KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a spectacular season for CU men's soccer, the awards keep flowing in. Marcelo Petit was named Third Team NAIA All-American, while Chris Moyo and Gonzalo Sapena both earned honorable mention, officials announced on Tuesday.
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Petit, Moyo and Sapena all played major roles in Campbellsville's trip to its first-ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship.
Petit, senior forward Asuncion, Paraguay, led Campbellsville in three statistical categories - goals, shots and shots on goal. He recorded 17 goals this season averaging .81 per match, totaling 39 goals in his two-year career as a Tiger. Petit's 17 goals were good for No. 15 in the NAIA in total goals. He averaged 3.38 shots per match with over half his shots being on goal, 40-out-of-71.
He recorded two hat tricks, one against Kentucky Christian on September 3rd and another versus Ohio Christian on October 17th.
This season Petit was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® College Division Soccer Second Team. Petit is the first-ever male athlete in CU history to pick up the honor. It is designed to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and academically.
Petit, Moyo and Sapena were also named to the Mid-South Conference First Team as they led to the Tigers to their first MSC regular season championship and perfect play in the MSC.
Moyo, a senior defender from Bury, England, is one of three seniors to be a four-year student-athlete at Campbellsville. He played in in 63 matches recording three goals and seven assists, which is impressive for a defender.
Sapena, a junior goalkeeper from Asuncion, Paraguay, recorded 85 saves on the year and only allowed 15 – which is the lowest number of goals scored on a goalkeeper that played over 10 games since 2006.
Campbellsville outscored foes 100-16, recording a season-best 11 shutouts much in part to Moyo and Sapena on the defensive end.
Sapena was named the MSC Defensive Player of the Week on five different occasions, more than any other honoree this season.
The NAIA All-America committee consists of the NAIA-Men's Soccer Coaches Association Executive Committee, the National Championship Games Committee and four men's soccer coaches—selected based on geography. Each team—first, second and third—consists of 11 members.
The 2015 Select Sport America-NAIA National Coach of the Year will be announced at the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA) National Convention, held in Baltimore, Md., from Jan. 13-17, 2016.
Other All-American Notes - Link
• Rio Grande (Ohio) junior forward Willian Paulino was honored as the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer National Player of the Year. Paulino becomes the first RedStorm to earn the award since the award's inception in 1997. He led top-seeded Rio Grande to the 2015 NAIA National Championship title, after a 1-0 overtime victory over MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Dec. 5 in Delray Beach, Fla.
• Oklahoma Wesleyan was the only institution to land three players on the All-America First Team – defenders Fernando Machado and Stephan Milicevic and midfielder Perica Obradovic. Overall, the 20-1-1 Eagles boast the highest amount of any program on the First, Second and Third Teams with four players. National champion Rio Grande is next in line with three All-America recipients.
• With Lindsey Wilson's (Ky.) Aleksi Pahkasalo on the NAIA Third Team, the Blue Raiders now have 68 all-time All-American's, which is the most in NAIA history. Mobile (Ala.) currently stands second with 46 – no Ram was listed on the 2015 First, Second or Third teams – while Rio Grande vaults into a tie for No. 3 with former member Simon Fraser (B.C.) after three recipients today (44). Rounding out the top five is Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) and Westmont (Calif.) with 41.
