Skroce, Okoampa among national elite as NSCAA announces All-America men's soccer teams

Dec. 1, 2006

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Indianapolis, Ind. -- A breakthrough season reached a climax Friday (Dec. 1) when two Horizon League players stepped into the national spotlight as members of the National Soccer Coaces Association of America's All-America teams. University of Illinois at Chicago senior forward Tonci Skroce earned Second-Team notice, while University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior forward Joshua Okoampa was a Third-Team selection.

The awards are the first in four years for the Horizon League. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee standout Chad Dombrowski was the circuit's last All-America selection, winning Second-Team recognition in 2002.

Skroce was the League's Player of the Year after netting seven goals and seven assists while leading the Flames to their first loop title since 2000. UIC reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament while posting a 13-3-5 record and was ranked among the nation's top 25 teams for most of the season. He scored the match-winner in UIC's season-opening victory over (then) 25th-ranked Saint Louis University---one of his five decisive tallies in 2006---and also hit the net when the Flames defeated UC Santa Barbara---one of four teams competing for the national championship at this weekend's College Cup---by a 2-1 score on Sept. 8.

Skroce, a member of the First-Team All-League squad for the second consecutive season, is the first Flame named to the All-America rolls since Eric Lukin garnered Third-Team notice in 2000. Lukin was also a Second-Team choice in 1999.

Okoampa earned League Offensive Player of the Year recognition for his League-high totals of 14 goals and 34 points in leading the Phoenix to a 14-6-0 record and the final match of the League Championship. Four of those goals came in a (Sept. 11) contest versus Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne as Okoampa tied a Horizon League single-match record, with another proving to be the difference when the Phoenix defeated Butler University, 2-1, in the semifinals of the League Championship tournament.

Okoampa, who ended a 12-year drought earlier in the week as the first Phoenix All-Great Lakes Region honoree, ranks fifth in school history with 36 career goals. The three-time First-Team All-League honoree becomes the school's first All-America selection since Tim Dunne in 1992.

The University of Notre Dame was the only school with two First-Team honorees in junior forward Joseph Lapira and senior midfielder Gregory Dalby. The rest of the front line includes University of CIncinnati senior Omar Cummings, Boston Collge junior Charlie Davies and Old Dominion University senior Edson Elcock, with University of Maryland junior Maurice Edu and Providence College junior Ryan Maduro in the midfield. Lapira leads the nation with 22 goals scored and 50 total points this year, while Davies' rate of 2.25 points per game puts him atop the national scoring charts.

The First-Team defense features University of New Mexico senior Andrew Boyens, University of Connecticut junior Julius James, Southern Methodist University senior Jay Needham and Lehigh University senior John O'Reilly in front of West Virginia University senior goalkeeper Nick Noble.UC Santa Barbara joins Wake Forest University, UCLA and the University of Virginia in the chase for the national title, with the champion crowned Sunday (Dec. 3) in St. Louis, Mo. The honorees will recognized at the NSCAA All-America Luncheon, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 13, in Indianapolis.

The All-America honors are the latest chapter in the League's success story in 2006. The circuit boasted 12 All-Great Lakes Region selections---double last year's total---when those teams were announced earlier this week, after the League sent two teams (UIC and Loyola University Chicago) to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons. UIC spent most of the season among the nation's top 25 teams and won the regular-season League title before Loyola defeated UW-Green Bay in the League Championship final to earn an automatic entry into the national summit.

###

National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All-America Men's Soccer Teams

First-Team
Pos. * Name * School * Yr. * Hometown
GK * Nick Noble * West Virginia * Sr. * Damascus, Md.
D * Andrew Boyens * New Mexico * Sr. * Dunedin, New Zealand
D * Julius James * Connecticut * Jr. * Maloney Gardens, Trinidad
D * Jay Needham * Southern Methodist * Sr. * Fort worth, Texas
D * John O'Reilly * Lehigh * Sr. * Arlington, Mass.
M * Gregory Dalby * Notre Dame * Sr. * Poway, Calif.
M * Maurice Edu * Maryland * Jr. * Fontana, Calif.
M * Ryan Maduro * Providence * Jr. * Bristol, R.I.
F * Omar Cummings * Cincinnati * Sr. * Old Harbour, Jamaica
F * Charlie Davies * Boston College * Jr. * Manchester, N.H.
F * Edson Elcock * Old Dominion * Sr. * Brooklyn, N.Y.
F * Joseph Lapira * Notre Dame * Jr. * Lake Charles, Calif.

Second-Team
Pos. * Name * School * Yr. * Hometown
GK * Tally Hall * San Diego State * Sr. * Gig Harbor, Wash.
D * Andy Iro * UC Santa Barbara * Jr. * Liverpool, England
D * Steve Purdy * California * Sr. * San Jose, Calif.
D * Julian Valentin * Wake Forest * Jr. * Lancaster, Pa.
M * Eric Avila * UC Santa Barbara * So. * Encinitas, Calif.
M * Nico Colaluca * Virginia * Jr. * Coventry, R.I.
M * Sinisa Ubiparipovic * Akron * Sr. * Mentor, Ohio
M * Sal Zizzo * UCLA * So. * San Diego, Calif.
F * Dane Richards * Clemson * Sr. * Montego Bay, Jamaica
F * Tonci Skroce * UIC * Sr. * Zadar, Croatia
F * Jarrod Smith * West Virginia * Sr. * Havelock, New Zealand
F * Michael Todd * Hofstra * Sr. * Cleveland, England

Third-Team
Pos. * Name * School * Yr. * Hometown
GK * Chris Seitz * Maryland * So. * San Luis Obispo, Calif.
D * Ty Harden * Washington * Sr. * Junction City, Ore.
D * Aaron Hohlbein * Wisconsin * Sr. * Middleton, Wis.
D * Joe Verdi * Lehigh * Sr. * Ivyland, Pa.
M * John DiRaimondo * Saint Louis * Sr. * St. Louis, Mo.
M * Bruno Guarda * Southern Methodist * So. * Cedar Hill, Texas
M * Scott Jones * UNC-Greensboro * Sr. * Dallas, Texas
M * Josh Tudela * Indiana * Sr. * Evansville, Ind.
M * Mike Videira * Duke * Sr. * Milford, Mass.
F * Brad Evans * UC Irvine * Sr. * Phoenix, Ariz.
F * Sebastian Haensel * Towson * Sr. * Leipzig, Germany
F * Steven Holloway * Monmouth * Sr. * Hamilton, New Zealand
F * Joshua Okoampa * UW-Green Bay * Sr. * Brooklyn Park, Minn.