D3soccer.com All-America Teams, POYs, and COY

[Christan Shirk]

Well, just when you were starting to forget that our website even existed and that we do All-America teams . . . .

February 21, 2017
2016 D3soccer.com Men's All-America teams

Sorry for the  l - o - n - g  delay.  Real job, family, holidays, etc.  Been a real tough year and last few months.

[Christan Shirk]

February 21, 2017
2016 D3soccer.com Men's All-America teams

2016 MEN'S PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Forward: Lucas Terci (Sr.), Montclair State
Midfielder: Jacob Bender  (Sr.), Messiah
Defender: Trent Vegter  (So.), Calvin
Goalkeeper: Scott Greenwood  (Sr.), Tufts


2016 MEN'S ALL-AMERICANS

FIRST TEAM

F	Lucas Terci **	Sr.	Montclair State
F	Matt Kinkopf	Sr.	Ohio Northern
F	Max Lopez	So.	Chicago
M	Jacob Bender	Sr.	Messiah
M	Pat Devlin	Sr.	Connecticut Col.
M	Austin Bitta	Sr.	Carthage
M	Nicco Capotosto	So.	Chicago
D	Trent Vegter	So.	Calvin
D	Mark Heydt	Sr.	St. Thomas
D	Henry Myers	Jr.	Kenyon
GK	Scott Greenwood	Sr.	Tufts

SECOND TEAM

F	Nick Kapetanos	Jr.	Benedictine
F	Fabio DeSousa	Fr.	Rutgers-Newark
F	Caleb Lucas	Sr.	Maryville (Tenn.)
M	Josh Ocel *	Sr.	Brandeis
M	Isky Van Doorne	Sr.	Calvin
M	Jimmy Grace	Sr.	Chris. Newport
D	Daniel Sullivan	Sr.	Tufts
D	Anthony Passiatore	Sr.	Oneonta State
D	Will Sjaastad	So.	Rowan
D	Laurence Wyke	So.	Trinity (Texas)
GK	Connor Young	Jr.	Cortland State

THIRD TEAM

F	Gonzalo Hernandez	Sr.	Dubuque
F	Braden Andryk	Jr.	Milwaukee Engr.
M	Mohamed Kenawy	So.	Mass-Boston
M	Caleb Cole	Sr.	Gordon
M	Soren Frykholm	Sr.	Colorado College
M	Bryce Ciambella	Sr.	Amherst
D	Jackson Lenhart	Sr.	Amherst
D	Wyatt Fabian	Jr.	Franklin & Marshall
D	Thomas Salamone	Sr.	Lynchburg
D	Dakota Rosenberg	Jr.	Messiah
GK	Michael King	Sr.	Clarkson

* previous D3soccer.com All-America honors


2016 MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR
Jon Lowery, St. Thomas (20-2-3) - 2016 National Semifinalist

[Christan Shirk]

Even though we are far, far into the off-season, hopefully there will be some good discussion about the All-America selections once fans realize the teams have been posted.  We at D3soccer.com enjoy the reactions and feedback. We feel very good about the teams we put out each year, but please know that no one person on our staff (nor any of the coaches or SIDs that participate in our process) agrees with all the selections and can personally defend why each player was (or wasn't) selected and which team they were placed on. So don't expect myself or anyone else to officially make the case for or against any players. However, we may carefully chime in with either (a) our personal opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of a given player's case for selection or (b) guesses as to why a player found favor (or not) with our panel of voters.

Naturally, the D3soccer.com All-America teams will get compared the NSCAA's teams.  Our process is certainly quite different from theirs, and there are probably also some other differences in philosophy and expectations for the awards.  With a different process, maybe even a different philosophy, and a different set of coaches, SIDs, and staff members contributing, it's unrealistic to expect the two sets of All-America teams to match. And the fact that our process starts after the NCAA tournament (more by necessity than by choice) and takes into consideration the teams' results and players' performances in the tournament, further increases the probability of differences between the two sets of All-America teams.

There are some specific, basic things to keep in mind if comparing the D3Soccer.com All-American selections to the NSCAA's teams.  First, as is tradition, D3soccer.com holds its honors to a strict eleven players per team and 33 players overall.  So keep that in mind when comparing the D3Soccer.com teams to the NSCAA teams which typically include +/- 15 players per team for a grand total of approx. 45 honorees (i.e. a whole extra team's worth of players).  So it's a fairer comparison to only consider the NSCAA's first and second teams against D3Soccer.com's three teams.

