Nov. 11, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's soccer team was represented with two players on the All-Conference USA teams, which were released Tuesday afternoon. Freshman Kevan George (Decatur, Ga.) was the lone freshman named to the All-C-USA First Team while senior Ryan Roushandel (Atlanta, Ga.) garnered second team honors for the second-straight season.
Each of the three all-conference teams were comprised of 11 players, with a goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and three forwards on each squad. The all-freshman team also had 11 players, with no position distinction. Voting was done by each of the league's nine head coaches.
In his first season of collegiate soccer, George made an immediate impact on the Knights, both offensively and defensively. He leads the team in both goals (4) and points (9) while also playing strong defensively in the midfield. During one stretch, George scored goals in three-straight games, including game-winners both at Old Dominion and against Memphis.
The lone UCF freshman to start all 17 games, George scored his four goals on just 17 shots, and was also named to the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Roushandel made his way onto the second team for the second-straight season despite switching positions this season. In order to help the young UCF team, the co-captain moved to defender. The move paid dividends and helped the Knights to four shutouts. From the backline, Roushandel also scored three goals, with a pair of markers in a 3-1 win and the game-tying goal in UCF's 1-1 tie at South Carolina.
Tulsa, the regular-season league champion, had seven selections to the all-conference teams. The Golden Hurricane's Ashley McInnes was named the Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Austin Neil was voted Freshman of the Year. Tulsa head coach Tom McIntosh won Coach of the Year honors. Kentucky won the other two awards, with Barry Rice winning Defensive Player of the Year and Marcos dos Santos claiming Newcomer of the Year.
UCF finished the regular season at 6-10-1 overall and 3-4-1 in league play. The Knights tied with three other teams for third place in C-USA. As the sixth seed, UCF will play third-seeded Memphis in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament in Dallas, Texas. The game is slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The Knights defeated the Tigers 1-0 in Orlando on Sept. 20.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
2008 C-USA CONFERENCE AWARDS
All-Conference First Team
F: Juan Guerra, FIU
F: Sam Arthur, South Carolina
F: Blake Brettschneider, South Carolina
MF: Jason Griffiths, Kentucky
MF: Joe Salem, Tulsa
MF: Two-Boys Gumede, UAB
MF: Kevan George, UCF
D: Barry Rice, Kentucky
D: Michael Coburn, Memphis
D: Chris Taylor, Tulsa
GK: Tyrel Lacey, Tulsa
All-Conference Second Team
F: Paulo da Silva, SMU
F: Ashley McInnes, Tulsa
F: Austin Neil, Tulsa
MF: Ariel Osorio, SMU
MF: Jeff Harwell, SMU
MF: Leone Cruz, SMU
MF: Jeff Scanella, South Carolina
D: Tyler Ruthven, South Carolina
D: Chris Clements, Tulsa
D: Ryan Roushandel, UCF
GK: Jimmy Maurer, South Carolina
All-Conference Third Team
F: Sterling Flunder, Marshall
F: Parker Duncan, Memphis
F: Jose Parada, Tulsa
MF: Masumi Turnbull, Kentucky
MF: Jira Cooley, Marshall
MF: Trey Gergory, UAB
MF: Michal Mrevec, UAB
D: Philip Fisher, FIU
D: Mark Wiltse, South Carolina
D: Dean Sorrell, UAB
GK: Dan Williams, Ketucky
All-Freshman Team
Marc Lyon, D, FIU
Brad Walker, D, Kentucky
Jordan Hilgefort, D, Marshall
Parker Duncan, F, Memphis
Diego De Almeida, MF, SMU
Arthur Ivo, F, SMU
David MacVane, MF, South Carolina
Steven Morrissey, MF, South Carolina
Austin Neil, F, Tulsa
Justin Chavez, D, Tulsa
Andrew Barsalona, MF, UAB
Kevan George, MF, UCF
Offensive Player of the Year
Ashley McInnes, F, Tulsa
Defensive Player of the Year
Barry Rice, D, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
Austin Neil, F, Tulsa
Newcomer of the Year
Marco dos Santos, F, Kentucky
Coach of the Year
Tom McIntosh, Tulsa