be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon Saturday in St. Louis as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention ...

NCAA Division II Men
Kevin Gallaugher, D, Jr., Cal State Dominguez Hills
Gallaugher anchored a defense that propelled the Toros to the 2008 NCAA Division II title. Under his leadership, the Toros defense matched the school record with 14 shutouts and had nine other games allowing only one goal. Gallaugher also contributed offensively, scoring five goals and converting the only two penalty kicks awarded during the season.

NCAA Division II Women
Meredith Teague, M, Sr., Seattle Pacific
Teague recorded a team-high 14 goals and distributed 10 assists to pace the Falcons with 38 points, earning Great Northwest Athletic Conference and West Region Player of the Year honors. She factored into 13 of SPU's 22 game-winning goals, including seven game-winners and assists on six other game-winning scores. Her 34 career assists are seven more than any player in SPU history.
NCAA Division III Men
J.D. Binger, D, Sr., Messiah
Started all 26 games in Messiah's championship season. He anchored a defense that allowed only 12 goals all season, none in overtime. Offensively, he scored three goals this year, bringing his career total to seven.

NCAA Division III Women
Amanda Naeher, M, Jr., Messiah
Joined soccer team in 2007 and was second-team all-conference with 32 points on 12 goals and 8 assists on the season. In 2008, she led the team in scoring with 33 goals and picked up six assists for a team-leading 72 points. Her single-season goal and points totals both are school records. She also posted five hat tricks, including three in a row.

NAIA Men
Eric Winblad, M, Jr., Azusa Pacific
Winblad finished the season with 16 points on six goals and four assists and led the Cougars to a No. 5 season-ending ranking and a 13-4-3 record. He becomes the first ever APU player to receive this honor and just the second in the conference.

NAIA Women
Jackie Pronovost, D, Sr., Concordia (Ore.)
Pronovost was named a first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America for the fourth consecutive season, becoming just the fifth player in NAIA history to achieve the feat all four years. In addition, she became the second Concordia player to be named the National Player of the Year, with Caitie Davidson taking the honor following the 2004 season.