Second, D3soccer.com's ratio of forwards, midfielders, and defenders is intentionally kept reasonably close to the ratio typically fielded in actual games.  The NSCAA teams tend to include a rather high percentage of forwards.  For example, this year their first team has eight forwards out of a total of 16 first team selections, or 50%.  D3soccer.com only has eight forwards selected total for all three teams this year (24%) as has been the case most every year, with just two or three forwards on each team of eleven players.

We have no quotas or minimums and maximums for regional distribution/representation. We want the teams to represent the best players across the country and if some regions seem to be have more top level players than some other regions in a given year, then those regions will have more representatives on the teams. We do work as best we can to root out any regional bias in our final selections. We are realistic and expect that most coaches and SIDs exhibit some natural, unintentional bias for players they have faced and/or know about from their conference or region. It's much easier to feel strongly about and vote for a top player you've seen play than a supposed top player from another region that you only know from a stat sheet. Through both a diverse panel of voters and by being conscientious and on the lookout for bias that favors or disadvantages any region, we hope that all regions, conferences, and teams have been given a fair shot at having their top players selected for our All-America teams.

That said, the selections ultimately come down to the opinions of our panelists and D3soccer.com staff.  All involved are human and are just a small sub-set of D-III soccer fans, each with his/her own limited perspective and exposure to players across the nation.  There is no genius super-fan on our staff who's watched several hundred matches throughout the season and can rely on first-hand observation to compare all candidates. Nor is there a sophisticated algorithm or computer program to scientifically compare players' performances and identify the most deserving honorees.  No, this is a very subjective (and imperfect) endeavor. As such, do some deserving players get left out and/or overlooked? Sure, . . . for all sorts of reasons.

We take the task of naming All-Americans very seriously and go about it as diligently as we know how and are able (given a whole host of limiting factors). But we don't take ourselves too seriously, i.e. we don't think we or our process yields perfect, indisputable, infallible results. We do not think in terms of being the final authority on these matters. We only want to promote Division III soccer and do our best to recognize and honor the top student-athletes in Division III men's and women's soccer each year, meaning absolutely no disrespect to all the other talented, hard-working players who we do not select, some of whom very well may be as good and as deserving as some of those we did select. These are our All-America teams, the D3soccer.com All-America teams—nothing more, nothing less.

And it's exactly because we take the task seriously without taking ourselves too seriously that we welcome and encourage fans to critique our selections and to voice their agreements and disagreements with the reasoning behind those opinions. It's all good as long as the promotion of certain players is not advanced by bashing and disparaging other players, which is unnecessary, disrespectful, and simply not cool. So have at it.  Tell us and each other what you think.  What did we get right and what did we get wrong, in your opinion?  Who would you have included that we did not, and why?

[PaulNewman]

Curious as to whether Terci's late season behavior was debated as a relevant factor to consider (or not) in not only making him First Team but also in awarding him one of the top four most coveted honors.  And I suppose curious as to whether there were just no other comparable candidates in terms of stats/impact.

If one looks at any of these from a "most valuable" perspective, I'm surprised Majumder did not make any team.  His shortened season and limited stats obviously are very fair reasons to exclude him, but in terms of what he seems to have meant to his team during his absence (as a leader/role model) and then his very key role in the championship run I would think he warranted serious consideration.  His GWs versus Rowan and Kenyon obviously were huge.  Coming up big (or not so much) in the biggest of moments has got to mean something.

I'm biased on this one, but I think a strong case could be made for Myers for Defender of the Year.  That said, I can't argue with Vegter who is an excellent (albeit pretty obvious) choice.  Vegter was superb in the tournament and many will forget that he almost pulled Calvin through despite not having Noyola for those last couple of games.

Agree 100% on Greenwood.  Don't agree that Calvin's GK was not one of the top 3 nationwide.

[letsGOswans!]

Good to see the NESCAC getting recognition. IMO Devlin was by far the best midfielder in the country. Imagine if he had been on a better team...

[PaulNewman]

Not the right thread, but as a previous D3soccer.com GK of the year perhaps appropriate nonetheless.

A class act on and off the field and sterling representative of his school.

http://athletics.kenyon.edu/news/2017/3/21/mens-soccer-clougher-earns-ncaa-postgraduate-scholarship.aspx