PBC Announces Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team

AUGUSTA, GA – The Peach Belt Conference has announced the 2010 men’s soccer All-Conference team at a banquet in Augusta, Ga., as the PBC Fall Festival is set to begin.    For the second time in the last four years, Clayton State swept all three major awards as Ryan Pugh was named the Player of the Year, Arturo Cruz the Freshman of the Year and Pete Petersen the Coach of the Year.  The Lakers also swept the three awards in the 2007 season.  In all, 24 players were named to the first and second teams, the number expanded by two due to ties.

Pugh was tied for the league lead in the Peach Belt Conference during the regular season with 12 goals and led the league with 39 points.  A junior from Fayetteville, Ga., he also had four assists on the year with four multiple-goal games, including a hat trick against Lincoln Memorial. He scored twice against PBC opponents North Georgia, Montevallo and Georgia Southwestern.  Pugh is the second straight Laker to win the Player of the Year award after Kyle Timm was named a co-Player last season.  He is the fourth Laker overall to win the honor.

Arturo Cruz exploded onto the scene in his first collegiate season to claim the Freshman of the Year award.  A true freshman from Atlanta, Ga., Cruz scored four goals and was second on the team with seven assists as he started in 17 games and played in all 18.  He is tied for fourth in the PBC in assists and tied for ninth in total points.  He scored the game-winning goal against USC Aiken.  Cruz continues the rich tradition of talent at Clayton State with the third Freshman of the Year award in the last four seasons, joining 2008 winner Leighton Fredericks and 2007 winner Jamal Geathers.  He is the fourth Laker overall to win the award.

Pete Petersen wins his third PBC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Lakers to a share of the 2010 PBC regular-season Championship and the #1 seed for the conference tournament.  Now in his seventh season at the helm of the Lakers, Petersen has his fourth regular-season title and is in the hunt for his third tournament championship.  The team is 16-2 this season following a win in the quarterfinals of the PBC Tournament and are ranked #4 in the nation, their highest national ranking ever.  Petersen and the Lakers are all but a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, it would be his fourth trip to the national finals in seven years.

The 2010 All-Conference team is listed below as selected by the league’s head coaches.  Coaches were not permitted to rank their own teams.

2010 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team

First Team

Forwards
Nathaniel Foster, Montevallo
Ryan Pugh, Clayton State
Brett Van Pelt, USC Aiken

Midfielders
Johan Bergfeld, Flagler
Matty Phillips, Clayton State
Milan Pualic, Montevallo
Joseph Toby, Flagler

Defenders
Ben Chedgy, North Georgia
Igor Lukic, Clayton State
Austin McIntosh, Montevallo

Goalkeepers
Matt Gilman, Flagler
Rade Tanaskovic, North  Georgia

Second Team

Forwards
Alex Blandin, Francis Marion
Aaron Brittain, Lander
Gray Phelps, North Georgia

Midfielders
Jamie Davison, Lander
Craig Hughes, Lander
Juan Hurtado, North Georgia

Defenders
Will Frandsen, Flagler
Sam Hooke, Georgia Southwestern
Brett Neilson, Clayton State
Gary O’Neill, Montevallo

Goalkeepers
Brian Garcia, Clayton State
Brendan Ledgeway, Montevallo

Player of the Year
Ryan Pugh, Clayton State

Freshman of the Year
Arturo Cruz, Clayton State

Coach of the Year
Pete Petersen, Clayton State